Hillman Curtis’ Artist Series includes short interviews of today’s well-respected illustrators, architects, visual and installation artists, graphic designers, musicians, and film makers. Creatives. Same beginning, different final product.
All of these artists have the following things in common: an idea and message.
As an interactive media student and Elon University, one of the most common recommendations (or requirement) from professors is to begin with a sketch. I have taken their advice but so far, I considered the sketching stage to be a professor’s requirement. Paula Scher, a graphic designer, said that the idea takes 1 second. Well, I don’t want to miss that second.
It was truly inspirational to listen to an artist talk about his/her inspiration, design and decision making process, by showing the viewer the beginning sketches of the final design.
Every element of design has a purpose.
Malcom Gladwell’s chose Brian and Paul to illustrate his book series: Outliers, Blink, and Tipping Point. The first sketch was of a wave (representing the illustration) with a line down the middle (representing the text) to convey that the illustrations are there to supplement the text by pushing the boundaries and keeping readers engaged.
Example of the design process:
Sketch
Final Published Illustration
Mark Romanek describes the design process for his music videos in a different way. Mark shoots the raw footage without a plan then places individual sequences to the feel of the music like a puzzle. He stresses the importance of creating a realistic experience for the viewer while leaving a questions unanswered. I loved his comment on how a shoot of a broken chair speaks more than a shot of an unbroken chair or scene of the chair being broken. Mark encourages a sense of mystery.
In contrary to Mark’s work, Daniel Libeskind, an architect, stresses the importance of planning. Architects go through a laborious step-by-step design process starting with a sketch on paper, to paper models, and finally the building. Before designing the final product, the architect must think of the message, purpose, and feel of the building ultimately creating a new world, new sky, and new people.
After watching several interviews, tomorrow I am going to purchase a moleskin pocket sketchbook: something I can carry around with me everywhere to document that 1 second it takes to form an idea.