Chris Blog: Design Thinkers 2014, Day 2

1) Richard Turley
Senior VP of Storytelling, MTV (previously: Bloomberg Businessweek)
"Let's Talk About Me"

"Typography can change the world!"
on bad clients: "the worse I made it, the more they liked it…"
while at Bloomberg Businessweek:

Helvetica – hating it and loving it at the same time
using – and breaking – the grid
constant state of reinvention – question everything
balance of serious and funny – can use this to manipulate readers and make them think differently

2) Steve Vranakis
Executive Creative Director, Creative Lab, Google
"Making Technology Matter, and Using Technology to Drive Creativity

"must be brave & kind" - listed in a Google Creative Labs job posting
make design matter
coding = a creative discipline
developers = artists
code / poetry = right words in the right order
break the conventions / structures
*importance of PLAY
on DevArt:

a global art show – all work created completely with code
inspiring the next generation of artists

DevArt participants:

Karsten Schmidt – outcome more important that authorship
Varvara + Mar – code is the soul of machines

3) Annette Diefenthaler, Ellen Lupton & Lawrence Zeegen
The Future of Design Education

Q1 What is the most important trait(s) for students leaving college / entering the workforce?

one core skill more important than multiple - single skill permeates through portfolio
don't pretend you can do everything

not skill sets, but mindsets
must be able to embrace new thinking – looking for innovators who will push the industry forward

don't duplicate / copy others
"nobody's going to be everything"

Q2 What is most important: critical thinking or technical skills?

there should be no division – skill set and mindset should be integrated

students must be adaptable and be able to teach themselves, or know how to acquire the skills they need

importance of learning both high tech and low tech (analog techniques), as well as learn from each other

Q3 How do you teach less-skilled students (the 90% "non-stars")?

educators are responsible for teaching the entire gamut of students, from all skill levels and backgrounds
strive for better, not best

must question metrics – not just about graphic design "hard skills"
things to consider:

how is the student inspiring / challenging the discipline / industry?
how the student having an impact on his / her community?
how is the student able to communicate / inspire / teach others?

ultimately, educators must embrace diversity of skills and help break down barriers

Q4 Should software / technical skills be the core of design programs?

critical thinking is more important that software knowledge
"teach spelling AND poetry in tandem" - always with an element of FUN

Q5 How important is coding fluency in a world where students are expected to be multi-disciplinary?

AD
students must have "digital fluency":

able to use but not necessarily produce
ability to tell stories with existing apps, platforms, tools of visual distribution

Q6 How do you teach students to be "resourceful"?

make students work within constraints, units, specific parameters – teaches problem solving
resilience creates systems that can change
design is the most basic form of literacy for both designers and non-designers
empower students to do good - either at industry/agency level, or within their community

time = money; make students execute projects in time constraints
find ways to "get to amazing" within 24 hours
("or at least pretty amazing" - EL)

Q7 What are your thoughts on design departments who are changing the course descriptions from "Graphic Design" to "Communication Design"?

"I will go to my grave as a graphic designer!"
"graphic design" connotes discipline, long standing traditions
"communication design" connotes business, marketing, PR (yuck)

"graphic design" doesn't adequately describe the tasks any more

Q8 What are the constraints of a 3-year design degree? What would you add/change?

too insular
gap between real money / real time
need to connect graphic design with everything else

too much focus on self, homework, etc.
add communal spaces to create a studio experience, encourage peer-to-peer learning, which is invaluable
also, make all classes electives…

most classroom spaces are terrible – feel too "school-like"
learning / working environments affect how we think, act, and the quality of our work

4) Ellen Lupton
Curator, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum + Director of Design MFA Program, MICA
"This is your Brain on Typography"

narrative storytelling plays a key part in experience design, product design & graphic design
story = "whole action of a certain magnitude" - Aristotle
narrative is satisfying
Vonnegat's story diagram of ecstasy & misery
design adds stories to life
effective, satisfying uses of narrative in humour:

misdirection / deception
rule of three
delayed answer

we crave conflict and the humour that and resolves it – catharsis + cathexis

5) Charles Adler
Co-founder, Kickstarter
"Stories from Vast Fields of Creative Independence"

90s – art had been industrialized, industry was handcuffed by the mainstream
early 2000s – new power of the internet: to subvert industry
*rules were meant to be broken
rules are often temporary
it's okay to question everything
don't be afraid to ask WHY

6) Erik Spiekermann
Creative Director, Edenspiekermann
"Keeping the A**hole Factor Down

"I make sh*t"
poster: "Move fast and get sh*t done."
life's too short for kerning
get rid of redundancy!
on Helvetica: "nothing wrong with it, but nothing right with it either"
formula for how many books one needs: n+1
don't work WITH a**holes; don't work FOR a**holes
important to have an agile design process – be flexible

7) Jessica Walsh
Partner, Sagmeister & Walsh
"Creative Play"

"player" = a person who plays
work should be PLAY
contrary to the thought that play is wasteful, it actually:

prepares us
allows us to practice our skills
allows us to fail with fewer consequences

play shapes the brain
play is a state of mind
play deficit can be as detrimental as sleep deficit
play's "flow state" is the ideal state to innovate
Rules for play:

you must have confidence to FAIL
you must have dedicated, uninterrupted TIME

[quote from poster: "Not everything will be okay, but some things will."
play by your own rules
constraints are good for play
fight for what you believe in
*Sagmeister & Walsh only present one solution to clients - take it or leave it
*get off the computer and MAKE SH*T
do works that feeds your soul, not your ego
*acknowledge when work becomes a burden
"In the particular lies the universal." -James Joyce
re: pleasing everyone "if no one hates it, no one really likes it"
pay attention to what you like to do when no one is paying you
when in doubt, RISK IT
make less pretty crap, make more stuff with heart.

Day 1 here.

A huge thank you to Janine at Uppercase Magazine for this amazing opportunity, and to Design Thinkers for offering the press pass to this event. Thanks!

#rgddt