365 Habits of Successful Graphic Designers_ Insider Secrets from Top Designers on Working Smart and Staying Creative ( PDFDrive )

Studio Riley, Music for an Open Studio, designed by Todd Waterbury, Wieden+Kennedy, New York
450 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

3 3 1 RECOGNIZE THE LIMITS OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY FOR
CREATIVE WORK

ED FELLA There is a significant disconnect between Ed Ed Fella contends that now, in his seventies,
Fella’s teaching and his art. He does not teach he is too old to use a computer. When comput-
the hand-lettering and use of old commercial ers first became readily available nearly twenty
techniques for which his work is known. “It’s years ago, he made a conscious decision not
not because I don’t want to,” he notes. “It’s just to use one because he didn’t really do profes-
that nobody really wants to learn it. Even my sional work anymore and consequently, didn’t
own daughter, who is a graphic designer, never need it. “I wanted to explore the work I do, and
asks me, ‘How do you do this lettering?’ People I thought I’d waste a lot of time doing what the
want to work with digital technology now. You next generation is doing.” Despite the fact that
can’t really do anything in the contemporary he doesn’t use a computer, his work has had
commercial scene unless you can use the com- an important impact on designers who have
puter to make documents. I can still do what learned from his unorthodox style. “I don’t mind
I do because I take my work to a printer, and it, that history. If you look at Meggs’s History
he scans them in for me, makes the plates. He of Graphic Design, between “Cranbrook” and
doesn’t even have a camera anymore!” “David Carson” is my paragraph. I made a link
between that kind of stuff. David Carson went
Announcement Flyer, designed by Ed Fella and took it all to the world, whereas in my case
it was pretty academic stuff.” Ed Fella’s work
serves as a formal source, which was then
adapted by many artists who pushed the bound-
aries in new media.

When Fella won the Chrysler “Innovation in
Design” award (a $10,000 prize), he wanted
to do something with the money to improve
his technical skills and abilities. He bought
himself a video camera but admits to never
having actually used it. “I wanted to do some
motion stuff, but I never did. My daughter did.
I was enticed, but I can’t really do it. It’s too
hard. It’s too much effort. I have a hard enough
time learning how to do email. I had to hire a
student to give me lessons.” Although many
exciting experiments in font technology were
filtered through the unique lens of Ed Fella, he
is content to never get himself too involved with
technology. He quips sardonically, “Let the next
generation do that, make a living doing it. Old
guys should get out of the way.”

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Website page, self-promotion card, designed by Scott Santoro/Worksight

332 LET YOUR SMALL SHOP THRIVE ON HIGH-TEC

WORKSIGHT The omnipresence of technology means that Santoro uses his website for all aspects of his
even a small shop like Worksight needs a web- small business operations, from marketing to
site to thrive. Scott Santoro and his partner, client interaction to portfolio display. In addition,
Emily, learned to do HTML coding to create he has many clients in other cities with whom
their first website in 1997. They soon upgraded he communicates over the Internet. Although
to Adobe’s GoLive Web development software his shop is small, technological advances have
and continue to educate themselves about the made it easier for him to compete effectively.
ins and outs of Web technology.

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Xbox broadcast advertising, designed by Miles Murray Sorrell FUEL

333 WHATEVER YOU THINK, TECHNOLOGY IS IN CONTROL

MILES MURRAY Many of the comments made by FUEL about gives an interesting background to the work
SORRELL FUEL their work remain enigmatic and are, accord- that FUEL does, which, like most designers,
ing to the designers, “meant to be subliminal, is highly dependent upon technology for its
thought provoking, humorous statements” manifestation. The idea of anyone or anything
rather than an obvious description of work being “in control” is in itself menacing, and yet
habits. In this instance, the sentiment is both what exactly technology is in control of is, in
paranoid and technophobic, although meant this instance, is not clear. FUEL provides the
to be read ironically. In its extreme, this senti- designer with a habit of mind rather than a habit
ment provides a backdrop for a whole intel- of practice, abstracting the everyday relation-
lectual tradition of paranoid technophobes and ship to technology in order to gain a new
perspective on it.

TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN 453

Perdu retail space designs, designed by Chase Design Group
454 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

3 3 4 REMEMBER THAT TECHNOLOGY SERVES YOU; YOU DO
NOT SERVE TECHNOLOGY

CHASE DESIGN The Chase Design Group uses the kinds of The Internet has proven to be invaluable to her
GROUP machines you would expect to see in a contem- work as well. “We have a website, of course,
porary design office and two staff members which is mainly a brochure, and we use the
serve as tech support. Although there are Internet for research and stock photography.
always issues with technology, at the Chase We also buy a lot of supplies and other stuff
Design Group the tools are almost always online. Are we too connected? No. Email is the
working and always getting better. best invention ever. Technology is a tool, like
a pencil. I use both, every day. Technology
Rather than seeking out new technology, only helps unless you’re lazy. If you’re lazy you
Margo Chase is lucky to have people around deserve what you get.”
her who tell her what she needs to know.

335 USE TECHNOLOGY IN UNEXPECTED WAYS

WHY NOT The same technology that makes it possible as you walk toward this view you walk over
ASSOCIATES for typographers to create new fonts also what you are seeing—the A-roads, the rivers,
allows the art of typography to permeate spac- and the coastline. There are benches made
es where it might not have previously been an from the letters that spell out the names of the
active graphic element. mountains, such as the Gramkind Mountains.
We’ve done all these things on the floor, and
Why Not worked with frequent collaborator we wanted to go up in the air a bit.”
Gordon Young on “The Road to the Isles,” a
playground at the Auchterarder Community Translating typographic elements into materials
School in Scotland. Andy Altmann of Why Not such as wood and steel is not a new process,
notes, “As you walk into the playground you but the consistency provided by computerized
see a view looking over the fields and moun- fabrication systems makes possibilities that
tains toward the sea. What we wanted to do were previously unavailable.
is to put the view into a map on the floor, so

TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN 455

336 WORK WITH EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

RUDY VANDERLANS Rudy VaderLans has a utilitarian approach to When you’re out on the edge, you run the
ZUZANA LICKO the use and adoption of technology. When risk of becoming too focused on making the
Emigre was started, bitmapped fonts were the technology work, and design and ideas start to
only kind of computer font available. FedEx, take a backseat. VanderLans recalls, “Shortly
the Internet, and cell phones didn’t exist. after PostScript was introduced, we found this
VanderLans and Zuzana Licko were still pasting guy who was able to hook his Mac to a photo
down text galleys with rubber cement. He had setter, allowing us for the first time ever to
never used a computer in his life. When the output high-resolution fonts onto photographic
128k Mac was first introduced, VanderLans paper. We would drive over to San Francisco
and Licko bought one. with our files on floppy disks and sit there for
hours downloading this stuff, never knowing if
They were challenged to figure out how they it would work.”
could best use this machine with all its short-
comings. There was great resistance to the Calling the new technology “impenetrable
Macintosh in the design community when it and expensive,” VanderLans now lets the
first came out. Designers laughed at them for computer take a backseat in his design work.
using it. VanderLans and Licko, with a small Although he professes to no longer be “chas-
group of fellow believers, were among the first ing the latest gadgets and software,” Emigre
to try out this new tool. They hooked a video continues to fuel the imaginations of young
camera to their Mac to capture low-resolution designers whose relationship to technology is
black-and-white still images and made mov- ever-changing.
ies with the first video-editing software. They
even sold fonts online before the advent of the Emigre magazine: issue 56 (above), Emigre font catalog (right),
World Wide Web, long before anybody else did, designed by Rudy VanderLans
using bulletin board software.

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TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN 457

Blue corporate identity, designed by Why Not Associates

337 MAKE FRIENDS WITH PEOPLE WHO KNOW A
TECHNOLOGY THAT YOU WANT TO LEARN
The designers at Why Not have been interest- Close contact with experts in allied fields
WHY NOT ed in film from the beginning and have slowly can not only create practical alliances and
ASSOCIATES built up a relationship with broadcast technol- impromptu education, but it can also expand
ogy by teaching themselves how to work in the capabilities of your design studio.
this medium. Why Not does a lot of TV work
in-house now, and they have developed a small
edit facility—“a studio in a little glass box with
a very big Mac and lots of hard drives coming
off of it,” says Andy Altmann.

Why Not has created corporate identities for
several video-editing facilities. Because of this
work, they have had a lot of contact with the
video and film industry—in fact, one of their
clients gave them a screen for their video-
editing suite. They weren’t scared of trying to
do it themselves, but if the money is available
on a project, they will go to an edit facility.
“They obviously know more about it than we
do. We hire an After Effects specialist to help
us sometimes. He knows all about broadcast
qualities and what is expected.”

458 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Self-promotional cards, designed by Scott Santoro/Worksight

338 DEVELOP AN OVERARCHING TECHNOLOGY METAPHOR
Scott Santoro of Worksight has developed a Santoro uses a pipe connector as an icon
WORKSIGHT metaphor that informs and deepens all the to pique the curiosity of people who view his
work he does. “I live on a street that has a work. Fragments of an industrial world keep
construction company, a trucking company, a reappearing in his designs. “I find that these
sandblasting shop, a welder, and a firehouse. It lunch boxes, wrenches, and pipes convey an
is a very short block and a very active street.” honest beauty, a rugged integrity of purpose.
The Worksight studio literally sits in a worksite. And they can be surprisingly architectural or
sculptural. I strive to reveal the beauty in the
Everything that Worksight does derives from product, and when a company is proud of who
an approach that respects the metaphors it is and what it makes, then it can afford to
available to the designer via the industrial be honest and direct. An intrinsic approach is
world. Worksight’s visual language, their more likely to connect with a diverse audience,
point of view, has been a kind of proposition. which includes not just lawyers, teachers, and
According to Santoro, plumbing has everything students but also mechanics, carpenters, and
to do with graphic design. “It started out as a plumbers.”
joke that I didn’t quite believe myself, but the
more I looked, the more I found that it would
be a great metaphor to use. Plumbing is also
my family’s trade: my uncles, my father, my
cousins—they are all plumbers. I, by contrast,
went to art school. Plumbing became a layer,
part of my ‘everyday’ approach that is embed-
ded in there somehow. It is satisfying to have
hit upon such an appropriate metaphor, espe-
cially one that is flexible enough to allow me to
understand design through it.”

TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN 459

Images of America, designed by Scott Santoro/Worksight

339 IT’S OK TO NOT GO MULTIMEDIA

WORKSIGHT In the current climate of ubiquitous new tech- layer it into what I do and not reinvent myself
nology, deciding to stay within a defined realm because of the hype.”
of graphic design is not an obvious choice.
Scott Santoro, whose work reflects a commit- “I tend to be a traditional graphic designer. I
ment to a basic constructive aesthetic, under- love to do print; I started in that. One of my
stands that the bells and whistles of the new professors from Pratt, Charles Goslin, did a
media are not all they’re cracked up to be. presentation for the AIGA. He said, ‘I’m content
to be a cobbler, cobbling away in my studio,
At one time, Scott says that he worried his enjoying the craft of the thing as well as the
team had missed the boat. “Brand-new, 50-per- thinking. As far as I’m concerned, just cobbling
son graphic design studios were opening. out stuff is fine with me. If I had a shoe store,
Students to whom I had just finished teaching I’d be cobbling away at the shoes and enjoying
graphic design were starting Web firms and the craft of producing nice pieces.’ There is a
within a half-year had 50 people on staff. I was certain self-satisfaction in that. The flow of the
feeling like I just had a little mom-and-pop shop craft of graphic design is really nice.”
here, and my student, who had just graduated,
had a big staff—it just didn’t make sense.
Then I realized, I just do what I do. I’m not
going to turn this technology away, but I will

460 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Web pages, designed by Zuzana Licko

34 0 USE THE COMPUTER AS A BUSINESS TOOL AS WELL AS
A CREATIVE TOOL

RUDY VANDERLANS Although Rudy VanderLans and Zuzana Licko Although VanderLans claims that he is not
ZUZANA LICKO were inspired by computer technology when searching out new technology—or at least
they founded Emigre, they now use technol- not at the rate he used to—he does use the
ogy primarily as a servant for their business. computer daily for his work. “I really like how
VanderLans comments, “Our website is listed the PDF format has become the standard for
in all our catalogs, our magazine, and our ads transferring and sharing design files. It has
we run in other magazines. Emigre was sell- made work flow so much more efficiently. And
ing fonts, magazines, T-shirts, and music long of course, as a type foundry, I’m thrilled by the
before the Internet and the World Wide Web notion that the format allows people to send
came about. The Web simply made it easier to and share files without sending and sharing the
sell our products, particularly the fonts. Because actual font files.”
they are a digital product—meaning they can be
bought and sent out on the Web—roughly 80 to
90 percent of our total sales happen online.”

TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN 461

Chapter Thirteen:

ACHIEVING BALANCE

341 DON’T FORGET THE REST OF LIFE

STEVE GORDON, JR This is perhaps the most important habit of all. “‘Yeah, but it’s not just a job,’ you say. ‘It’s a
It’s all about balance. Especially when you’re career. It’s my business. It’s my future.’ This
starting out, the temptation is to put everything is all true, but if you don’t take some time to
you’ve got—time, money, energy, resources— enjoy today, the future is going to come and
into this new baby called your business. But go and you will have missed it. One must find
that’s not healthy for you, which means it’s not a place for work within life, not in spite of or
healthy for your business, since your business outside of it. After all, life came first.”
is simply a product of you and your ideas. Let’s
speak plainly: The ideal is to work as much as HOWie Zine 2 “Road Trip” illustration and design by
necessary to be able to afford the things that Steve Gordon, Jr, RDQLUS
will make life not just livable, but enjoyable. So
what good is having the money to have those
things if you don’t give yourself the time to
enjoy them as well?

463

North Lawndale College Prep capital campaign materials design, designed by Steve Gordon, Jr, RDQLUS

342 ENJOY THE TIME OFF There are not enough leads out there, and you’ll
burn out and be ineffective at representing
STEVE GORDON, JR “Make yourself feel OK with having downtime. yourself. So once you’ve done something that’s
Give yourself some minigoals or time frames. productive for the long-term health of your busi-
Perhaps set aside four hours of your workday ness, do something that’s productive for the
for developing new business in some way and long-term health of you. Go take a hike. Visit
then the rest of your day can be spent any way your mom. Read a book. Grab that dusty fishing
you like.” pole. Take a nap. There have undoubtedly been
plenty of late nights and weekends spent work-
It will help you feel more focused and produc- ing; you have to remember that at least some
tive if you organize your downtime like it’s real part of downtime can be considered payback.
work time. But let’s face it, you can’t spend
ten hours a day on new business development.

343 GET A LIFE Think back to the days when you left work at
someone else’s office at the end of the day or
STEVE GORDON, JR “Starting your own business can be an all- week. Did you have a hobby? What about that
consuming affair. Especially in the first year macramé class you’ve always wanted to take?
when you’ve had so much to do to get up and How about that girl you met and never got
running and then to keep up with that first around to asking out? How’s that new coffee
influx of work. There were undoubtedly many shop you still haven’t tried? If you have some
nights and weekends devoted to your new downtime, your best first step might be to
baby, your business. In the process, there are look in the mirror and reacquaint yourself with
friends who have gone uncontacted, books left the person you find there.”
unread, sock drawers left unsorted, and rela-
tives who’ve had real babies.

464 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

VNDK8 Freestyle Equipment Co., Ascension apparel artwork, designed by Steve Gordon, Jr, RDQLUS
ACHIEVING BALANCE 465

Sphere magazine, designed by Mark Randall, WorldStudio, Inc. and Worldstudio Foundation

344 DEVELOP A SOCIAL AGENDA

MARK RANDALL The unique integration of Worldstudio, Inc. and Specific foundation initiatives include a scholar-
the Worldstudio Foundation sets this organiza- ship program with an emphasis on supporting
tion apart. David Sterling and Mark Randall diversity and support for creative people who
started the foundation before creating their build a social agenda into their work in some
design studio. Their goal was to have a busi- way. The foundation also has a mentorship
ness, but they first wanted to prioritize the mis- program in which creative professionals are
sion of the nonprofit organization that became paired to work on community-based projects.
the Worldstudio Foundation. They discovered For example, high school students team up
that it was impossible to merge the interests with working graphic designers and artists to
of a business with their socially active work, so create billboards against gun violence, a news-
the foundation and Worldstudio, Inc. developed paper on homophobia, or a poster series on
as distinct entities. tolerance. The end results are displayed in the
public arena. Through these programs, high
The umbrella mission of the foundation is to school students are exposed to a variety of
involve creative professionals in socially and career opportunities and are able to learn how
environmentally aware projects. The most they can use the power of creativity to give
overt manifestation of the foundation work back to their communities.
is the magazine Sphere, which is published
approximately once a year and features Everything that the foundation does nurtures
projects of the foundation as well as global the idea of making artists and designers—
concerns of the foundation. The magazine is a whether they be high-school-aged students,
forum for the creative work of Worldstudio and college students, or professionals—more
provides ongoing inspiration for the staff of the socially and environmentally aware and giving
design studio. It is also the arena in which the them tools, ideas, and inspiration to use their
cross-pollination between the studio and the creativity for positive social change.
foundation occurs.

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ACHIEVING BALANCE 467

345 DEVELOP LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS WITH
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

STEFAN SAGMEISTER Sagmeister aimed to do about a third of its Although True Majority didn’t get off the ground
work for socially relevant causes. In 2002, until late 2002, Sagmeister started working on
Sagmeister teamed up with True Majority—a this project in 2001, doing everything from iden-
group of 500 business people under the tity packages and brochures to cars that travel
leadership of Ben Cohen, one of the found- the East Coast, drawing attention to the cause.
ers of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream—who had
put together a 10-point program to influence At first, Sagmeister worked for True Majority
national leadership in left-leaning political for free, but the workload became so massive
causes. Some members saw it as a preventa- that they either had to recommend True Majority
tive measure against another 9/11; some saw to somebody else or get paid for the overhead
it as a plan for the United States to improve its costs of doing the project. Fortunately, the
behavior in the world; some saw it as a group client was able to afford the reduced rate.
that makes the world a better place. It is a Sagmeister stuck with the project because it
program with very wide goals with some being not only reflected his political values but also
specific, like paying U.N. dues willingly, and allowed him significant creative freedom.
some vast, like trying to solve the problem of
world hunger. True Majority promotional materials, designed by
Stefan Sagmeister

468 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

346 ADDRESS LOCAL, IMMEDIATE NEEDS

MARK RANDALL Although the Worldstudio Foundation is wholly just any life, but a fun-loving life with shopping
devoted to the aims of education and empower- and going to the theater—in a visual landscape
ment, Worldstudio, Inc. limits its involvement that was devastated and a business climate
with social causes. of severe dislocation and decline. Worldstudio
created buttons, banners, posters, and T-shirts,
Worldstudio feels a commitment to sup- which were very popular and copied widely all
port community need. Located in New York, over the city. Like Milton Glaser’s “I [heart] New
Worldstudio was in the thick of the fallout from York More Than Ever,” this campaign shows a
9/11. When one of their clients, a business team of designers responding to a very local,
improvement district in New York, asked them very fundamental need within their own com-
to contribute some time on a pro-business, munity. It not only went a long way in providing
pro-downtown project, they felt compelled to a visual reminder of hope, but its relevance also
respond and help in the most effective manner gave the designers a sense of satisfaction in
they could. Worldstudio created messaging that being able to help so close to home.
conveyed a return to life as normal—and not

Fight Back NY! post-9/11 economic support campaign, designed by
Mark Randall, WorldStudio, Inc.

ACHIEVING BALANCE 469

347 USE THE ROBIN HOOD THEORY

ED FELLA Ed Fella worked throughout the seventies for “My work for nonprofits was entirely based on
arts organizations in and around Detroit. In the fact that I had this big studio at my finger-
addition to designing Detroit Focus Quarterly, tips. I had the board to do the mechanicals,
a local art magazine, he did thousands of post- type, wax, pencils—all of that. I would always
ers on which he would execute his typographic give credit to the company I worked at—they
experiments. He contributed his design time as didn’t mind. It wasn’t like I was taking work
well as the facilities of the shop in which he was money away from them. They probably threw
working. To get new typefaces, which at that more stuff away than I used for the arts organi-
time had to be purchased, he would piggyback zation anyway. I robbed Peter to pay Paul.”
the typeface from a paying job onto pro bono
jobs. “I’d do a job for a car company for which Announcement flyer, designed by Ed Fella
we’d put on a few lines of type and send it out,
so I’d get the type. I’d use the studio facilities.
I couldn’t have done that work if I didn’t have a
job. I couldn’t be a starving artist and do this
pro bono work. I never made a penny on it.
Now it costs so little, I never have to pay much
for printing.”

470 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

348 MINIMIZE TRAVEL EXPENSES—WORK WITH
YOUR NEIGHBORS
Miles Murray Sorrell FUEL worked for the White
MILES MURRAY Cube art gallery in nearby Hoxton Square in
SORRELL FUEL London. “The Steven Meisel catalog is just
one of the catalogs we have designed for their
shows. We started working with Tracey Emin,
who lives a few doors down from our studio,
through our work with White Cube. We designed
the poster and invitation for her New York show
and all related material for her Oxford show
including poster, leaflets, and catalog. We con-
tinue to work with her on major publications of
her work,” notes Damon Murray.

Tracey Emin poster, Steven Meisel book cover, designed by
Miles Murray Sorrell FUEL

ACHIEVING BALANCE 471

349 CREATE HIGHLY VISIBLE AND CULTURALLY
CONSEQUENTIAL DESIGN BY WORKING FOR
CLIENTS IN EDUCATION AND THE ARTS

JOHN C JAY

One of Wieden+Kennedy’s clients in Tokyo is Wieden+Kennedy also undertook a project with
the Kumon Learning Institute, which teaches Mori Building, a preeminent builder in Japan,
a particular method of learning mathematics which helped secure their place of status in the
and languages. John C Jay notes, “One of the art world. Mori Building launched the largest-
reasons we opened in Japan is to really tie into ever post-war redevelopment of a 28-acre area
areas that were socially and culturally signifi- in Tokyo called Roppongi Hills, which opened in
cant. One of the great areas of change is the 2003. The centerpiece of this development is a
educational system.” 53-story tower, with the top five floors devoted
to the arts. In developing the branding and stra-
As of April 2002, Japanese children no longer tegic thinking for Roppongi Hills, Jay knew that
had six school days a week. Japanese families the museum and galleries would be an impor-
suddenly had free time on Saturdays, forever tant symbolic and cultural beacon. “Our first
transforming the way that people think about assignment was working with Mori Building as
education. Jay notes, “Now that parents have to strategic planners, as design consultants. One
take responsibility for their children, they’re ask- of the first tangible things we did was a mis-
ing, ‘What do I do with that extra day?’ ‘Do I give sion statement book for everyone who works
it to them for free time?’ ‘Do give them other at Roppongi Hills to help them understand how
types of education, in sports or arts?’ ‘Do I send this city will be different—how and why it is not
them to a cram school or a Kumon Institute?’ just a real estate development, what the mis-
‘What do I do with that day that formerly was sion statement of Mr. Mori is, what the goals of
used for education?’” building this city are . . . Being involved in the
mission statement for the city itself has been
In addition to this massive change in the school a wonderful exercise intellectually, sitting there
week, the Japanese were also experiencing with the president and talking about the motiva-
a movement that advocated children’s self- tions behind this project, how it is going to be
sufficiency and free thinking. “Kumon is a great different, how it is going to tap into the rest of
outlet for us to talk about these issues,” Jay Tokyo and the rest of the world.”
notes. Any involvement in the change in educa-
tional structures is fundamental to the change Kumon campaign, designed by John C Jay, Wieden+Kenney, Tokyo
in Japanese culture.

472 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

ACHIEVING BALANCE 473

Emigre magazine: issue 60, designed by Rudy VanderLans
and Zuzana Licko, Emigre

350 INTEGRATE YOUR POLITICS WITH YOUR CREATION

RUDY VANDERLANS Rudy VanderLans of Emigre has discovered proud that our catalogs and magazines are
ZUZANA LICKO that doing projects for nonprofit organizations often printed on paper with very high recycled
is not the only way to give back to the com- content and are often processed chlorine-free,
munity. He believes that anyone can be of great which is much more expensive than nonrecy-
service to society by simply considering the cled paper. This represents a more direct way
impact that daily actions have on society and to support environmental causes than giving
the environment and acting accordingly. For money to, let’s say, Earth First, or doing pro
example, a graphic designer can align himself bono work for them,” says VanderLans.
or herself with clients—and not necessarily
nonprofit clients—that contribute in a posi- Emigre magazine provided a unique forum for
tive way. VanderLans notes, “If it wasn’t for communicating with the public. Emigre feels
so many exploitative, wasteful, and obscenely a degree of responsibility toward their design
unscrupulous businesses, there would hardly be community, and they take their work seriously.
a need for nonprofits because they usually exist In the magazine, they wrote about design,
to right the many wrongs created by the afore- about the process, and about its effect on
mentioned businesses.” culture. “I think it is healthy for graphic design
to have this constant probe going on. To look
Emigre is unique because its designers do not at what motivates designers, to question the
run a service-oriented business—they create work—we can all learn from each other. We’re
their own products. Thus, their responsibilities proud of contributing to that in a small way.”
involve how they use their resources. “I am

474 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Student work, designed by Loan Lam, Worksight

351 TEACH “One of my students was discussing decon-
struction with another professor, and the pro-
WORKSIGHT In economic terms, being an adjunct instructor fessor said, ‘You should go talk to Scott about
is a bum deal. The days are long, and the work that.’ So I invited the student over for an hour.
can be taxing. In emotional terms, it is a labor We talked, and I showed him work. I think he
of love that returns to its practitioner a sense went away even more confused than when he
of satisfaction and accomplishment rarely found got here. It is OK though; critical conversations
in other pursuits. tend to be like that. The great thing for me was
that we were both intellectually engaged in the
Scott Santoro and his partner Emily have been middle of a workday. How many people can
teaching classes at Pratt for years but they do claim that during the week?
not do it for the money. “In terms of the output
of our little company, it is a lot,” Santoro notes. I see students really take off with their work.
But the payback is enormous. Helping to set the wheels in motion for them
is wonderful because they come back to you
years later with their eyes glowing, so happy to
see you, thanking you for helping them with a
piece of something—more than just the job of
design. That’s what makes it worth it.”

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Left and opposite: Hollywood Education and Literacy Project
(HELP), designed by the Chase Design Group

352 DON’T FEEL OBLIGATED TO DO CHARITY WORK

CHASE DESIGN “I don’t believe anyone is obligated to do char- Two pieces that the firm created recently are
GROUP ity or pro bono work,” remarks Margo Chase. part of a continuing series of books about
“It is a choice that we have the luxury to make HELP. Chase Design Group mailed these pieces
because the business is successful enough to to a list of friends and supporters of HELP in
be able to give away work and still provide for the hopes of raising money, and they have been
our staff. If I had to choose between my ability very successful so far. Each book focuses on
to provide for the people who work here and a different aspect of HELP. The first piece pro-
doing pro bono work, I would choose the staff.” vides an overview of the program using existing
shots of kids and their written testimonials.
Although she does not believe that designers Chase wanted it to have a handmade, intimate
have any greater responsibility to society and feel—a little like a reading primer or storybook.
the culture at large than other professionals, The second one focuses on a compelling case
the Chase Design Group does work with the study involving a child with ADD. Both pieces
Hollywood Education and Literacy Project present HELP’s work in a friendly but realistic
(HELP) annual fund-raising campaign. way, without shouting or banner waving. Chase
Design Group felt it was important to capture
“I strongly believe in supporting literacy edu- the personal, one-on-one nature of their teach-
cation. HELP provides reading instruction to ing and coaching by presenting each piece in
anyone who needs it—old, young, rich, or poor. an intimate style.
Everyone’s enthusiastic and excited, and they
have a terrific success rate. They allow us to Despite her work with HELP, Chase notes, “I
bring our own vision to their promotions, so we think doing free work is a burden for many
have a lot of creative freedom. In addition, sev- small firms who are just scraping by. We are
eral friends and a few clients support them, so a much larger business now and profitable
it’s an easy relationship for us.” enough to be able to put resources to work for
free when we choose.”

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Amanaka’a newsletter, designed by Scott Santoro/Worksight

353 KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR NONPROFIT CLIENTS

WORKSIGHT Scott Santoro of Worksight had worked with an Santoro got a call from the Rainforest Network
organization called Amanaka’a, which supported about a possible job. It turned out that they
tribal people in the Amazon region. Santoro needed an annual report and a calendar and,
helped them create a newsletter every three or because of the ties he had forged years
four months and designed T-shirts. before, he was able to show his work at the
new organization. They ended up awarding him
The organization ended up folding, in part the project. “They don’t pay like a corpora-
because they were competing against a much tion would pay, but they do have a budget.
bigger organization—the Rainforest Network— Of course, they will be getting a good deal
which was started by the musician Sting and because they will be getting a ton of energy
had a much more mainstream cachet and from me,” Santoro says.
popularity. Fortunately for Santoro, many of the
people from Amanaka’a followed their political
convictions to the Rainforest Network.

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Worldstudio capabilities brochure, designed by Scott Santoro/Worksight

354 PARTNER WTH LIKE-MINDED FIRMS

WORKSIGHT “An average amount of money was involved in for Worldstudio, Inc., he asked Worksight to
this project but an above-average amount of contribute a piece, which they did, and it was
my own interest because my work was for a auctioned for a few hundred dollars. When
cause I really believe in. I enjoy working with an Sterling and Mark Randall were thinking of
organization that has values so near to my own bringing another designer in to help reinvent
thinking about design and design education,” their newsletter and capabilities brochure, they
comments Scott Santoro on his collaboration thought of Worksight.
with Worldstudio, Inc.
Santoro says, “I was really honored that they
Worksight and Worldstudio, Inc. collabo- asked. I respect and keep all the Worldstudio
rated on a project because Scott Santoro promotions sent to me over the years and con-
knew David Sterling from his old studio, sider their approach to be similar to my own.
Doublespace. “Cranbrook grads knew about They aren’t afraid of form and enjoy presenting
that studio because he and Jane Kostrin were rich text and graphics. We were immediately on
past graduates of the school and were able to the same page. They also hired a good writer,
create a successful practice in New York City,” Rachel Kash, as part of the brochure project,
Santoro says. which meant that we could build something that
both said and read in conceptual harmony.”
While Santoro was on the board of the New
York AIGA chapter, he met with Sterling to Developing political alliances can work to the
see how AIGA and Worldstudio might support advantage of a designer, particularly when
each other in fostering design education. When allied organizations share aesthetic styles.
Sterling was planning a fund-raising auction

ACHIEVING BALANCE 479

35 5 USE CLIENT WORK TO COLLABORATE WITH
YOUNG, NEW ARTISTS

JOHN C JAY Campaigns for Nike Japan garnered respect glass walls, and had each painter respond
and admiration for Wieden+Kennedy, Tokyo, to the others. They painted on top of moving
even though they are a relatively young and images from Shanghai and Tokyo, responded
Western-owned business. Creative director John to the music of DJ Uppercut, and responded to
C Jay cites his company’s involvement with each other, and each one spurred the other one
the most exciting young artists in Asia and the on. It was a three day, nonstop, collaboration of
United States as some of his primary inspira- painting and creation.”
tions. He commented that the idea for Presto
during its conception had been “the idea behind In addition to the artists, Jay added team mem-
the shoe itself, the idea of ‘instant go,’ which bers who were experts in motion graphics and
encourages young people—and all people—to digital technology. “We used our knowledge of
be physically active, mentally active, socially technology, very much inspired by Presto, very
active, and creatively active.” much inspired by Nike’s way of working, with
their famous R&D labs, always adding technol-
Jay asked Storm, a.k.a. David Ellis from the ogy to our artistic endeavors, and what we
Barnstormers in New York, to be the artistic helped these painters to do is lift their art off
director for the Presto work. “He represents the two-dimensional wall and make it travel in
the whole post-graffiti generation of artists who three dimensions throughout the cities in Japan
are internationally famous on the street, known and China. We created a DVD and a two-minute
around the world to young people,” explains commercial that we aired in Japan.” This col-
Jay. With his help, Wieden+Kennedy chose a laboration not only provided Nike with a truly
young painter, Sasuke, from the Naka Meguro fresh look, but also helped to elevate up-and-
area of Tokyo, as well as a Chinese painter coming artists.
named Frek. They next asked an up-and-coming
Japanese DJ to participate. “We assembled Presto 4, designed by John C Jay, Wieden+Kenney, Tokyo
everyone in a giant studio in Los Angeles, built

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ACHIEVING BALANCE 481

356 PROVIDE SERVICE TO YOUR DESIGN COMMUNITY

WORKSIGHT Working with the New York chapter of AIGA Although it took up a lot of his time, Santoro
allowed Scott Santoro of Worksight to do work learned a lot about event management—how
that he found really exciting and interesting. He to get people to attend events and how to
saw his involvement with AIGA as a chance to work with a board of directors. Santoro felt the
actually follow though with some of his ideas experience was important to his development
about lectures he wanted to give and speakers as a member of a wider design community in
he wanted to see. He was first asked to be on New York. “The administrator at the New York
the “Fresh Dialogue” speakers series in 1991, chapter was worried about my spending too
and this opportunity provided the impetus for much time working for the chapter, but I really
his involvement. Santoro’s board service came wanted to put some good time in during my ten-
out of an interest to create events at which ure. I knew I was getting something back that I
members could extend their understanding of couldn’t put a price tag on.”
design. “One of the first events that I chaired
involved Ed Fella and Massimo Vignelli, not Above and opposite: AIGA New York poster designed by Ed Fella
because they were two famous ‘celebrity’ and Scott Santoro/Worksight.
designers but because they were the two most
obsessive-compulsive designers I could think of
to pair for what I named ‘obsessive-compulsive
design,’ OCD.”

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ACHIEVING BALANCE 483

357 TAKE SOME TIME OFF The only problem—Sagmeister was bored.
The work had become repetitive, and the client
STEFAN SAGMEISTER The year before Stefan Sagmeister took time demands stifled his flame of creativity. When he
off from client work had been the most suc- was invited to Cranbrook to give a workshop,
cessful to date. Business was flowing in, and he observed the students’ work and lifestyle. “I
the then-booming economy had filled their cof- actually got rather jealous of all the mature stu-
fers. In addition, the small firm had won many dents there being able to spend their entire day
important awards; Sagmeister had gained just experimenting,” says Sagmeister “Then Ed
an international reputation and was invited to Fella came into the studio and showed me all
speak all over the world. the notebooks with his freewheeling typographic
experiments. That did it. I settled on a date a
year in advance, and I called up all my clients.”

Sagmeister tried to fill that year with happy
experiments. “My work during that time can be
summed up by a list of all the things that I felt
would be worthwhile exploring but never had the
time. This included things as simple as thinking
about the whole wide world and my place within
it, all the way to more concrete projects, like
designing fictitious CD covers under time pres-
sure—doing them in three hours rather than my
customary three months—and seeing how that
self-imposed restriction changes the process
and the result.”

Sagmeister spent his time developing a num-
ber of what he calls “seed projects” for future
collaborations with clients. He comments,
“Because my brain has a tendency to follow the
well-beaten path, I thought it might be helpful to
start a project not from within itself but from an
outside departure point, again with the hope of
arriving at a different solution.”

To-do list, Stefan Sagmeister Sagmeister has learned to approach his design
work with a new enthusiasm. “In any case, I got
my love for design back, so it was definitely
worth it.”

484 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

358 UNPLUG FROM THE MATRIX

ERIC HINES “Not designing on a machine keeps us creative.
Take some time off and find a creative outlet
that doesn’t involve staring at a computer.
Silkscreening, photography, printmaking, and
bookbinding all make use of your inner artist
and help break creative blocks.”

Dan Sidor Photography website,
designed by Eric Hines,
Honest Bros.

ACHIEVING BALANCE 485

Tim McNally CD package, designed
by Keith Bowman, The Design
Bureau of Amerika

359 REANIMATE, REARRANGE, REFRESH

KEITH BOWMAN “Another thing I do to stay motivated and fresh keep me focused on seeing and understand-
is to look at designs that are all around me, ing grids, as well as hierarchy of the design’s
posters, package design, billboards, etc. In message. This can be done at anytime and
my mind’s eye, I break the design down into anywhere without any design tools except your
geometric shapes and grids. I then try to mind. Plus, this is a great trick to stay awake
rearrange the design in my mind to see if I during boring conversations with people you
could create a better solution than the finished don’t like.”
design. This is a good mental exercise to

486 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Treetop brand campaign poster design by Derek Armstrong, Grill Creative

360 BOOST THE SIGNAL You know that feeling you get when you hear a
new song and it really strikes a chord with you?
STEVE GORDON, JR “Update your music constantly. Sound has a A fresh set of tunes on a constant basis helps
profound effect on the brain, our moods, and feed the creative beast.”
how we think. You might be in a rut partly
because your sound environment has become
stale, even though you listen to your favorites
and seemingly never tire of them.

ACHIEVING BALANCE 487

Treetop brand campaign poster design, Grill Creative

361 TAP INTO YOUR NONDESIGN CREATIVITY

DEREK ARMSTRONG “Your creative self-worth isn’t wrapped up in
MCNEILL a brochure you just designed. I’ve taken let-
terpress classes, played guitar in a band, and
pursued photography as an art form. It all has
an indirect beneficial effect on your design
work and gives you a creative outlet that
doesn’t have to be approved by anyone, which
is very cathartic.”

488 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Modéle Boutique logo adaptation and window graphics, designed by Steve Gordon, Jr, RDQLUS

362 YOU OUGHT TO BE IN PICTURES

STEVE GORDON, JR “There have been times when right in the the best for me because they require a sus-
middle of my day, directly in the middle of a pension of reality and a boost in imagination.
project, when I’ve become stuck or the idea is Movies are an art form, so creatives have a
stale, I’ve simply left my home office and gone natural link to them. It just might stir some-
to see a movie. This is not about putting in a thing up and get your brain unstuck from the
DVD that I have on hand at home but taking in doldrums.
the whole experience of going to a cinema.
There’s also the feeling of playing hookie and
There is something about the act of going to skipping work that gets the adrenaline flowing
the movies that makes us excited and sparks a bit more, too. You’ll go back to work feeling
the imagination. Sci-fi and action movies are really refreshed.”

ACHIEVING BALANCE 489

363 PROTECT YOUR HEALTH Many independents make the choice to work
for themselves so they can be home to meet
JENNIFER WILKERSON “It’s easy to let yourself get run down, espe- the schoolbus or take some time out during
cially if you’re juggling clients, kids, working the day to attend their kids’ sports events. But
from home, deadlines, making dinner. But it’s some days, it may feel like you’re juggling
important to stay healthy so you don’t suddenly a chain saw, bowling pin, and torch while try-
have to drop out on a project for a few days ing to balance on a high wire. So wash your
while you nurse a cold.” hands, get your rest, drink some green tea,
and ask for an extension on that deadline so
you can take care of yourself in addition
to taking care of your clients, vendors, kids,
dog, cat, and goldfish.

Union College alumni magazine, designed by Jennifer Wilkerson,
Aurora Design

490 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

364 PUT “ME” ON YOUR CALENDAR

JENNIFER WILKERSON “When you’re working from home—I work in a trick I learned from a freelance work-from-
what’s supposed to be the dining room—it’s home writer I know. I formally schedule time in
easy to get in the habit of always checking my calendar for a swim or yoga class, and if a
your email, picking up the phone anytime it client wants to plan a conference call or some-
rings, going back to your desk after reading thing at that time, I just tell them I’m already
a bedtime story. It’s important to carve out booked in another meeting.”
personal time and be protective of it. Here’s

Mohawk Fine Papers paper sample book, designed by
Jennifer Wilkerson, Aurora Design

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Mohawk Fine Papers paper sample book, designed by Jennifer Wilkerson, Aurora Design
492 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

365 GET OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

STEVE GORDON, JR “Let’s face it, you got into design because or those that required a big brain drain. Well,
you were good at it. Some art teacher back your brain is a muscle, and just like the other
in 5th grade complimented the scrawls you ones in your body, sometimes it takes a little
were doing when you should have been paying pain to get a little gain. Find something really
attention to the math problems on the board, hard and do it. It can be as simple as ignoring
and you thought, well, this is something I can the calculator and balancing your checkbook
do! And you’ve probably been doing something with a pencil and eraser” . . . or as daunting as
like it ever since, skating by those subject making a book called 365 Habits of Successful
areas where you were a little less confident Graphic Designers.

ACHIEVING BALANCE 493

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

LAUREL SAVILLE
WWW.LAURELSAVILLE.COM
Laurel Saville is the author of many books and articles on design and designers. She
is also a corporate communications consultant, brand strategist, and copywriter and
the author of numerous essays and short stories along with the award-winning memoir,
Unraveling Anne, about her mother’s life among the artists and hippies of Los Angeles in
the 1960s and 1970s, as well as her tragic decline and death.

STEVE GORDON, JR,
WWW.RDQLUS.COM
Steve Gordon, Jr has been a professional graphic designer for more than ten years.
He’s run the full range of the career path with experience including production design,
in-house design, and agency and studio work, and is currently an independent designer
and creative consultant under the moniker RDQLUS.
A self-described born creative, Gordon specializes in identity design and branding. As
the son of a draftsman, he had dreams of being an architect but found his way into the
field of visual communication and graphic design. An avid and self-taught illustrator as
a youngster, Gordon still draws on lessons and skills learned and earned as a former
graffiti artist.
Steve has been a featured speaker at the HOW Design Conference as well as a member
of the HOW Design Conference Advisory Committee. He is a frequent contributor on the
“Reflex Blue” podcast at 36point.com, and constantly looks to write and contribute to his
local design community, various design publications, blogs, and websites.

JOSHUA BERGER
WWW.JOSHUABERGER.COM
Joshua Berger is a founder and principal of Plazm, an award-winning design studio and
publisher of Plazm magazine. He is the winner of Gold Medals from the Portland Design
Festival and the Leipzig Book Fair (with John C Jay), and has been recognized by design
publications and award shows including the AIGA Annual Show, the Art Directors Club, as
well as 2004 and 2008 honorary exhibitions at ZGRAF in Zagreb, Croatia.

SARAH DOUGHER
Sarah Dougher is a composer, writer, musician and educator living in Portland, Oregon.
Sarah teaches at Portland State University in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
department and her academic interests focus around gender and popular music and
issues related to homeless youth and food security.

494 365 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL GRAPHIC DESIGNERS