“I just want, you know… More stuff,” he said.  “Make it pretty.”  Yes, because that’s what designers do all day.

Facepalm.

Enter Dieter Rams, a German-born industrial designer.  You may have never heard of him, but you use his products every day.  Often, they’re the ones that fit perfectly into your life, feel like quality, and are very straight-forward yet aesthetically pleasing.  Dieter once defined ten principles that guide his “functional design” philosophy, and the set serves as a filter through which I view my work on a daily basis.

Design…

• Is innovative - The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.

• Makes a product useful - A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

• Is aesthetic - The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products are used every day and have an effect on people and their well-being. Only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

• Makes a product understandable - It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user’s intuition. At best, it is self-explanatory.

• Is unobtrusive - Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.

• Is honest - It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

• Is long-lasting - It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.

• Is thorough down to the last detail - Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.

• Is environmentally friendly - Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

• Is as little design as possible - Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.

Via ColourLovers.

(Illustration by Andy Rementer, a very cool artist.  You should follow him.)

Brainstorming isn’t bad, of course, as long as it’s used to get a large number of ideas out on the table, right up front.  The problem with groupthink and design by committee is that, if the dynamic doesn’t end shortly after the beginning of the process, our end product caters to the lowest common denominator of the group, and it’s nearly guaranteed to be mediocre.  Mediocre doesn’t stand out, and it doesn’t fly.  It drives companies into an irrelevant oblivion as the lone wolves (think Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Steve Wozniak, Chuck Close, David Airey, Pablo Picasso et al.) think the thoughts and innovate the innovations and get the damn job done.

But… But what about Facebook?

Facebook now has an open office plan, and I’d love to see statistics on what this did to their productivity and creativity.  They’re moving up in the world, and it’s definitely the cool thing to do, but they were real world-changers when the entire operation was three people pounding away in a basement.

My advice?

Get a pair of headphones, and learn to love Pandora.  Find a quiet corner, even if it’s not the cool thing to do.  And, if you’re really interested, read this article in the New York Times which expands on this topic, giving research and statistics… and includes some more nifty illustrations.

As a follow-up to yesterday’s post, we have another short video by Design Council which tackles the subject of cultivating great working relationships with your clients, with advice from eight of today’s biggest names in the field.  Here are a few of my favorite highlights…

This video is just under 7:00 long, meaning it’s a great way to get your morning started in the right direction.  You may want to grab some sticky notes and a pen…

(Click here to watch the video elsewhere)

Fascinating stuff.  If you were to take their advice, how would it change your day-to-day actions?

When a student gets out of design school, they often resort to taking any work they can get, working for anyone who will write them a small check.  After all, we have to start somewhere, right?

It’s logical to get that “panicky feeling” when we think about turning down work that could be paying the bills.  The problem with this idea is that each client we work with and the quality of each project we accomplish pulls our career in a specific direction.  Bad work brings you more opportunities to do work that doesn’t excite you, and working with high-maintenance, low-income clients often attracts more of the same — an unideal situation for any designer, art director, or professional creative trying to cultivate a successful career.

To get your week off to a motivated start, we’d like to offer a bit of perspective from the talented Michael Beirut, team leader at Pentagram and former national president of the AIGA.  The following video is 49 minutes long, but it’s worth every second.  Tackle it during lunch if necessary.  Even if you’re not in a creative field, his wisdom has lots of carryover potential.

Warning: Video contains moderate language.  Could possibly be NSFW, depending on your office’s necktie-to-toms ratio.

(Click here to watch this video elsewhere)

What do you think?  How does this apply to you in your career?

Hand-printed :: A design studio with a mod-chic handmade identity.  By Dona Baronesa, via Identity Designed.

Dragon Card :: A die-cut greeting card for Chinese New Year, celebrating the Year of the Black Dragon.  By Yurko Gutsulyak, via The Dieline.

Beautiful People :: A gorgeous illustration portfolio, full of iconic, Japanese-inspired fantasy.  By Jessica Singh, via DesignWorkLife.

Edgy Comics :: A yummy portfolio of cover art and illustrations done for Marvel Comics.  By Juan Doe, via Behance.

Kama Sutra :: A new member to the Graphic Deluxe series of Penguin books (and just in time for Valentine’s day).  Illustrated by Malika Favre, via Creative Review.

Pixelated :: A series of uber-pixelated rugs derived from beautiful images and landscapes in Japan, via Quipsologies.

Suck Less :: A wonderful set of hand-linotype posters.  By Ashley Wong, via FPO.

Rio 2016 :: Identity for the Paralympic Games.  By Tátil Design, via Logo Design Love.

Big Squid :: Animation for T Rowe Price commercial.  Directed by Mate Steinforth, via Behance.

The mark itself has all of the textbook qualities of a great logo.  It’s simple enough to be shrunk to an inch, and it’s solid enough to stand on its own.  It wouldn’t look out of place on a billboard either, though the peel shading does come across as a bit “stock photoshop gradient” at first glance.  I could imagine one-color, two-color, and full color applications without a stretch.

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is that major brands still mar the face of million-dollar redesigns with a trademark symbol.  In large applications, it sufficiently detracts from the mark.  Presented in a small format, it often looks like a mistake by the designer, a “slip of the wrist” resulting in a few extra pixels.  More on that controversy here…  Moving along.

From a press release:

“DC Entertainment, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company and home to iconic brands DC Comics, Vertigo and MAD, revealed today a new brand identity. The new identity is reflective of the company’s mission to fully realize the value of a rich portfolio of brands, stories and characters, distinguished by incredible breadth and depth across publishing, media and merchandise. A new logo for DC Comics was also introduced, closely aligning with DC Entertainment’s new mark.”

While I believe that the adaptive, dual-personality DC symbol has great potential, and it looks like they’re headed a great direction, there’s another small issue that they may have thought about including in such a large change:  Ever since they adopted “DC” from their Detective Comics series in 1940, their logo has had a bout of RAS syndrome baked right in.  There’s a lot of historic nostalgia in the name, but next time they make a big move… let’s put this one on the table, kick it around, and see what happens.

That brings me to the end of my criticism — small comments for such a large undertaking.  I truly believe that, while the basic symbol itself is a bit unremarkable, their speculative mocks show that they’re prepared to flesh this out with some deep integration into their rich collection of dynamic characters.

Seeing the extreme-edge application in the printed version gives an extra little *something* to the peel concept.  A second layer of functionality is nice, adding a bit of extra dimension to the symbol.

Overall, I’d say it’s a good idea, and it’s been very well executed.  Your thoughts?

I could feel him before I opened my eyes, feel his hot breath drifting across the room.  I knew he’d be there… After all, he’s there every morning.  Why would today be any different?  His eyes glimmered in the dim light, and his head craned and swerved trying to see if my eyes had opened yet.  He was ready for me, and I was ready for him.

This is my monster.  His name is Slog, and he’s a beast to be reckoned with.  If I’m not careful, he’ll ruin my day before it even starts.  His strategy is simple and predictable… but left unchecked, it works every time:

• First, he goes after my energy.
• Second, he tackles my clarity.
• If he gets that far, he can toss my creativity out the window.
• Finally, he lowers the axe on my leadership abilities…

And then I’m toast.

Head-on

I’ve learned that the best way to deal with my personal monster is to run at him, intentionally and with determined purpose, before the sun comes up.  If I wait until later in the day to defeat him, he’s much, much stronger, and I’m much weaker.  Here’s my secret to being an intentional leader and creative:

Every morning, get out of my own way to make sure the best version of me is the one that shows up to work.  I go through a short, special Slog-slaughtering ritual.

• Reflect.  I start my day with a cup of coffee and a round of meditation, opening myself up to the best that today has to offer.  It’s essential to start your mind off with plenty of elbow room.
• Write.  It helps me to clarify my thoughts, to lead effectively, and to give back to others who are starting out.  Beginning my day by giving back helps to set my daily tone for creative leadership.
• Run.  This protects my body, elevates my mood, and starts the day with a great dose of mood-balancing endorphins.
• Refresh.  Regardless of what you did in college, the real world doesn’t respond well to an unshowered, unslept, unshaven creative.

And then I start my day.

Limited-information Diet

It’s important to note that I’m limiting my incoming information during this period.  I’m not reading (books, RSS, or otherwise), I’m not checking my email, and I’m not playing around on Twitter or Google+.  This is because we humans can only really do one thing at a time.

Processing information and creating are two different directions to move, and it’s not possible to direct your day with purpose and intention if you’re checking up on Aunt Sally’s hernia on Facebook.  Choosing to be a clear, clarified thought-leader doesn’t happen by worrying about what the world has to say about what happened yesterday.

Do I read?  Of course.  Leaders read, and readers lead.  People never grow, except for the people they meet and the books they read… and so I go through a book every week or so.  Do I do it in the morning, though?  Only if I want to start the day off with less momentum and more to deal with.

Pulling a Semi

Have you ever seen a Strongman Contest on TV?  They have this crazy competition where they hook a semi up to the man’s back, and then they tell him to move it.  This is really hard at first.  I get a hernia just watching it.

After the strongman gets a bit of momentum going, though, Newton’s first law kicks into effect, and momentum takes over.  The truck continues to move more and more easily, based on how much he works in the beginning.

I would much rather get the hard labor out of the way in the morning, before the critical work starts, and that’s why I start my day off getting the momentum going as hard as possible.

Your Monster, Your Weapon

During your workday, what particular monkey do you find on your back during the critical times?  How can you kill your monster before the day starts?

In January of 1984, a series of unfortunate events caused the team at Apple to fall behind in preparation for the release of the first Mac computer.  The team was floundering and slogging, and they really doubted their ability to get it done by the announced date. Then, in response to a request for “a couple more weeks to work on it,” Steve Jobs left the room with a single, profound standard:

“Real artists ship!”

Since then, the statement has grown to be the mantra of all competent creatives and project managers.  Today, we’re going to share a simple solution that will help you keep the ball rolling to produce a quality product… on time, and without a hitch.

Project ≠ Hayride

The most popular approach to project management is not unlike a hayride.  We hook up the trailer, start up the truck by ourselves, drive by our friends’ houses, and pick up as many people as want to tag along.  Soon, there are 30 people on the ride, all whoopin’ and hollerin’ and shouting directions over each other, and it becomes difficult to get everyone on the same page.  Then, about the time you pick up your 50th committee member, the truck stalls and starts groaning under the weight.  Who can go anywhere like that?

Thrashing

Seth Godin coined a term for the confusion and yelling and shouted ideas and directions that we just saw.  He calls it “thrashing,” and while collaborative brainstorming is often essential, it’s not good when it happens late in the game.  When thrashing happens, projects stall.  In order to get good product out the door on time, you have to do all of your thrashing right up front — this leaves plenty of room for production before your due date.

A Sample Roadmap

In order to ship on time, I suggest implementing your own flavor of the following 10-step plan.  This not only helps everyone to feel (and be) involved, but it limits thrashing to the front end — where the final product can be guided by it, but is protected from its stalling power.

By beginning with everyone’s inclusion up front and proceeding with a strong commitment to the ship date, it becomes natural and easy to shut out unnecessary changes as your project comes to a close.  This process has been extremely valuable to me throughout my career, and I’m certain it can help you as well.

What is Art?

Jackson Pollock was a famous painter, but millions of people still look at his paint-slung canvases and say to themselves, “I could have done that.”

In 1987, artist Andres Serrano urinated in a glass, tossed a crucifix in, took a picture, and won some major awards and recognition as an artist. That’s shocking, yes… but is it art?

Each and every year, hoards of naive art and design students graduate with honors and loads of debt, get hired on by short-sighted companies, and spend the next 40 years of their lives running photoshop for the guys who call the shots, trading countless passion-stripped hours for a few dollars here and there. They’re better-equipped, they’re more relevant, and they’re the future of the world, but they have a CEO standing over their shoulder saying, “Make it blue. I like blue, so my clients will too.” He pays the bills, he calls the shots, and we’re just artists.

An Outdated Definition

If we look up the word “art” in a dictionary, it’s going to say…

That’s what they told us in design school as well. The problem is, this textbook definition doesn’t hold up in the real world. It doesn’t challenge or change the status quo, and it doesn’t produce work that’s worthy of the world’s attention. This is a nod to the practice of decoration. The textbook definition of art backs us into a corner, when what we really need is freedom to open up and do something that matters.

A Better Definition

Consider this alternative view of art, taken from an excerpt of Seth Godin’s book “Linchpin”

What Seth’s saying is that true artists are committed to work that matters (at least to them), and they’re committed to changing those who experience their art. They’re also committed to doing the work, making the art, and causing action.

That is why Andres Serrano is an artist. His intentions, goals, and methods may be… unconventional… but he’s definitely putting in the work and eliciting a response from people. How many designers of products or packaging or print ads can say the same? When was the last time you caused a response through your art? Not just a reaction… but an action?

This is why, while you may very well be able to create similar works to Jackson Pollock’s paintings, he’s the artist… and we’re talking about his work. He lived the art, made the commitment, and dealt with sweat and tears and paint in his eyes, and we’re standing around and debating it, instead of the other way around. He, too, created more than a two second pause and a shrug.

And You?

When you go to work today, how can you take ownership of your art, put in the sweat, and create a measurable response in those who experience it?