The Difference Between an Artist and a Designer
• A thought
It’s hard to imagine that someone who is not a fan of Damien Hirst would buy his diamond skull for 50 million pounds.
Someone who is not a fan of a certain designer probably won’t inquire about a job. But a fan could turn into a critic and vice versa throughout every single project. There is no failsafe for that. It’s the natural designer/client dynamic.
So maybe it should say: “is getting paid by his or her fans (and critics).” But that would invite the term “commercial artist” to this argument. And we like to keep it simple around here.
On Mondrian’s and van Doesburg’s Friendship
• From an article by Simon Mawer
It’s a bit scary but also quite hilarious how deeply they were involved with their work back in the days.
“To Pull a Stürzebecher”
• Humble proposal for dictionary entry
I’m sure, this has happened to all designers: You are browsing through a pile at a flea market and suddenly realise you’re holding a book designed by Müller-Brockmann. (This has happened to me before and hopefully will happen again.) You anxiously take out your wallet, count the bills just to notice it’s very cheap. So you buy it, no questions asked. Maybe you even go on and show this new addition to your collection to some friends.
How do you describe what just happened if any combination of “bargain,” “serendipity” and “design history” won’t do the job?
Please allow me an interlude.
Jörg Stürzebecher, a former professor and friend of mine, almost magically attracts these discoveries. Equipped with a stunning knowledge of 20th century art and design, he is able to spot objects of historic value almost everywhere—and he is eager to preserve them in his archive.
I always held his ability in high regard. I was even a tiny bit jealous until it started happening to me. My friends were afraid: “Simon, you’re gonna end up like Jörg Stürzebecher with no space left in your office.” And indeed i was! (To some extent, at least.)
So why not give this phenomenon its own proper term since it has already worked for one of TV’s favorites: “To pull a Homer.”
Let me suggest an addition to a designer’s vocabulary:
“To pull a Stürzebecher” or “einen Stürzebecher landen”—as you would say in his native tongue. Please feel free to use this term whenever you find something of historic value for a very low price or even for free.
Now, imagine Kramer storming through the door, holding a Crouwel poster: “Look, Jerry, I pulled a Stürzebecher!”
KD-Lounge Depot
• KD-Lounge logo designed by Bensch Lüdiger
Since 2006, there has been an ongoing lecture series KD-Lounge at the communication design department of the HTWG Konstanz. Design professionals are invited to share their work, knowledge and thoughts with the students. The lectures are organised by students and have gained an amicable following.
Now, we are compiling an archive with the talks, starting with this semester and hopefully adding previous ones sometime soon.
It’s my pleasure to introduce to you: the KD-Lounge Depot.
Criteria for Evaluating Projects
• A Humble Suggestion
There is this notion: A client can get a job done fast, cheap and well-made—but he can pick only two. What about designers? What are our options to pick from and what makes a project worthwhile? Please allow me to share some thoughts with the class.
In his book “How to be a graphic designer, without losing your soul” Adrian Shaughnessy establishes criteria for good work:
- Is the client happy?
- Is the job profitable?
- Is the project newsworthy?
I concur with his list, but there is one downside: It’s difficult to apply these criteria to a project which is still ongoing. Listening to your heart—or gut, whichever gets more of your attention—is important. However, it’s nice to have more solid indicators. so far, these have worked very well for me:
- Time
How much time are you spending on the project?
or to put it this way: How much time is left for anything else? - Money
Are you getting enough compensation for your work?
It doesn’t have to be monetary. You can get more exposure or work with interesting people for a reduced salary. Still, there should be something in it for you. - Interestingness
Are you getting excited about the project or are you performing mundane tasks? (Technically, you have to rely on your heart/gut for this one.)
Of course, it’ll be great to be able to pick two out of three, as well. But at times, one prevailing factor can be enough to justify working late, earning less money or feeling under-challenged and nevertheless be satisfied.
Having said that, if you can’t check off any of those, I suggest panic.
Otl Aicher: Designer/Model
• From Thomás Gonda: A Life in Design by Philip B. Meggs
Now isn’t this the greatest designer portrait of all time? Except for Wim Crouwel’s 22nd century space suit, of course.
Dark Side of Pink Floyd
• Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat, record sleeve detail
If you are reminded of the iconic record sleeve for Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon by Hipgnosis, like I am, you’re about 30 years off target. This one was designed by Alex Steinweiss in the 1940’s while he was working for Columbia Records. One could consider it a precursor or an early inspiration.
Thanks to Holger Jost for digging this up.
