Have you ever wandered aimlessly down the aisles of a big box store? So small walking under the weight of so many shelves stacked high with endless makes and models of cheap goods by countless manufacturers. Products waiting to be discarded. It all feels part of a con that goes back decades.
The five point palm exploding heart technique really kills
We had just gone to see Kill Bill: Vol. 2 in the theater. A couple friends and I. Afterward, we headed to a small gathering for a few drinks. Also at the gathering were some artsy hipsters who worked at a couple downtown bars. In conversation, it came up we had just seen the film. Asked what I thought, I tried to come up with the words needed to describe my delight; the fight scenes, the soundtrack, the way the story unfolded over blah, blah, blah. As I rambled for a bit, one of the hipster bartenders looked at me intently, paused, and extended his hand out quickly towards my eye. Pluck! An eye for an eye. It was so clear, so succinct. We all grinned, the conversation moved on. That concise motion was a way better explanation for why Kill Bill: Vol. 2 was a great film than my rambling. You can either tell me about The Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique or you can show me.
Know Your Role
I think this is a Fight Club thing. The whole you determine your level of involvement exclamation. Along with that, you gotta know your role. What are you bringing to a particular project? Why are you there? Who are you to the success of this endeavor? I think my role goes something like this:
Push to bring design work that’s creative, cool, appropriate, and as original as it can be to whatever the project is. Thoughtful solutions for relevant outcomes. But I know the clients I’m working with are doing the real work. They’re making the real change, and I’m here to serve those ends. Logo, website, poster, etc. I execute the design best I can, they take it from there.
Graphic design breaks it down and shouts it out
Remember, graphic design is a tool. A weapon for your arsenal. Whether you’re running a business or running for office, you can use graphic design in your favor to let people know what you’re all about. You can hire professionals to bring their expertise to help you solve problems and create opportunities. Or you can try to get it for super cheap, which doesn’t usually work out. Why would you want someone who is super cheap? Why would you? Why?
Anyway, graphic designers can use their skills for a host of things. They can work for businesses, startups, or corporations. They can also work for nonprofits, universities, or institutions. And they can work for entrepreneurs, artists, or candidates. Really, there’s a lot you can use graphic design for. And much like picking colors and fonts is usually up to the designer, so is who they choose to work for. You with me?
In closing. You can use design to work for change. Or not. You can hire a professional designer to work on your project. Or not. And the world keeps spinning.
On Loyalty
When it comes to working with other people in almost any capacity, loyalty is important. But it is not the end all be all. I’d say it’s not even in the top 10 of skills I value in collaborators and clients. If you’re sticking with me purely out of a sense of loyalty even though I’m fucking up, not pulling my weight, and behaving badly, I’d prefer you simply tell me straight I’m fucking up, not pulling my weight, behaving badly, and if I don’t clean up my act you’re moving on. Honesty, critique, being direct, speaking up, wanting for everyone to do his or her best, that’s what I value. Those are things I value more than loyalty. I don’t care who you are, a creative director or the President of the United States, if you value loyalty above all else, you will eventually be surrounded by yes-men and weak sycophants. And that’s no way to run a design firm. Or the country.
That new bass player definitely upped their weird factor
The name of the band isn’t important. What is important is their lineup. A band who toured around the midwest in the early 2000s with two guitarists, bass player, and drummer. Their music was pretty technical, a little catchy, sort of strange at times. Somewhat fast, poppy, mathy.
The first time I saw them their stage present was mostly normal with sudden bursts of energy and excitement. At this time the bass player was a larger kid. Looked less hip than the others. He had a stage presence that was more measured and reserved. After their show they stayed at my apartment, which was a normal experience. Being from Brooklyn, the band had different stories to tell but we could still relate to each other. They were good guys. They had lame jobs, a friendly demeanor, and were very grateful for being able to stay with me.
The next time I saw them they were quite different. As a band, they had had some success. In their particular music scene their latest album was popular. And when they toured on that album their stage presence was quite different. Jittery, bouncy, crazy. Stops and starts. Jumps and jerks. In particular, their new bass player was very hip and looked the part. He made very strange faces while playing. He lurched back and forth, jumped this way and that, and held his bass in random, weird positions. And it all fit. The look, the sound, the antics. Now they were an entire package.
I talked to them a bit after the show. Still very nice guys but they had a different vibe. They mentioned how they had buttoned up everything from the previous time they toured through town. Better lineup, better presence, better sound. Which I could totally see. It was so obvious. Their brand had evolved and it now all made sense.
Although, I’d rather have the old bass player around to grab breakfast with. This new guy, I liked his art, but that’s where it ended. This time, they didn’t stay at my apartment. It just didn’t fit the brand.
This has been the 1st account of the times in my life when I was hit with the importance of branding in the physical world. There will be more to come I’m sure.
America Today
When you think about America today, what is a belief that you have to defend?
That it’s liberty and justice, FOR ALL. America doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t mean that. If we’re not going to stand up for that, than we need to unchisel it from all our monuments and erase it from the pages of all our books. It’s so baseline. And yet in today’s America that needs to be defended like never before. Black, brown, immigrants, kids, people with pre-existing conditions, disabled folks, poor people, homeless people, the unemployed, the uneducated, the forgotten, and on and on and on. If we can’t stand behind liberty and justice for all than nothing else matters.
