Studio Note #4: What Makes a Good Designer?

While I was studying design, most of my peers were constantly looking at Print Magazine, Communication Arts and Graphis annuals, which in the early 2000s were seen as the leading publications for the design and advertising world.

While I enjoyed thumbing through those magazines to see what was being considered good design, I was still living and breathing skateboarding and mostly looking at Transworld, Thrasher, watching skate videos and taking inspiration from the culture that surrounded it, including indie rock music, hip hop and punk, each with its own distinct visual language.

When I read that quote from Stefan Sagmeister, one of my design heroes, I knew I was on the right track.

The stickers on my laptop are a snapshot of exactly the kind of outside influence he was talking about.

The aforementioned laptop

Let’s break some of them down.

The 3 stickers in the upper left are the artwork of LA-based artist James Jean and are from his recent collaboration with Mattel, where he reimagined the original He-Man and Skeletor figures from Masters of the Universe.

James Jean’s paintings and prints are highly sought after and Mattel tapped into that along with the artist’s love for the 80s animated series. As a former contemporary art dealer of 17 years, I absolutely love when companies have this level of cultural awareness.

This release not only brings something unique to toy collectors with the reinterpretation of the familiar, it also brings art collectors to the intersection as well, and will certainly guarantee they will keep an eye out for more collaborations like this from Mattel in the future.

Skeletor and He-Man as reimagined by James Jean. These images and more can be found on the Mattel Creations site

Flora by James Jean

In a couple of weeks I'll be visiting his printmaker's studio with my dear friend and artist Shawn Saumell. I'll share that tour, along with James Jean's Masters of the Universe print portfolio, in a future Studio Note.

VNDR Studios Promo Sticker

As hard as Vince Carter’s knee cartilage is.

The lyric comes from Earl Sweatshirt's Chum, one of my favorite tracks. The confidence of the line, delivered in that monotone flow he is known for, just hits different. It's an unexpected analogy that somehow lands perfectly, and it puts you in a mindset where anything feels possible.

That kind of creative bravado is contagious. Whether it's music or branding, the ideas that stick are usually the ones that make people stop and think, "I never would have put those two things together."

OK. Last one.

BWTHHYBL?

This is pure meme culture and a classic IYKYK. Here is the Twilight clip for context. The comments on this video are pure gold.

The cultural ripple of this meme recently gave way to a commercial spot from Chipotle featuring Jacob AKA Taylor Lautner.

This is a perfect example of cultural relevance, which is becoming as important as brand strategy, having a seismic impact on a company’s visibility.

For me, it comes down to this, the best ideas rarely come from design books. They come from experiences, hobbies, conversations and interests that have nothing to do with our profession.

The wider your world, the more connections you can make when it's time to solve a creative problem.

The solutions that come from this approach are more original and memorable than having your finger on the pulse of what has been done.