Both Michael Beirut and Liz Danzico wrote about design transcending the boundaries we put it in. Design is about much more than just design. Design is about everything; design is what breaks down the boundaries with which we humans tend to categorize the world.
Beirut shared a story about a time when he was hired to design a catalog, only to find a few years later that he had completely missed the point of the catalog. He went into the project with “single-minded obliviousness” that caused him to miss a great opportunity to take his work beyond the boundaries, as Danzico discusses, of what he knew about design. Had he understood the theater designer for whom he was creating the catalog, he would have sought to evoke his “epic, miraculous, hypnotic, transcendent work” through his design. Danzico encourages designers to see no boundaries in design, and to look for the places where design intersects with human behavior.
My favorite sentence (well, group of sentences) between the two readings was from Beirut’s writing:
If I were to sum up the ideas put forward in these two writings, it would be: “Go beyond.”
Go beyond just design. Become interested in other topics in order to make your design more informed. Go beyond the boundaries we create. Let your design explore uncharted territory.
Beirut shared a story about a time when he was hired to design a catalog, only to find a few years later that he had completely missed the point of the catalog. He went into the project with “single-minded obliviousness” that caused him to miss a great opportunity to take his work beyond the boundaries, as Danzico discusses, of what he knew about design. Had he understood the theater designer for whom he was creating the catalog, he would have sought to evoke his “epic, miraculous, hypnotic, transcendent work” through his design. Danzico encourages designers to see no boundaries in design, and to look for the places where design intersects with human behavior.
My favorite sentence (well, group of sentences) between the two readings was from Beirut’s writing:
“But the great thing about graphic design is that it is almost always about something else. Corporate law. Professional football. Art. Politics. Robert Wilson. And if I can’t get excited about whatever that something else is, I really have trouble doing good work as a designer. To me, the conclusion is inescapable: the more things you’re interested in, the better your work will be.”
If I were to sum up the ideas put forward in these two writings, it would be: “Go beyond.”
Go beyond just design. Become interested in other topics in order to make your design more informed. Go beyond the boundaries we create. Let your design explore uncharted territory.
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