Advice

This made me smile.
These tips by Michael Beirut really come in handy when you overcomplicate yourself or get stuck.

The Lazy Designer’s Guide to Success

1. Keep it simple.
Avoid ideas that require the same level of craftsmanship as those of, say, Canadian graphic designer Marian Bantjes. “Her work is extraordinary,” says Bierut. “I never have ideas that call for that same amount of effort, though.” Referring to the simple illustrations he creates for The New York Times’ editorial pages, Bierut explains that if commissioned in the morning, a designer should have an executable idea by 5 p.m. the same day. Otherwise, turn down the job.


2. Don’t reinvent the wheel [Part 1].
Instead of starting a project with a clean slate, take the MacGyver approach. “I come on the scene and think, there’s got to be something around here I can use,” says Bierut. The logo for the New York restaurant The Oak Room has gone through a series of changes since its opening more than a century ago. After trolling through some of those logos, Bierut decided to restore the original logo.


3. Don’t reinvent the wheel [Part 2]: Rotate the tires instead.
Keep what the client has, just tweak it. “I say, ‘What you have is great, it just needs some improvement’,” says Bierut. For the signage he created for Saks Fifth Avenue two years ago, Bierut kept Saks’s age-old cursive logo in the square, but created a program that sliced the square into 64 smaller squares. The smaller squares are randomly assembled on 90 pieces of packaging, including gift bags and gift certificates.


4. Do as you’re told.
Simply following the client's instructions will yield wonders. For Bierut – who likes limitations – creating the gargantuan sign for Renzo Piano’s New York Times building was fairly straightforward. The Times Square Alliance mandates that all buildings in the neighbourhood feature bright, large signage, to "keep Times Square looking like Times Square,” says Bierut... (continue reading)
(Article published by AZURE)