2008 How Design Conference Notes: A Designed Life

Design permeates our lives now. We’ve moved from:
- Agrarian age = Grow It
- Industrial age = Build It
- Information age = Tell It
- Design age = BE IT
Design is only interesting relative to how people live their lives.

Good design should:
- be not about just products but a unique experience
- be unique
- be relevant
- be transparent and true
- be aligned with people’s values
- have its own point-of-view
- consider all aspects of our interaction with it
- make people want it and recommend it
He left a large partnership to start his own agency
- no more than 25 employees
- no spec work; never compete when required
- no hourly rates, just bill for projects they want to work on
- 16 core staff: 1/2 business, 1/2 design
- partner with others on specific projects
- a mix of vocation and avocation
His process:
- imagine > design > activate (iterate)
- continually collecting images for inspiration
- edit & mix down images to create a visual brief
  - symbols
  - color
  - imagery
  - typography
- have the client select and edit
  - so it’s not a surprise to them
  - they will let you design it rather than meddle
  - they have a hand in it in the right way
more than just a logo or ad campaign, it’s about creating a brand language
ask: what makes it unique, attracts people?
created a brand book for The Bahamas for the people on the islands to understand the campaign; get buy-in; distributed in Sunday paper
We must demystify the design to increase its value (more people playing golf doesn’t threaten Tiger Woods)
In Japan, design is a way-of-life
Design is not timeless; someone else will eventually change your work