vanderbyl

I wanted to be enlightened a bit--wanted some affirmation of the out-sized reputation, and while the ego factor is certainly present, it does seem to serve its purpose to some regard, and I do have a newfound appreciation for his genuine enthusiasm and reverence for design, even after all these years. At a time when I struggle with wondering if this job is gratuitous once it surpasses necessity, he reminds the designers at hand that "its only graphic design". Adrian Shaughnessy's piece on Design Observer dovetails well with Vanderbyl's talk, with a discussion about designer as emphasizer vs. designer as egoist. In short: "designers are either emphasizers or egotists. Most of us are emphasizers; we want to please our clients and we are happy to forgo some personal gratification in favor of giving them what they are expecting. But egotists are only interested in getting what they want: they have a fundamentalist certainty about themselves and their abilities. Their work is often better than the work of the emphasizers." When ego succeeds, assuming the legitimacy and rational behind it is warranted, clients can be persuaded, and good design can prevail.