Considering Involvment…

I get so down on myself with regard to being a designer due (and perhaps in no small part) to my lack of physical (or virtual as well) involvement with the design community. I rarely, if ever, attend events. Also, I just don't know a lot of people of great significance in my career. I know -of- people, just haven't truly met the majority (read: 99%) of them. Sure, I have seen some at, say, a conference, but that was so long ago and apparently so uneventful that I can't remember who they all were. I remember Dana Arnett at the Creative Summit way back when I was at SWT. So that's one. I had lunch with DJ Stout. That's two. That's it. Those are the biggest names I have "met" in the biz. And Dana was a guy speaking at a show. I never actually talked to him, introduced myself or even shook his hand. So back down to one.

I just came from Typographi.ca where there is an interview of Phil Martin (founder of Alphabet Innovations and TypeSpectra) by Mark Simonson. Now Mr. Simonson discovered the existence of Mr. Martin when he was in high school. The discovery was also a pivotal moment in his life in that it is what got him interested in type design. Ultimately leading to his interview with the very man that essentially seeded said interest of type.

I read the interview and started thinking to myself, "Is there anyone, in the design community, that has this kind of affect on me? And, if so, would I want to interview and have relevant questions for that person?"

The answer: Nope. Can’t think of anyone. The one person that might have fit that mold is now, sadly, no longer among us. That person being Paul Rand. Even if he was still alive, I am not sure what it is exactly I would ask him.

Back to topic. Most of these people that I read about, or look up to (in some fashion or another), have one thing in common: they actually know other people in the industry. They may, or may not, have had dialog with each other or all, but they have, for the most part, met each other. All the guys in my Dailies Bookmark Folder "know" each other and in most cases have actually met and dialoged together. When I say "know", I mean they reference each other in their own discussions. Each one has done or is doing something relevant to the other and to the industry. And this isn't because they are the biggest names in the biz (though most of them are) it is because they got off their asses and got involved, to whatever degree, with the industry.

What have I done lately… not a lot. Not really anything, actually. I can’t even remember the last AIGA meeting I attended — for which I was a student at the time. The last design show I was at was the ADDY Awards in 2002. I have never been to SXSW Interactive, no matter how many times I have seen a name of someone I would like to hear speak. If I would just go to a couple of conferences, I might feel a bit more involved. That would give me more confidence to network more, perhaps, which could then, in turn, open dialog with the people that I regard as important to design, which could then give me some self credibility that I feel I am sorely lacking.

I imagine in the future — 20 or so years down the line — some kid will be sitting in their high school history class mulling over late 20th Century tax reform on their desk monitor when they receive a pop-up message from their friend in Stockholm. That message will be about this conference happening in Toronto, featuring, you guessed it, some well known designer. And they will both go to see him. And they will network with him and others of a like-mind. And they will eventually grow up to speak at conferences about their expertise at which high school students/fans will come to.

I’ll likely be doing graphics for PowerPoint presentations.