Today's design heroes
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- mikotondria30
Andre Michelle was always a bit of a proper hero to me.
- identity0
tobias wong
- neue75_bold0
// Gensler
- neonspice0
Keetra Dean Dixon
- neonspice0
M/M Paris
- polyestercorp0
Nessim Higson,
http://iamalwayshungry.com
does great work outside of a studio
- dijitaq0
i wouldn't go so far as calling them "design heroes", just designers whose work i admire. having said that, not since the days of vir2l, gmunk, once-upon-a-forest, yugop and all those guys from the early 2000s, i don't have a particular designer that i follow closely. mostly just bookmarking designs that i find interesting.
- wordsarepictures0
I just realised I never thanked you guys for some really good responses. Things usually deteriorate quickly when I post on here, thank you!
- utopian0
You can do anything at Zombocom
- tOki0
I'd say the lack of such heroes is not that they don't exist, it's just the internet has made us realise how many great designers there are out there. The world has become much smaller. Many of us compete an international level where as previously this wasn't really possible. It is subsequently much harder to shine as an individual because of the collective nature that has become the design scene, just take be.hance, deviantart, css galleries etc as an example. It's mass media displayed en masse.
Also in the digital space, there are so many people touching a persons work that it's very hard to sit there and say "it's all me". It's now the team, which may be comprised of notable figures, but a team nonetheless. The most painful truth is that because of this, it is often a huge fight to make sure those other people don't touch it with dirty hands and take away from your good work. If you are working in digital, as I am, you will intimately understand how frustrating this can be. We've all had clients who create content for their sites or developers who lack attention to detail.
Design has become a commodity more it has ever been, template sites and logo designer applications are proof of this. As a result, the person behind it doesn't really matter anymore nor does the process.
- omg0
- digdre0
Jon.
- OSFA0
I think Douglas just summarized it for us all. Well said sir.
- Rand0
for snuggles:
- utopian0
Jim, plus benefits.
- Douglas0
For the most part, nothing has changed. Sagmeister, Carson, Glaser, Kidd, Brody, Saville, Oliver, Tomato, Maeda, Kyle Cooper, Joshua Davis, Beirut/Scher/Pentagram... all sell out auditoriums as Graphic Designers the fastest today. At the core of their work are subjects that 19yr olds can relate to: music, skate/surfing, crazy typography, and maybe a bit of experimental video, it's what gives their work credibility aside from the personal style.
Look at speaker lineups from conference like OFFF or Semi-Permanent. Those two probably draw the youngest crowds. You'll also notice the the landscape has changed in terms of mediums kids are into. Most student care more about the technology and making an iphone app or an interactive arduino project than they do about specific people in graphic design. Maybe someone like Aaron Koblin is a new individual making waves there. UVA.
I think another way those specific designers of 15yrs ago got so big were because they were the only individuals putting out graphic design books in the Art section at the book store. The alternative, picking up a design magazine like Print or HOW would bore me to tears back then with wine labels and stationary design. I would much rather get a bunch of music, skate, graffiti, comics, and fetish mags to draw inspiration from. Carson and Sagmiester were the closest to that in legit graphic design form.
Back to the question... modern type people like Marian Bantjes, Si Scott, Alex Trochut, Mike Perry, and Jessica Hische all get attention. Heads of State are pretty popular with their screenprints (music). Motion Design is much more of a thing now. Matt Pyke is a good individual there. So is Todd St.John. Danny Yount is taking over for Cooper in terms title talks. Companies like Psyop, Buck, DigitalKitchen, TheMill, BrandNewSchool draw lots of student attention... the more shiny particles, the better. Directors then start coming into play: Stop motion people like PES. Shynola is still loved by all. Gondry, Cunningham, etc.
sorry, tangent.
- very good and objective response..neue75_bold
- as usual - your opinion is always appreciated Douglas.identity
- drgs0
- Douglas0
i think that i actually would put the big street artist like Fairy and Bansky in a category of "design heros" today. they have that edge and design sensibilty that kids look up to.