- I'm pretty sure I'd look foolish
if I dressed in the same fashion as a teenager today.
The same thing is true if I were to use
the same message I did when I started out.
Somehow, I don't think anyone will buy the story
of the "Young and untried designer, ready to
"tackle the world".
Over the years, I've needed to modify the message
to match who I was and what I was doing.
Saul Bass and Lou Danziger were two of my mentors.
They told me to never get hot, but to always
stay very warm.
Because, if you're hot, eventually you won't be any more.
They also gave me a preview of the arc
of a designer's career.
At the beginning, you're the new hot thing everyone
wants to know.
After a while, this cools down, and you evolve into
more established work.
A couple of decades into it, you'll be out of fashion.
But if you can ride this out, you'll end up
in the Legend category.
The most important part is knowing where you are
on the timeline, and acting accordingly.
It's impossible to play out the "New kid on the block"
message forever.
This will need to evolve into a more mature message.
This doesn't mean that you are abandoning
the core attributes, but the way you express them
should evolve.
You may find that you're attracting a more
corporate clientele, or rising in the ranks at a firm.
Ideas like "Trust and experience" have more importance here
than "Fresh and new".
The visuals and brand message need to
shift slightly to communicate this, without abandoning
the core beliefs.
This isn't about style.
Trying to keep up with the newest and grooviest
typefaces or color trend, marks you as a follower.
You're a leader.
Your life experience will change who you are
and let that influence your work and the brand message.
Who you are is also an issue.
Your brand isn't a prison.
After 20 years, I closed my firm to focus on
education, and a smaller practice.
This didn't change what I believe design is
or should be, but gave me a chance to rethink
what I did with my website, blog and printed material.
The new work doesn't need to build brand recognition
or attract a wide range of clients.
It can be more personal, but it stays true to
honesty and humor in design
which is my brand.
Tibor Kalman said, "If you only do work
"people won't hate, nobody will love it."
This couldn't be more true in the evolution
of your brand.
The brand needs to change with time,
adapt to new media and needs,
and represent who you are at that moment.
Nobody made history being nice, quiet and polite.
Whatever your message is, put it out there,
as boldly as possible.