In just about all aspects of our lives there is some form of celebrity. There are famous people for just about everything. Design isn’t any different. Though as with many occupational celebrities, a designer’s fame is typically restricted within the industry. To be honest at one time I was opposed to the idea of celebrity worship within design. There are still a few issues that I have with the practice, but as of late the pros have been significantly outweighing the cons.
As an educator I’ve been able to witness those pros and cons on the undeveloped design student for nearly ten years now. Celebrity worship is unquestionably the biggest trait of my most successful students. These celebrities whether they be new like Tad Carpenter and Jay Fletcher, or old like Paula Scher and David Carson have worked to help mold my students in some cases nearly as much as my colleagues and myself.
In a way this worship or fanaticism has helped students to self-educate. As with any form of sincere celebrity admiration the fan is going to research and gain as much knowledge about them as they can. In baseball this would mean stats, the college they attended, teams they played for, etc. In the case of design this means students are learning about clients and agencies, the types of projects that can be done, and how they can be done. All of which can be difficult to cover in a tight curriculum.
Celebrity designers also allow students to dream. Not all students will grow into champions of design, but they all need to believe that they can. With each celebrity comes a story, and many times that story is very similar to the one a student is currently living. It can be hard to generalize design students, but a very common thread is that many at one point or another in their lives have felt very different than everyone else. This doesn’t mean they’re all outcasts or introverts, but it does mean that many have desired a hero more like them. Also, unlike some other areas of fame, almost all design celebrities can attribute their success to not just talent but also a lot of hard work. This helps reaffirm my daily lectures of what can be accomplished with determination and passion. They are living proof of perseverance in design.
In sports a young fan may try to dunk like Jordan or swing a bat like Bregman but in design they will try to illustrate like Fairey or typeset like Müller-Brockmann. The positive to this is that it creates a replication of standards of perfection. As with the common art education practice of Master Studies, it also gives them an understanding of how to create using similar methods, materials, and technology. The negative is that at times it can suppress the student’s own style and nuances. Furthermore, I’ve seen students so in love with a designer’s style that through constant use of it created an imprisoning comfort zone.
There are times I envy my students for having these celebrities to look up to. There are not nearly as many famous design educators. This is of course a common theme across education, and ultimately a result of how good educators measure success. A great educator measures their success through the success of their students.
New posts coming soon:
• More Unconventional Illustrations
• Things I Didn’t Learn In Grad School: Part 2
