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When you ask a creative person how they did something, they may feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after awhile. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or have thought more about their experiences than other people have. Unfortunately, that’s too rare a commodity.
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This quote has been making the rounds, attributed to Steve Jobs.
I’m not sure if it is from him or not, but I do know one thing – this idea of design being a process of synthesis is absolutely correct. It’s like living in an E M Forster book (only connect…) all of your life.
In conversation, I am often asked ‘how do you know that’? Generally it’s because I noticed something that differed from the norm, examined it, and filed that information away for future use.
For people whose lives and careers go in a more linear path, this is a confronting idea. I’ve just started a project to design a 150th anniversary book for a vineyard. I met with the author and her first question was “Have you designed a book like this before?”
My answer was no.
“Well, have you designed for a winery before?”
Again I answered that I had not. She looked puzzled and concerned.
I said to her, “No, I haven’t worked in this sector before. But I’ve worked for airlines, hospitals, biotechnology companies, and newspapers. I art directed an inflight magazine, and I’ve designed the inside of courthouses. I designed the outside of your phone book and the inside of the Post Office. I’m a generalist. Anyone who’s any good at design is. My skill, what people pay me for, is that I am interested in everything.”
And that fact, that I am interested in everything, is what keeps me in design. I can think of no other job where I can be paid so well to be what others would call a dilettante.
