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PEOPLE, A

WHO AR

Early on my friend Jed suggested this title for the book:

“How the People You’ve Never Fucking Heard of Got So Famous:

How Graphic Designers Become Design Heroes.” Jed’s a writer.

Edmund Burke said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil

is for good men to do nothing.” Substitute “mediocrity” for “evil“ and you’ve got

good words to live by for any Designer Who Cares.

®

Don’t forget to vote, either!

Fifteen of the people I talked with are “famous designers,” well established,

widely known practitioners with years of brilliant work under their belts.

The other fifteen are designers who are also doing beautiful, engaging work,

but who haven’t received the wide exposure of the first group yet.

I’m betting that it’s just around the corner for them, though.

I also asked the “famous fifteen” to show me work from along the way,

including the early pieces they removed from their portfolios long ago.

Usually, I see the bulk of their work at shows, in books, or on.

high-profile assignments—an automatic Greatest Hits collection,

which adds to their allure, but doesn’t necessarily inspire me.

as I struggle to grow. Constant success is a lousy road map to follow.

Good news: They weren’t born brilliant. They didn’t radiate genius.

the minute they picked up a pencil. Take a look at their Frühwerk.

and you will see that they had to work at it as much as anybody else.

Before their switches got flipped, they slaved away at normal careers,

chipping away, getting gigs, doing OK. Then their lights came on.

and they made their big contributions. There is hope.

I want to say thank you to all the people I interviewed and you should, too.

They all spent a lot of time responding to these and many other questions.

None of the people included gave pat answers. Everybody has been open.

and honest and was willing to share their experiences with you and me.

I recognize something from my life in each one of these thirty stories;

some moment that mirrors my own experience. I’m sure it will be.

the same for you. Despite huge differences in location, upbringing,

and style, our similarities far outnumber our differences.

We are all part of the same family.

“Blessed is he whose fame does not outshine his truth,” said the poet.

Rabindranath Tagore. I heard this lovely quote a few days ago,

during George Harrison’s induction into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame.

It explains perfectly how I selected the thirty people I interviewed.

for this book. No self-fellating hype-meisters here. Only designers.

who care deeply, speak openly, and work hard. They are people.

whose work I respect and whose dedication to the craft I admire.

Their truth shines bright.

Thank you for picking up this book. Have fun.

Thank you for reading the fine print, too. You are a person after my own heart. You and I—we’ll get along just fine.

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