Conveying a design language

Paula shows the power of iteration and when to stop iterating. Her attention to detail is immaculate. In the “Abstract” episode about graphic design, there is a scene in which she is in the room with creative directors and artists of the Public Theatre in New York presenting the signage of “Girls” and “Boys”. She tells the audience that healthy discussion is important during design critiques, but there comes a time when after some exchange and feedback is given there needs to be a halt to the conversation, before everyone is unhappy with the outcome. I never really thought about this, but have came to realize that design in the real world is never an individualistic endeavor. Design thrives off healthy doses of feedback and conversation as everyone has an eye for something they like and don’t like.

Additionally, it is also important for design to convey a “visual language”. For example, Paula Scher talks about the logo re-design of Citibank during the merger with Travelers insurance company. The multiple explorations of meshing the red umbrella connecting the two I’s in “Citi” and displaying the logo in different contexts such as a credit card versus digitally, Scher has shown us that design accounts for people in mind and convinces people of a single tone and design language.

I think most of this attributes to her childhood growing up as a creative tinkerer. It is evident that Scher’s background in working at CBS, growing up always creating things, and partnerships with corporations while she worked at Pentagram have shown how composition, images and typography all play a part in creating a consistent tone within graphic design.