-- Paul Rand
I remember the first time I heard this, I rejected it. How could this be?! I thought this went against everything associated with creativity.
But I couldn't get it out of my head.
I scribbled it on a post-it and stuck in on the wall above my desk. (In pencil no less, just to suggest the non-permanence of it.) I have lots of little quotes and sayings stuck and taped to the wall - humorous, nostalgic, inspirational, whatever.
But the Paul Rand post-it hangs directly in front of me. I look at it everyday. Me vs. Paul Rand on a post-it.
When I first heard this quote, I was still nascent in my design career. I didn't really understand what creativity meant -- it just was. It existed somehow, worked somehow, and couldn't be controlled somehow. (I also think this is true of many companies jumping on the innovation bandwagon -- they want it, but aren't quite sure how to wrangle it. As Caroline and I interview innovation centers across the country, this especially resonates with those still in their fledgling states, who seem to struggle with their footing and defining their project capabilities.)
At some point, I figured out that creativity is nothing more than bringing unrelated ideas together. Epiphany! And creativity doesn't just happen - creativity is work. Hard work. Now I'm starting to think that creativity can be measured. Not it necessarily should be measured, but I think it could be measured. Maybe I'll work on a framework for that. Hmm...
If originality is a byproduct of creativity, then one is left with no choice but to be good. This isn't a function of the chicken-and-egg syndrome. In order to be creative, and therefore original, one must first be good. Being good is understanding constraints -- design without constraints, after all, is art. Being good is being thoughtful and deliberate.
Certainly there are many creative and original works in the world, but if the execution is poor, then what difference does it make? What isn't good doesn't get noticed. Paul Rand is right. Thanks for the advice.
I remember the first time I heard this, I rejected it. How could this be?! I thought this went against everything associated with creativity.
But I couldn't get it out of my head.
I scribbled it on a post-it and stuck in on the wall above my desk. (In pencil no less, just to suggest the non-permanence of it.) I have lots of little quotes and sayings stuck and taped to the wall - humorous, nostalgic, inspirational, whatever.
But the Paul Rand post-it hangs directly in front of me. I look at it everyday. Me vs. Paul Rand on a post-it.
When I first heard this quote, I was still nascent in my design career. I didn't really understand what creativity meant -- it just was. It existed somehow, worked somehow, and couldn't be controlled somehow. (I also think this is true of many companies jumping on the innovation bandwagon -- they want it, but aren't quite sure how to wrangle it. As Caroline and I interview innovation centers across the country, this especially resonates with those still in their fledgling states, who seem to struggle with their footing and defining their project capabilities.)
At some point, I figured out that creativity is nothing more than bringing unrelated ideas together. Epiphany! And creativity doesn't just happen - creativity is work. Hard work. Now I'm starting to think that creativity can be measured. Not it necessarily should be measured, but I think it could be measured. Maybe I'll work on a framework for that. Hmm...
If originality is a byproduct of creativity, then one is left with no choice but to be good. This isn't a function of the chicken-and-egg syndrome. In order to be creative, and therefore original, one must first be good. Being good is understanding constraints -- design without constraints, after all, is art. Being good is being thoughtful and deliberate.
Certainly there are many creative and original works in the world, but if the execution is poor, then what difference does it make? What isn't good doesn't get noticed. Paul Rand is right. Thanks for the advice.
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