Why Design Matters: Conversations with the World's Most Creative People by Debbie Millman
Debbie Millman’s Why Design Matters (2022) is a collection of interviews from her legendary podcast of the same name. It compiles information from more than 50 interviews conducted over a 15-year period, outlining the importance of design and demonstrating how design principles apply to all forms of creativity. Millman also creates art and has worked on high-profile campaigns for clients. She has been presenting and conducting interviews with creative people for her Design Matters podcast since 2005.
Design is a strong tool for communication
Milton Glaser is a graphic design legend who cofounded New York magazine and has written a piece titled “12 Steps on the Designer’s Road to Hell.” Glaser views every choice as either a step towards or away from hell, and believes that design should have a social purpose. Steven Heller agrees, saying that designers should use their skills and resources to make a difference and influence the public for the better.
The importance of persistence and continuing to learn
The most important details in this text are the stories of some of today’s brightest creative minds, such as Milton Glaser, Paula Scher, Alison Bechdel, the writers Eileen Myles, Anne Lamott, and Seth Godin, and the photographer Albert Watson. Each of these individuals underwent a distinctive path that resulted in the discovery of an especially potent and creative voice.
These stories feature chaotic upbringings, facing fears head-on, taking significant risks, and a little bit of luck. Seth Godin is a best-selling author and one of the most significant businessmen in America despite experiencing times of unemployment and uncertainty. Godin is able to keep his views separate from himself and views anything he’s attempting to sell as having value beyond its price.
Albert Watson also discussed how you never stop learning and how it takes time to discover your voice and skill. Watson still has a strong desire to learn new things as he approaches his 80th birthday.
Artists are working to create positive social change
Carmen Maria Machado, Tim Ferriss, Brené Brown, journalist Anand Giridharadas, artist Edel Rodriguez, and graphic novelists Chris Ware and Lynda Barry are among the “Truth Tellers” who have been interviewed. Rodriguez, who arrived in America as a nine-year-old, had no English skills but eventually moved to New York to attend an art school. He then worked for MTV and Penguin Books and eventually climbed to the position of graphic director at Time magazine.
His artwork has a social purpose and captures the essence of life the way he’s experienced it. Ware’s writing is a reflection of his empathy and affection for his characters. In his book Building Stories, Ware describes how empathy is fundamental to mankind and how it applies to any situation, including living in a flat complex.
Creativity can benefit from structure and limitations
This chapter explores the discussions in the collection’s “Culture Makers” section. It features interviews with musicians Nico Muhly and Erin McKeown, filmmaker Mike Mills, designers Michael Bierut and Cey Adams, authors Malcolm Gladwell and Alain de Botton, and painter Amy Sherald. Debbie Millman’s conversations with artists focus on the enigmatic procedure for creating a musical composition.
Muhly makes music for operas, ballets, movies, chamber music, and orchestral works, while Bierut prefers to work with parameters, limitations, and a strict recipe. Cey Adams was the founding art director of Def Jam Recordings and defines a successful work as something that helps the musicians or the product shine bright, and is able to move on to the next one.
To solve challenges, put in the effort and ask the appropriate questions
The most important details in this book are that the “Trendsetters” are a diverse collection of creatives, including musicians Amanda Palmer and Brandon Stanton, designers Chip Kidd and Emily Oberman, author Michael R. Jackson, and chefs Christina Tosi. The term “trendsetter” denotes doing something new, taking a risk, and being unique.
The Humans of New York website and related books, created by Brandon Stanton, look for areas with a negative image to demonstrate that there are regular individuals living there just like you and me. Stanton taught himself photography by capturing his subjects from 20 various perspectives and identifying a specific aesthetic taste. He ultimately overcame his trepidation and excelled at his art, creating stunning images and telling compelling stories. Jackson learned from his playwriting and screenplay instructor that a tale is about a character who wants something and has challenges in getting it.
Creativity comes from confidence, doubt, and staying true to beliefs
The sixth episode of the “Visionaries” series examines prominent figures in the art forms, including the musician David Byrne, the artists Marina Ambramovi and Shepard Fairey, the illustrator Maira Kalman, the producer of radio shows and podcasts Ira Glass, and the curator of online culture Maria Popova.
Byrne and his Talking Heads comrades revolutionized rock and roll, while Fairey transformed modern art by pushing the limits of performance art. Kalman views uncertainty and worries as normal parts of daily life, and enjoys working with newspapers like the New Yorker and the New York Times. Millman’s conversations offer tips on how to build your own sense of style, design, and creativity.
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