On April 2, 2011, more than 900 people were united on a block in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District to support the first fundraising event for Japan’s Earthquake and Tsunami relief. At this event called “Rise Japan,” more than 100 artists donated their work, including my co-worker Brie Hattey and myself. Music, food, and drinks were also donated by various Bay Area companies. On opening night alone over 900 people attended the participating art studios, selling over 90 paintings that night.
Akko Terasawa, a photographer from the Japanese art collective S.I.R. has been documenting all of the events. “I felt a massive amount of energy, and saw everyone having a great time that night,” said Terasawa. “I wanted to capture the scene as they are, but I also wanted to capture them from an insider’s perspective and not just as a spectator.”
I included one of my favorite photos from the inspirational night, which describes her exact thoughts. I feel that her ability to capture all of the magical moments is amazing. Her photos are very intimate, emotional, and warm. They tell a story as if I am there all of the time. It was amazing and gratifying to see so many people gathered for such a great cause.
As a graphic designer, my goal is to create designs that are not only beautiful, but also communicate emotions; designs that make audiences feel exactly like Akko Terasawa’s photos make me feel.
Please click on the links below for more photos:
Rise Japan 1
Rise Japan 2
Akko Terasawa photo gallery
This week the world lost a visionary with the death of Steve Jobs. And while he may be gone, the legacy that he left behind in his wake is immense. The technology and entertainment innovations that he ushered in will continue to impact our everyday lives for years to come.
To say that someone revolutionized an industry would be quite a feat in itself, but to lead revolutions in four industries is simply incredible. Steve’s genius was in redefining the relationship people have with technology, making it more organic, approachable, and entirely personalized.
He didn’t invent the computer, but he made it personal with the Macintosh and later revolutionized them again with the iMac. He didn’t invent the mp3 player, but he made them intuitive with the iPod. He didn’t create the first computer-generated, animated film, but through Pixar he gave them heart and soul. He didn’t develop the first online music store, he made it seamless and accessible with iTunes. He didn’t create the first smartphone, he broke the mold with the iPhone and created an entire business around mobile applications. He didn’t make the first tablet computer, but with the iPad he brought them to the mass market and shattered notions of how we consume media and information.
Steve Jobs was someone who didn’t settle for good enough, he made those around him push the limits of design and innovation, and in doing so fundamentally changed the world. And while he’ll be missed, the creative energy, drive, and business sense he had will serve as a blueprint for many more creative people to come. At RHDG, Steve’s legacy and influence isn’t just evident though the numerous Mac computers in our studio, it’s almost more importantly, left its mark on the way we at RHDG regard our creative work and the standards of excellence we set for ourselves.
Everyone has ideas, but only some of those ideas are truly great ideas. At RHDG’s core, great ideas are what we have to offer. The result of the ideas or the tangible printed piece, website or video is simply the execution of the ideas. It’s easier to quantify the time spent designing a website, print ad, or even a work of art, but it is much harder to place value on the big idea that came before the actual execution began. Nurturing and perfecting that big idea happens before the results of that idea are actually seen (as a billboard, bus shelter, web ad, etc).
The concept or the idea behind an ad could have occurred in a flash of genius (in the shower, perhaps) or it could have taken 5 days, but a great idea that is used by a company to motivate its target audience to act is valuable and that value is often times difficult to quantify in the eyes of the client or consumer.
There is the famous story of an art student who was paid $35 to create the Nike swoosh logo—a logo that has grossed billions! One would have to ask what the true value of that logo is. It was reported that many years later the art student was compensated additionally with Nike stock worth an undetermined amount (hopefully more than $35!).
There is also another story attributed to a few artists including Monet but no one can be sure who it actually was. The story goes that Monet was approached by an art buyer interested in purchasing one of his paintings and when asked how much the painting cost, Monet threw out a figure that shocked the man. He balked at Monet, “How do you come up with such a high price for your swirls of paint?” Monet simply replied, “Sir, I do not place a value on my work based upon the amount of paint on the canvas or the amount of time required to place the paint on the canvas, but rather I place a value on my work based upon a lifetime of experience.”
The upshot to all of this is that big ideas are the most valuable thing in the marketing, advertising and design world. So, the next time you look at that swoosh logo on your shoes, or Target’s circle logo and think ‘I could have done that’ – remember, you didn’t. And although it might look like a $35 logo, what these companies really paid for was ‘a lifetime of experience’ and creative genius.
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