The only rule is don’t be boring.- PARIS HILTON, Confessions of an Heiress
You may find it strange that I am quoting Paris Hilton. We usually think of people like Mark Twain or Daniel Burnham or famous presidents or leaders throughout history of saying things that will go down in history as impactful statements that changed lives. I found this quote by Paris to be motivating for myself because she makes a very bold point that I think we as designers need to think about on a daily basis.
I found that this one line went well with a documentary that Professor Pastre had us watch the other day. The documentary was about how everything in this world has some design to it. Almost every item we encounter was thought out and specifically designed to fit a need. Some may fall into the realm of boring because they are not new or innovative at the moment. Take for instance the insulated coffee mug. We pour a scalding hot liquid into it and we can immediately grab the mug and run off to wherever we need to go. Before that item was invented, the hot liquid was placed in a normal cup and handled with care to not burn your hand. Someone spent a lot of time figuring out how to design the mug and now we don’t even think about the advantage it gives us.
Similar to our design for the Halsey, we want to have a successful design that in some ways may appear boring but in other ways spark the viewer’s interest and make them experience the Halsey in a different way than they would with another artist’s work. Also, artists have to think about how to not be boring because let’s face it if we think, “oh that’s boring” it will get looked over and no one will truly appreciate it.
The group I am working in for the design is currently trying to find a proper design of the “skin” of our installation. We’ve read dozens of books and searched all over the internet but nothing has truly hit us and said I am the solution. We want it to blend, but not get lost. To get the viewer’s attention but not take away from Motoi’s work.
I am writing this in hopes of inspiring everyone who reads this to take an extra moment and think. “how do I make this exciting?” in everything you do. If you’re putting your time into it, you might as well make it look cool right?
So I guess Paris wasn’t all that bad after all? Not that I’m going to listen to every statement she says but for a moment there she really hit on an intriguing point and kind of inspired me a bit. I have a few sayings and quotes from people that are typed up and printed out that I have hung in my room where I know I’ll see them just small inspirational statements that I try to incorporate throughout my day. One that stands out in particular is, “When you’re really good you don’t need to tell anyone, they’ll tell you.” I use this for everything, but I started using it when it came to my golf game. I used to be a good player but reading that daily made me work harder and practice longer until I became the captain of my golf team in high school and received offers to play in college. That was when I truly knew I was good.
Now apparently, Paris Hilton will be right up there saying. “There’s just one rule: don’t be boring.” So thank you Paris Hilton for giving me inspiration (I can’t believe I just said that) and also a happy early birthday to Paris (she’s 30 now in case you wondered).