This post might be a tad esoteric, so my apologies if my design jargon gets in the way. I'm going to try my best to make sure I can be translated, though, because this story and the content is important to me.
I have this new habit where instead of listening to music I watch TED talks while I work. This is something I highly recommend, by the way. My work becomes more inspired and braver when I listen to other people tell stories. It makes me braver to tell my own.
Anyway, I've been exploring the idea of open source a lot lately- it seems that a lot of people are, not just me. Basically the idea of open source is the opposite of everything about companies today- it's all about sharing ideas and technology and instructions- basically anything considered a trade secret- for free online. It's all about "don't reinvent the wheel" and the goal is to give opportunity and inspiration to others, and provide them with basic tools and knowledge to make new things. It's better to share ideas and intellectual property for everyone's benefit rather than hiding your know how and selling them for personal profit.
I love the idea of sharing basic knowledge, like how to make a simple micro chip for example, so some young kid in Germany can invent something useful and new without needing to get an engineering degree first. I think open source is the way of the future, and can change the world.
But I found myself confronted with a problem. Recently in a design class I got really up in arms because I thought another designer's work was a liiitttttlllleee to similar to my concept. I was upset, I was territorial, but then I had to ask myself- "So, do I believe in open source or not?" It's one thing to love a theory, another to be directly affected by it.
But the answer turned out to be yes. Because the other design used concepts I did, but turned out way better. And my own design evolved so much because I wanted so badly to be original. It took about 8 hours more of working in the studio, but it paid off.
I've realized it takes a lot of bravery to share your work. You have to be confident enough to be proud of it and hold it up to critique. Then you have to be confident enough to know that your good work wasn't a fluke, and that you can 'give it away' to the internet or the world and know that more you will make more good work in the future.
So that was a lot. Here are some pictures of my design evolution to make your eyes feel better.
They are magazine spreads, and I'm only showing you five designs out of twenty.
Okay. Deep breath.
Here I go.
About to share everything on the internet, where it could get lost and be stolen.
And that's okay.
This is the final design. It was my very, very last attempt and hands down my favorite!
The second page to the spread.
love, rudi
A note from your long lost best friend and elementary school lover, Cody. As your work evolves to a product you are rightly proud of, I can't help but feel a nostalgic kind of pride in it as well. It was apparent at an early age you were of most fervent independent thinkers and goal-oriented individuals I've had the privilege of knowing. In an open source sense, I'm proud to have at least partially influenced all this amazing work by our shared experiences. We're all in this together. I always knew we were Prestonsburg Elementary's finest.
ReplyDeleteps. I arrived here via your twitter. I'm not creeping on you that intensely ;).