Karen and I got to Memphis just in time to check into the hotel and for me to get to the kick-off session. This conference is quite a big deal, with 1400 attendees, splashy graphics and signage, and lots of design glitterati on hand. Last night we got our fix of design celebrities, hearing from Michael Beirut, Carin Goldberg, Stephan Sagmeister, and Chip Kidd.
Richard Grefé welcomed us, and Kurt Anderson moderated, introducing speakers, making relevant comments, and keeping things moving along. Al Bell, chairman of the Memphis Music Foundation, and former Stax Records entrepreneur welcomed us to Memphis with a rousing sermon-styled presentation on creativity with courage. His comments linked music with art and design and introduced the history and culture of Memphis.
Stephan Sagmeister talked about his recent sabbatical in Bali, and was my favorite for creative visuals and philosophical thinking. His message was that we should avoid boredom and repetition by quitting our jobs every few years—a solution that the economy is already forcing on some of us.
Carin Goldberg talked about inspiration and motivation, presenting her work, including music packaging, book design, and editorial design.
The Command X competition pitted seven young designers against each other, competing for “cash and prizes.” Michael Beirut hosted as the designers presented their logo designs for Graceland. Panelists made comments and selected two designers to cut from the first session. The next assignment is packaging for Cap’n Crunch cereal.
The closing presentation was 20/20, hosted by AIGA president Debbie Millman. It invited a group of young designers from 20 AIGA chapters across the country, each giving a one-minute presentation. The subjects ranged from a critique of the lack of African American designers working in the U.S. to a video of three designers destroying a Kindle reader with a baseball bat. Fun!
Photo by Nate Hofer
