Confessions of a Student Designer
by Bennett Holzworth, (1 comments)
Long ago in a land far away. OK, so it was six years ago and about eighty miles from where I sit, but the distance I have come in that time can only be measured in eras or ages.
When I was an insecure design student, as opposed to a semi-secure professional designer, I held onto every invention and technique that I came up with, like it was my holy grail. Whether these techniques were actually unique is a whole different story. These techniques gave me a much needed identity and as soon as I graduated from school this “technique” was going to make me famous and win me awards. I’m still waiting. While too many awards are granted on technique and texture, it is obvious that great design doesn’t come from either.
A few months ago, I was reading a little inspirational design/ad book, It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be. I was reminded of my design school secrets or should I say crutches. The author, Paul Arden, mentions something to the effect that you should share everything you know and it will come back ten fold. So here it goes.
At the top of this page was one of my best kept texture secrets. Don’t laugh, I thought it was very cool. While this little texture seems silly now, it was ever so important to me in school. What I would do is scan a very small section of a certain scanner bed in the computer lab at a very magnified and high resolution. The trick was to scan nothing but the scanner bed glass. You would be amazed at how many of the other students wanted to know this secret. I am not only going to share my silly secret, but I am also going to allow anyone to download a high res version to use as they wish. Enjoy.
I’m not sure what practical use this holds, but it is very therapeutic for my design spirit. Now my next step is getting to the point where I divulge how I created my halftone pop art illustrations. Well, maybe in another six years.
Comments (1)
Kyle said:
In the therapeutic fashion, HI BENNETT.
In my experience, the well-guarded school secrets you speak of stem from competition. In contrast, my recent years of professional work have been collaborative and team-oriented. Sharing is expected. Which has it’s benefits. Although I still compete, it’s on a more personal level. I kinda miss being graded, though … now there is no “proof” that my design is better than someone else’s design. :()
Oh well … back to communicating my client’s message …
Posted on August 30, 2004