Inspiration Super Nova by Matt Mattus
This session started with Matt shooting Nerf balls into the audience. The balls represent things you read, wear, listen to and watch. Each ball had something different written on it. Certain balls represented creatives and the others represented the marketing people. The creative ones had phrases like raise canaries, iPod, Toy Robot, PMS 187 and collect Peeps. The marketing people had phrases on their balls like reads best sellers, Disney World, Sports Illustrated, Banana Republic, Coach Potato, People Magazine etc. His point is that we as designers have a capacity to edit. We have a need to take in so much more visually. He also stated that today anyone can be a designer. All that you need is a Mac and some software. What makes us different is what happens in between the eye and the brain. In essence, we are a ’Äúlibrary’Äù.
Matt works for Hasbro and works in the division that markets to teen and preteen girls. A lot of what Matt does is trend hunting. He travels the globe in search of the next big thing. Write now we are seeing many influences from Japan. They are always ahead of us. I thought it was interesting how he described some of the reasons that the Japanese are such trendsetters. First of all they come from a very creative and cultural history. In the past each community had it’s own cultural identity. It had it’s own symbols and visual uniqueness.
I found it interesting how the Japanese culture really encourages their youth to work at being original from the ages of 17-20. Whether it is pink hair or clothes made out of plastic, the Japanese really embrace this experimentation in their youth. When they reach twenty then they are supposed to enter into the work force. Their girls also feel less pressure to grow up so fast. It is very common for a twenty-year-old Japanese girl to carry around a stuffed animal. I think this explains why everything is so over the top cute in their culture. He then proceeded to show some of the biggest Japanese influences on our culture right now.
After showing us how great and influential Japan is, Matt proceeded to say that in a couple of years things like Anime and other big Japanese exports will not have as big of an impact. His prediction is that the next big influences will come from places like Vietnam, Russia, Afghanistan and from other culturally oppressed people that have something unique to say.
Matt also said that contemporary art is a huge influence in what will be the next trend. It has been a while since I have heard someone say this. Some designers you talk to would say that ¬í√Ñ√∫art is dead¬í√Ñ√π, ¬í√Ñ√∫design is the new art¬í√Ñ√π and that art has lost its power and influence. I am happy to hear that someone in Matt’s position feels this strongly about contemporary art. He encourages designers to get magazines like Art in America and Art News. A few other trendsetters that Matt named were Shag, Tim Biskup, Thomas Demand, Martha Stewart and Hella Jongerius.
Well I’m not sure where I will be able to use this information, but I’m sure it will influence me in ways that I don’t even know. The idea of trends is interesting and mystifying and it is interesting to here someone put a small amount of traceability to it. The important thing to remember in light of these influences is that they are after all just trends. Unless we are creating something that is going to be gone next season or next week, we should probably know about them, but also try to avoid them. It may not be completely possible, but I still like the idea of timelessness.
