Design is thought of as a process of ‘creation,’ but in order to create something new and different, designers have to reject most of what they create. I learned this first hand from a master. In 1972, just after I graduated college, I was working for a fashion magazine and had the opportunity to visit with Milton Glaser, one of the most prolific and influential designers of our time. He had co-founded PushPin Studios (with Seymour Chwast), New York Magazine (with Clay Felker) and created many iconic designs of 60’s, including the “I ‘Heart’ NY” logo and the psychedelic Bob Dylan poster. I was curious about how he worked, so when I was ushered into his office, I stood quietly at the door and watched him work as he sat, perched on a tall stool, before a drawing board, working on a cover layout for an upcoming issue of New York Magazine. What I had imagined to be a process of inspired creation looked more like filling a trashcan. Working quickly, he would sketch something, then either pin it to a bulletin board (with a push pin, of course) or throw it into a trashcan filled with other balled up sketches, which sat next to his stool. He seemed much more adept at throwing than pinning; during the course of 15 minutes, there were 3 for the board and 6 for the can. Any of the options in the can would probably have been fine by most standards, but he continued through many phases of destruction. He told me afterwards, “Inspiration emerges from destruction.”

Good design is built on a counter-intuitive principle: destroy to create. To create something new, lots of options need to be edited, built upon or abandoned. By making small or “successive” approximations to define the attributes and visual cues that add meaning and emotional relevancy, one moves from a point of uncertainty to greater certainty as to what is going to create more value for users and a better understanding of the constraints for solving the problem. So, the next time you’re trying to create something new, keep your sketch pad close, but your trashcan closer. Dan Droz: ddroz@droz.com or www.drozmarketing.com.

Tags: Design

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