Tails of a graphic design wingman #1 - Almost famous

After cutting my teeth in the then glorious field of Annual Report design, I went to work with the soon-to-be “famous” designer - John Bielenberg. John always deflected the “famous” label, saying, “Being a famous graphic designer is like being a famous plumber amongst plumbers,” implying no one outside of the design industry cares - which is true, but when with peers, being famous is cool.

Working with John, I learned a lot about being a famous designer. I’ve known many talented designers who never became famous, mainly because they didn’t have the personality for it. Throughout my time as John’s wingman, I met most of the famous designers, and there is one common trait - they are funny, usually in an extremely witty flavor. They were all talented, but most also had either a wingman or an entire office staffed with highly skilled designers who could make the great work happen. The difference between being a great designer and being famous is doing great work for clients for years. To sustain doing great work requires a client’s trust, and clients enjoy being around funny people, which often results in the trust it takes to do great work.

I know of a designer who so desperately wanted to be famous that he scheduled time every week to devote to becoming famous. This worked for a while. The thing is, he is a perfectly skilled designer, but he’s intense to be around, not fun or funny. I still see his name now and then, but I’m sure due to his personality, he was never invited into the circle of the truly “famous” designers.

This brings me to my following observation: It’s a club. Back in the days when design conferences were popular, they served as yearly reunions for the design elite. They are all friends, and why wouldn’t they be - they’re all individually a blast to be around; get them around a dinner table and let the show begin. Like in high school, the gossip flies, and if you get on the outs with one, you can be quickly dropped from the clique – I’ve seen that happen to more than one formally famous designer.

So, if you’re a designer looking to become famous, I’d suggest keeping to your kerning, but if you aren’t already genuinely funny - good luck!