Creative Advent 2008: Introduction

Starting December 1st I will be starting an article series entitled “Creative Advent” which will feature some of the best career advice given and received by 24 creative professionals. For 24 days (culminating Christmas Eve) I will be publishing 24 unique pieces of advice from designers, photographers, illustrators, and artists as a way to share advice amongst the creative community. Originally I had asked what was the best advice the person had ever received, however I have expanded this to include the best advice they would like to give as well.

The response to this idea was so enthusiastic that unfortunately I could not fit in every submission. In fact, I have bumped my personal contribution to this introduction to make room for one more person. Before I kick off this series, I would like to thank all of the individuals who took the time to contact me about participating. If your entry did not make it in this time, I will be more than happy to contact you first next year. So without further introduction, here is my personal advice:

The meaning of context

Some of the best advice I ever received was from a design professor of mine in college. He told me that “context is the most powerful tool in a designers arsenal.” What I took from the statement was that style means nothing if it does not fit the context of the project/client. Too often young designers become obsessed with style. In order to be a great designer you must be able to apply a style that is appropriate for the goals of the project.

It took me a couple of years to really understand what he meant by context being such a powerful tool, and I know there is still more to it, however not a day goes by that I don’t remember this piece of advice. I may still be early on in my career, but this is a lesson I can tell will benefit me for the remainder of it.

I hope you have enjoyed and can benefit from the advice I have received. If you have enjoyed this, why not subscribe to the Positive Space RSS feed to ensure that you don’t miss an entry. Once again, thank you to all the people who submitted their experiences, and have a happy Thanksgiving!