Category: Paula Scher videos

Paula Scher is a worldwide known designer and artist. She has years and years of experience and that is what lets her confidently design by instinct. At the same time, because she is so famous and well regarded I think clients are less inclined to go through infinite rounds of revisions and are more likely to trust her design proposals. I feel that if I were to propose designs that are out of the ordinary and that break rules, it won’t be as easy for it to be accepted because I don’t have years of experience and the client might not trust me. I’ve also had experiences with some older professors who I felt did not respond well to certain design proposals because they deemed them not normal and rule-following enough. Being at the beginning of my career I also can’t just do whatever I want and hope they like it, and if not onto the next one.

One thing I found to be contradicting from Paula Scher was how in one video she despises computers and can’t use them and can only send emails, and in the other, she talks about how she used Photoshop to render the designs for the underpass in Pittsburg. I don’t know if one video was older than the other and she eventually learned to use a computer or if one of her staff did the rendering, or if she just wanted to sound important and wise. I felt that it was stupidly arrogant. She can be arrogant all she wants because of her success, but you are going to be left behind if you don’t learn to use the computer. It is true that designers of today might miss the experience that comes from working manually, but computers are powerful tools that get jobs done much faster and easier. There is no point in dueling over the past when the present is digital and the world is going forward.

What I found interesting about Paula Scher through the videos I watched is that she wants to create typography that is appealing for her audience to look out while still successfully making the client’s message come true. An example was where she created typography that incorporated “Loudness” and “Noise” for when she had to design posters for Noise Punk. I really found that interesting because it reminded me of the designer Filippo Marinetti, who used typography where he bent and manipulated it into creating a chaotic and aggressive look in order to communicate his anarchist ideals through Futurism. Another thing I found out is that Scher hates Helvetica, calling the typeface “Solemn Work”. I can agree with her because Helvetica is pretty basic and it gives me a better understanding o why she is passionate about creating such outrageous typography work, because she wants to make something that is interesting and people will recognize her for her typographic choices.

as i watch through the videos helvitica is the most hated font that she quotes “solem work”. it seems that though she is passionate about more on progress rather than perfection. and i do agree its the people not the design because concepts have to match design in my own opinion. she aslo mention template with art work which is already have been done which is sort of true. she also used fonts in metal architecture and playing around with things not done before

After watching the videos, Paula Scher was very interesting to learn about. Throughout the videos, you learn about her work and how she approach it. She operates with her instincts, she never been a refiner. One of the work she talked about was the Citi bank logo, she created it on a napkin within a few seconds. She said how computers aren’t good for design. Paula Scher says she hated Helvetica, and she want to do and create her own designs that wasn’t made out of Helvetica, because of that she would use art nouveau or deco and taught herself to use them. Paula Scher also says that young designers leap up very quickly because we do not know anything and have a lot to learn. I agree with her because everyday I learn something new. I attend classes and learn from there, I learn from watching videos and even more. The only thing I disagree with her is the Helvetica. I like the font, I think it is easy to read and is used everywhere because it is popular.

It was interesting hearing about her work that would communicate a context and message through design and typography. For example, when Scher designed posters for noise punk, she made the typography portray loudness or noise. I understood well when she talked about how intuitive her design process is because I feel as though my best ideas tend to be with intuition. Paula Scher talking about her working with the public theater before they had an identity, she made design that was expressive and had no bounds and as a designer she grew a lot from that experience. I like the idea of serious design vs solemn design because serious design or “play” design seems to be creative, innovative, and bold while solemn is normalized and appeals to the mass. I found the idea of design being through accidents and circumstantial really interesting as well. It was interesting to hear about MoMA and how the design wasn’t the problem but rather communication with each of the departments for a cohesive identity. It was also interesting to see how she combined art and design with the installation in the metropolitan high school. I overall like Schers intuitive design mindset even if it is against the norm or a brief.

In the video “Artist Series” Paula said that “New York City ate the identity of public theaters” because everywhere you see on posters, in the subways, on billboards. It is just everywhere one type of style that is plastered everywhere. It’s also very interesting how people say “just go with your guts” and what Paula said she went with her instinct and she also said if she “doesn’t get it the first crack she will get it in her second and if she doesn’t get it in the second then she would never get it.” I feel the same way with clients when they come to you for design help and your ability to help them in like a split second with a solution that came to you off the top of your head, and the client has paid you for it, they would feel that they aren’t getting their money worth because it didn’t feel like you took much thought into it. But as a designer myself if you’re able to come up with a solution very fast that’s a pat on the shoulders. I am surprised that even though Paula has been doing this for years she was able to learn new techniques from other designers. One thing that Paula said that helped her later on in her career was that she had a polish illustrator who was her teacher named Stanishlaw Skiorsky told her to illustrate with type and not just stick the type somewhere and an illustration onto a blank page.

After watching all three videos of Paula Scher it was great to know about her. While watching her first video she talks about jazz and how she started designing for jazz. So when she started designing jazz. She worked with Wynton and asked his opinion about how she should represent her work. His opinion was it should be syncopated. Also, I learned about what is syncopated? Syncopated is a single page when we have a bunch of things in order and one of them is off. This means that half the amount of your work has been approved and the other half has been rejected. So you should try your best to do things right, Palau had to make many changes to get things right. She received many different comments to make a change in her work when she was designing jazz. She had many different options to approve. I think we all should have a B plan when we are designing things because we don’t know what can happen at any moment and I have experienced it a lot for example “menu.” she kept on doing what he said for it and got at the end. She created it as an identity. While watching her second video I learned about what she talks about is her work is play. She plays around when she designs. I also agree with what she said about Endeavor and gambling because sometimes I do that as well. When I am designing I put on a timer to get things done on time or sometimes I like to play around with my design. Also while we design or do something we need to be solemn which means to be easy. While I design I get too serious sometimes and being serious is hard but then at the same time, I need to be easy on myself to get things right. Also, Russel beakers said solemnity seriousness to design, it doesn’t necessarily make any particular point about quality. Solemn design is often an important and very effective design. Solemn design is also socially correct and is accepted by appropriate audiences. Finally, in the third video which was my favorite from the beginning I like the sentence he starts with. In this video, I found most interesting the four projects shown and discussed. Her project was great. I joined watching her the first project she talked about with “H” to create an “F”. Also, she talks about crapola which is something to sell stuff. So people create something which is “real,” something is going on. Her second project was great as well. I would like to do something like this for my projects as well. I would like to have a gallery or show with my art in it to represent my art.

In “Do What You’ve Never Done Before” when Paula said design has a purpose and art doesn’t, I agree. When it comes to design, you have to proofread, do research, have reasons on why did you make these choices and etc because you’re developing these digital media for clients. For art, it has no purpose, there are no rules, you can do whatever you want because you’re doing it for yourself. I remember I designed a website for a client, I made huge changes because the colors that I pick were associated with their brand colors, I changed the images that they had because they’re not selling that product and can get in trouble for copyright issues. In “Great Design is serious, not solemn” when Paula showed “The Career Staircase”, she said “In your 20’s the riser are very high, the step is very short and you make huge discoveries. You sort of leap up very quickly in your youth. That’s because you don’t know anything and you have a lot to learn. ..” As a young designer, I agree with what she said because I have so much to learn on how the real world works in the design industry. Fortunately, I’m willing to learn new experiences. I’m surprised Paula doesn’t like “Helvetica”, even though I don’t use the font a lot, I don’t dislike it.