Nothing quite teaches as experience, and there is no better pool to draw from in order to bring one’s own unique signature to work. Amongst the many words of advice that David Carson, Creative Director, Designer, David Carson Design had to impact at the Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity, this one perhaps was at the centre of it all.
Reiterating what seems to be a popular theme in AdLand, he spoke about keeping things simple, cautioning, “There is a very thin line of difference between simple and powerful, and simple and boring.”
Mr Carson explained that as professionals get more dependent on computer, there is a need to get more personal in our work. “Realize who you are, as a person. Look into your life experiences, your upbringing, because nobody else can look into that. Everybody can go after the same software but your life’s background is unique to you, and that is where you can do some of your best work from,” he said.
Giving some useful tips, Mr Carson spoke about the resurgence in hand-lettering, an area where people been experimenting for a while. He accentuated the importance of not confusion communication with other factors. He said, “Just because something is legible, doesn’t mean it communicates the right thing.”
He urged the audience to think out of the comfort zone. “If everybody loves your work, you are playing it too safe. You have to do something that gets people talking,” he stated.
Mr Carson also took a dab at the Dubai Lynx logo to illustrate how subtle changes can make significant changes to design and what it communicates.
“Given any restrictions that I have to work with, what can I do that still interests me? It’s the little victories,” he said, as he concluded his address, and with that the first day of Dubai Lynx 2015.
