On Wednesday night I was fortunate enough to be asked to introduce Stefan Sagmeister at TypeCon in Buffalo, NY. I have to admit I was nervous introducing a man who’s left a strong impression on myself and design in general. Rather than spending time trying to write a pseudo-CV of his (many) accomplishments, I thought I’d address the general sense I had of the man and, specifically, the quandary that makes him both appealing and fear-inducing. I think the result was what I had hoped it would be. After meeting him, I was surprised at how easy-going and genuinely good he seemed to be. Everything we asked of him was met with a laid back “Sure.” It was a real treat.
A snippet from the introduction:
“We feel that Stefan’s work truly embodies the meaning behind the idea of creativity — his work constantly changes within varying contexts, his processes adds greater depth to the final piece and whatever the outcome he challenges and moves us along the way.”
“Inspired and opinionated, Stefan is often as critical of himself as he is of the icons that surround us. Perhaps it’s this open self-analysis and willingness to comment on the world that makes him appear both approachable and unreachable at the same moment. However he may be viewed, Stefan shares his thoughts and processes through his work, speaking engagements and his books and we are truly richer for it.”
I’m so glad I didn’t chicken out.
Image copyright © 2008 Grant Hutchinson
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If anyone is interested, more of my images from the Sagmeister event in Buffalo can be seen on Flickr.
http://flickr.com/photos/splorp/tags/sagmeister/
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Your intro sure matches my experience, and what i value from his work. I'd say i share your general sense.
I recently enjoyed Sagmeister's lecture in Edmonton, and was fortunate enough to join the dinner afterward. I was surprised by how approachable he was, after years of assuming he was a pretentious design rock star. Lesson learned.
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