WWMCD?

Aug

10
09

I had a professor back in school by the name of Mr. Currie that made a huge influence on me in my formable years leading all the way up to where I am today. Mr. Currie taught my first Typography class then Layout & Design Concepts the following semester. I recall staying up till' dawn on many nights finishing projects due to him the following day, making sure I poured all my energy into impressing him with my ideas. However, on more than one occasion, I fell short. Partly because I was trying to impress him on the overall concept and execution but neglected to pay mind to what he was really looking for.

What was Mr. Currie looking for? Perfection. Could it be achieved by Mr. Curries standards? Probably not, but that was the mark. Not "good", not "great", not even "amazing". Perfect. Perfect on all accounts, from concept through to execution and presentation. I recall being docked a handful of points for a particular mock concept I produced for Rayovac batteries. The concept was simple (as I explained in my oral presentation of the ad). A close-up shot of a digital camera taking a picture of a UFO with the battery icon blinking on the LCD screen. The headline "unbelievable". I thought for sure that this would knock it out of the park, and coupled by my tedious marker renderings, I was certain to get at LEAST an A-.

I was wrong.



After I got the project back from Mr. Currie, I noticed that the vellum cover was considerably marked. The issue Mr. Currie had with it overall was that he was unclear on the concept and "wether it was an ad for cameras or film or what". The rendering was obviously a digital camera (as I explained to Mr. Currie) but he didn't care. It was subpar. In addition to the overall concept lacking impact, he also noted craft issues that consisted of some very faint discoloration of spray adhesive that had spilled over onto the matte border of the ad. What was the big deal? I thought. After the class critique everyone agreed that the concept was understandable and it was unanimous that the execution was on par with the guidelines provided.

So, what did I learn from the grade I was given? To perfect. Sure, the concept was obvious to me and most of my classmates, but it wasn't obvious to Mr. Currie. Mr. Currie wanted to know that in a split second, he could make the connection of what the ad was for, what they were selling and why he should buy the product.

There's not a week that goes by where I don't face a design challenge and ask myself "What Would Mr. Currie Do?" How would he approach this problem? In what ways would he execute it? And, ultimately, what would he do to perfect it? So, thanks Mr. Currie for pushing me to always perfect my work, you made quite the impression on me.

I'm thinking bumber sticker. right next to 'RTFM'.

bumper sticker would be even better. ironic, uh?

Yeah, there's some things I'll never be good at. Spelling is one.

Was his first name Quentin by chance?

Yep. I think he taught at Winthrop or Wingate too. One or the other.

i do the same. wwmcd?

I had him for Type 1 at Winthrop. Small world!