Stefan Sagmeister: Finding Happiness

Happy to play the role of provocateur and prankster, Stefan Sagmeister has famously pushed the boundaries of design. Stefan’s legend stems from the fact his work is so closely linked to his personal searchings and strivings. His impressive client roster includes names like The Rolling Stones, Target, Talking Heads, HBO, Time Warner and the Guggenheim, and he’s won two Grammy awards, an AIGA Medal and practically every important international design award.

Stefan’s exhibitions have been mounted in museums around the world, including his latest project: The Happy Show (which is both an exhibit and a film). The exhibit has already attracted way over a quarter of a million visitors worldwide and became the most visited graphic design show in history. Of course we get into this at the top of the show, and we also dive into:

Work/Life balance … In fact, he takes a sabbatical every 7 years.
We explore the idea of being different, which is a thing that I think a lot of creatives struggle with.
We also talk about ways to develop new ideas borrowed from Edward De Bono and we do a fun little exercise that you can use too.

The years when I felt the best were the years when we did the highest quality work.

FOLLOW STEFAN:
website | twitter | facebook

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Some Questions I Ask:

Is The Happy Show successful because people aren’t happy and they are interested in it? [5:35]
What does it feel like to put out a project that you’ve been working on for 7 years? [7:15]
What was your path and trajectory to getting where you are today? [11:35]
Was there any pressure to pursue something besides what you loved? [12:56]
How did you get the full ride design scholarship? [14:20]
How should future designers try to make a go at being a professional in the creative world? [17:20]
Is being different a cause of your success and is it something we should strive for? [23:30]
How do you, who is at the top of your industry, criticize your work? [25:40]
Is the part of us that wants to always be doing something new a crutch? [29:05]
How do you develop a personal style? [31:18]
How do you put yourself in your professional work? [34:20]
Are there a set of habits that you use to be most creative? [38:22]
What does your off year look like? [40:25]
How many projects are you working on at the same time? [43:05]
How important is doing stuff that you’re passionate about? [49:39]
How important is self talk? [52:06]
What’s something people don’t know about you that they’d be surprised to find out? [53:07]
Is there anything that we haven’t talked about today that you’d like to tell the world? [53:46]

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

What it means to design something meaningful. [3:50]

Why sometimes you have to make yourself look bad to make your art look good. [10:02]

Stefan’s unique tactic to staying engaged on his creative path. [18:42]

The uncommon decision that catapulted Stefan’s professional career, having to push through fear to make it happen, and the surprising results that followed. [19:50]

You might not be as special as you think you are. [24:30]

You can not create something completely new with every new project. [27:38]

How to use your audience and feedback loops to develop your personal style. [32:33]

Stefan’s simple explanation on how to make successful work; design for your audience. [34:00]

How Stefan organizes his weekly schedule during his sabbaticals. [41:16]

Wasting time is fine, as long as you’re enjoying it. [42:16]

The easiest way to get unstuck is to work on one of your other projects. [44:09]

Perhaps the coolest way to get unstuck is to think about your project from the point of view of something completely unrelated. [44:38]

Why you should tap into your lizard brain when looking for creative sparks. [47:16]

If you work with others, you will have trouble. That’s what it means to be human. [50:36]

Stefan’s weekly diary ritual that helps him solve problems. [52:20]

The importance of beauty in design. [55:15]

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