Antar-FirstWordLastWord

 

  • Wolfgang Weingart
  • Vivienne Westwood
  • Saul Bass
  • Univers (typeface)
  • Coca Cola
  • Weiden + Kennedy (agency)

As a designer I have been taught that time is the greatest challenge to overcome. If your work can survive some, then you’ve succeeded. Carnegie Mellon is an exceptional place to learn design, where traditional design studios co-exist in an environment that thrives on experimentation and pushing the boundaries. To create long lasting work there has to be a solid foundation. Why are you producing this, and why does it matter? Who will it affect, and how will it affect them? These are the questions we should ask ourselves when trying to create more than simply “cool shit”.

While reading this article, I couldn’t help but think of my own list of subjects that I believe are both First Word and Last Word. I think these artists both helped define their area, and also set the bar that has stood the test of time. As mentioned in the article, working in the First Word helps provide learning and future artists with the tools to possibly become Last Word artists. New technologies also help improve the longevity of older technology. For instance, Netflix has helped television and film persevere, while also providing more freedom for producers. With less constraints producers have been given the chance to include more vulgar, uncomfortable and controversial content that have been used to create dialogues about society.

I also believe the culture of Gen Z has helped influence the direction of technology. I think the members of Gen Z tend to be impatient, self-motivated, and independent. It’s a culture that fuels First Word thinking by allowing the youth to break the grid and follow their own experimental path.

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