idesigned

a pipe tobacco tin label for my pipe smokers forum in a recently held competition. It came second place, so as a professional graphic designer by trade, "am I bothered"? Hell no, I'm at an age when I see my career as a success primarily because it is not an overly brilliant one. I have made so much 'shit' to sell 'shit' over the past 20 years, some of it good - some of it not so good, learning not to take it so seriously has been a major achievement, more so than the winning of any prestidious design award.

You see design has become a bad word, I feel this has been a gradual process since the 1980's, I dislike the word design, the word 'style'. I can appreciate Bauhaus as much as anyone else but design itself is increasingly becoming a brand rather than a tool to assist good branding. Anti-design is an ever growing movement in the creative industries and artistic circles. Questions on sustainable design, eco-friendly design have grown louder but we're still trying to grasp it's true meaning and place in the increasingly corporate business world. Looking back over my modest career, I can say all the best work I have done is to help the small businessman sell a few units more, the projects that didn't pay so much or dare I say, "nothing at all".

old folks

Nothing so specific to write on, I was away in Dublin catching up with my parents. I had planned, for sometime, a major spring clean on their appartment in Dun Laoghaire, they're just getting too old for the scrubbing work. I got most of what was needed to be done. My mother was chuffed to pieces. I picked-up a new fridge and cooker. I pre-warned her just before it arrived, once over the shock she couldn't stop saying how beautiful the kitchen looked.

I heard a buddhist teacher once say, "Don't worry about the children, it's the old people you need to take care of." How true, but what a shame that this mantra is so little heard today, drowned out by the media and advertising reminding us of our gorgeous children and their all important needs. Old people just get that slot at the end of the news, where they show some local scout's group doing their good deed for the day, helping the 'oldies' cross the street or doing their shopping...and we can all sigh with relief, resuming discussions once more about where little Johnnie will go to school next year.

On the same note, there is this increasing trend in recent decades to discuss - and deal with - the 'damage' our parents have caused us, as if we're teenagers who never grew-up. We see Doctor Phil 'working' with couples and their martial problem or family problems, or "you're not showing your kids enough love". How often do these ever popular shelf-help programmes cover the topic; "I'm eigthy and my children are still sad jerks".

Being old is sometimes sad, but I wish old people really knew how cool and ahead of their times they often are.