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A Discussion with Michael Bierut

This post is a part of our weekly series of articles and interviews focusing on current issues in today's design industry. Be sure to check back often or subscribe to our RSS feed to the right so you can read the latest from our chapter.

Michael Bierut studied graphic design at the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. Prior to joining Pentagram in 1990 as a partner in the firm's New York office, he worked for ten years at Vignelli Associates, ultimately as vice president of graphic design. He has served as president of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) from 1988 to 1990 and is president emeritus of AIGA National. Michael kindly agreed to visit with us about Pentagram, the design industry, and himself.





Everyone greatly admires the award-winning work that comes out of Pentagram. Are the award-winning jobs the ones that pay the bills? Or are they the exceptions to your daily projects?
I hate the idea of doing some work for love and doing other work to pay the bills. I learned a long time ago that if you do something just for the money, the money's never enough. On the other hand, if you do work you love, and work with people who love what they're doing, you'll be successful, and the money tends to take care of itself.

 
With Pentagram's highly regarded reputation, do clients find you, or do you still have to seek out potential clients? Do you still struggle with clients' expectations?
Most of our work comes from word of mouth, and even more likely from current or past clients. In our office we have no new business people, so it's up to me and my six partners to develop and maintain relationships with our clients. This kind of relationship tends to lead to more satisfying experiences than you'd get if we simply had salespeople out there selling our wares. And, despite all this, we have the same kind of struggles, frustrations, and back-and-forth with our clients -- and vice versa -- that any other designers have.
 
Paula Scher has described you as having a memory that is "a compendium of information." Would you agree, and how would you say it has influenced your design?
I don't think I have a particularly great visual sense, especially compared to my partners. So I find that I have to overcompensate by studying harder, reading more, and generally being smarter in order to have my work succeed.
 
How was Design Observer born? How would you like to see it grow?
Design Observer started when Bill Drenttel and Jessica Helfand decided to start a blog, something still unfamiliar (to me at least) back in 2003, and asked me and Rick Poynor to join them. The growth its enjoyed has been organic, and my participation has been serious but at the same time casual. We are just now trying to figure out what new forms it might take, partly because we've become a bit restless with it in its current form.
 
What worries you about today's design industry and the direction our profession is heading? What, in your opinion, can designers do to change that?
I don't have any real worries about the direction of the design profession. I think there are more, and better, designers today than ever, and -- the economy aside -- I am very optimistic about the field.
 
As a former president of AIGA and AIGA medalist, what is your current involvement with our organization on both a national and local level?
I attend local AIGANY events and help out with them every once in a while. I remain involved with the AIGA's national activities, particularly the national conference (which everyone should attend). I attribute much of the success I've enjoyed in this profession to the inspiration and community provided to me by AIGA.
 
In 2005, you sang your own version of the Star-Spangled Banner a capella onstage at the AIGA National Design Conference. Were you nervous to sing in front of so many people? Would you ever consider an encore performance?
Most things like that are funny the first time and not so funny the second time. I'm frankly not sure how good it was the first time, so I'm reluctant to do an encore.
 
When not working, what are you most likely to be found doing?
I jog three miles every morning and have three very busy kids and a wonderful wife that use up the rest of my time.

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Posted by Kansas in Interview Series  |  April 24, 2009