Every time I mention Hillman Curtis amongst designers, those who have heard him speak praise how humble and down to earth he is and invariably what a great designer he is. I attended one of his lectures this year, and that reputation is right on the money, it’s so rare to find somebody who is so willing to teach others, share and influence with good nature. I’m sure he is no angel (he did play in a rock band) but one thing is for sure, he is a leader by example.
Another thing I liked and that I didn't know is that he's taking time off clients. And he didn't feel the need to use it as PR like some other folks.
On Jul.16.2003 at 04:06 PMI love "eat the audience"—both the phrase and the principle.
On Jul.16.2003 at 04:38 PMI appreciate that "Eat the Audience" and his other sayings are guiding philosophies, not trademarked processes to lure in clients.
On Jul.16.2003 at 05:05 PMHot damn, another great interview, thanks Armin!
I definitely feel the pain with web design rules, everything I do now is ultra-simple (esp. working on an e-commerce site), and while the pursuit of simple is engaging, it could easily become a prison. I'm scared of any future opportunties to design print related materials for fear of making it too simple from my years of dealing with web users.
On Jul.17.2003 at 08:57 AMThe thing that really stood out to me was his use of grammar and verbage. It was refreshing to hear someone talk that way because it speaks volumes about their personality, their background, and their future.
On Jul.17.2003 at 12:09 PMI think this whole thing was just a ploy to get Speak Up linked on hillmancurtis.com (recent interviews). Hasn't worked, so far.
How does publically admitting to donating funds to charity make the donation more powerful? Some would call it bragging.
On Jul.17.2003 at 12:58 PMHow does publically admitting to donating funds to charity make the donation more powerful? Some would call it bragging.
By telling others what he is doing, he is putting that thought into their heads. And maybe they might consider donating a little bit of money to a good cause. So it's not bragging, but subtle suggestion.
On Jul.17.2003 at 01:42 PMI get a lot out of what Hillman does. MTIV is one of the most important books I've ever read and I can't recommend it highly enough. This interview didn't really cover much new ground for me, but it was neat to see on Speak Up! nonetheless. I wish more of us would "give back," in every sense of the phrase.
On Jul.18.2003 at 01:46 PMSpeak Up linked on hillmancurtis.com
Mission accomplished.
On Jul.21.2003 at 01:38 PMExcellent... OK, nobody has to read the interview anymore... a ploy to get Speak Up linked on hillmancurtis.com, pfff!
On Jul.21.2003 at 01:42 PMI have had the opertunity to work with Hillman on his companie's site and I can vouch for his reputation. He is a very down-to-earth person, very modest, in fact, considering all of what he has accomplished. We were planning on having him speak at WebVisions this year but he became busy and had to back out, perhaps next year. All in all, he is a great guy with incrediable talent, it's good to see that he doesn't have the big ego to match.
On Jul.23.2003 at 08:50 PM
He certainly seems to have a good head on his shoulders, in terms of being a decent individual.
Two things I found that were good here. The first is his sense of obligation to donate some earnings to charity. I'm sure other designers do this as well, but when one admits to it publicly, its much more powerful than an Adbusters campaign, that's for sure.
Second, I definitely feel his frustration with being locked down by his design philosophies. I recently looked at my portfolio and was somewhat surprised how much of a constant style runs throughout. Part of that, probably, is because I was in the same job for 5 years, and that style of work was necessary there. Yet, I can't help but feel like I need to evolve but I don't know quite how. Every project I take now is about how I can try to extend my abilities (except to web, of course).
On Jul.16.2003 at 03:09 PM