Great article, and so true!

I'm a musician and I see so many of the profiles in people I work for as well as my fellow players. I guess that's a good wrap-up of everyone we encounter in life.

I bet you that everyone who reads this article will be looking for themselves immediately! It'd be fun to have the commenters tell us which ones they most resemble and why...

This is a pretty cool article. The funny thing is that I love to cook and I typically move at my own pace depending on what I have to get to next. As far as design is concerned, I am typically the anal overtly-focused chef. I'm recovering though because I don't have time to be that anal any more

I just had this conversation with my friend, who's a sculptor. We both love a good meal.

I confess, that I'm a natural. With my knowledge of food chemistry and years of experience as a professional eater, I've walked into many a home and whipped up a meal just by looking at what's in the cupboards and mixing it all up—without measurements or clocks to dictate the outcome

Hmm... I'm a scattered natural connoisseur... or are those mutually exclusive?

What a fun analogy... all those times you step back squinting at a screen or printout are equivalent to those times you dip a finger in the sauce and eventually either shake your head or nod.

As I've mentioned before, I love to cook. Did a little professionally as a sous chef in college, and have kept up ever since.

To me, cooking is all about timing. Done properly, it's a well-orchestrated symphony of heat, liquid, and food. Asparagus takes 4 minutes to steam...fish takes 10 mins max...steak takes about 8 mins per side for medium rare...etc. It's magic when plates and multiple dishes all come out at the same time, perfectly cooked, perfectly matched.

In a professional kitchen, everything is a two-minute drill, so timing is always in your head. At home, I don't stress that much, but I never lose that sense of timing when I cook. It's very similar to what I'm going through right now as a CD. It's all about orchestration and timing of stuff going out the door.

But per your analogy — I'm the natural, but I'm also the anal, overt-focused perfectionist. I don't measure things exactly, and go by instincts — but expect and try to deliver nothing less than perfection.

Fun topic.

Baking and Photography

In response to the previous comment, I would have to competely agree--I get dejavous everytime I grab graduates to measure photo chemistry...or milk. "Cooking is an art, and baking is a science" as they say--you have to follow the baking recipe if you want cake, or you might end up with something else. Experimenting in cooking is a little more forgiving. Though I seem to strangely enjoy meticulous processes afterall.

Tan -

Steamed? Asparagus is better either:

1. Pan-roasted (10 minutes) with thyme, dash of salt, butter — perhaps garnished with crushed almond slices.

2. Pureed with garlic, eggs and cream, then made into a custard.

Thus begins... Battle Asparagus.

Allez cuisine!

I pan roast it as well Mark. Try olive oil instead of butter. A few drops of balsamic and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt.

When steamed, I top with a dollop of hollandaise.

Never tried the custard version before — sounds a little similar to a spinach souffle.

sod the food one what's the sex version . . .

"choose something different for dinner each night."

Tan,

My mistake. I start with a couple T-spoons of EVOO and use a T-spoon of butter towards the end so the almond bits and thyme stick. As for salt... it's always La Baleine.

Il faut qu'il soit La Baleine ou rien!

I would be interested to know what kind of chef/designers you think some of our regulars are... Assumption Battle Begins.

"My mistake. I start with a couple T-spoons of EVOO and use a T-spoon of butter towards the end so the almond bits and thyme stick."

marky baby-i just can't help transposing into the hot hard and porny version . . .

> marky baby-i just can't help transposing into the hot hard and porny version . . .

Perhaps you've been watching Last Tango In Paris?

> I would be interested to know what kind of chef/designers you think some of our regulars are...

File me under: Blowhard, well done.

And here I thought we were done with the XXX spam.

Living in a culinary capitol - New Orleans - like I do, the parallels of design to cooking are very obvious. ie. never argue with a chef with a sharp knife (Creole is a blend that includes French, Spanish, Italian, German,and African...) And this place has influenced how I do art and design too. Out of the former list I don't see much I'd identify with. In my case, I'd probably be a bottle of Tabasco sauce...

> ...what kind of chef/designers ... our regulars are

The anal overtly-focused chef:

No contest. Monsieur Kingsley.

The scattered soul:

Debbie Millman screams out with a shrill voice here.

The connoisseur:

He'll disagree, but Tan is my guy here. An accomplished design ripper to be sure, but if I'm looking for an opinionated team leader, he's my guy.

The expected eccentric:

Mango and curry. Gunnar and Marian. Bold, Colorful, Experimental, Open Minded.

The skeptical analyst:

Armin or bryony? Armin and bryony?

The natural:

bryony or Armin? Armin and bryony?

From a distance it's tough to know the difference between you two. Except for a hint of testosterone here and a touch of venus there.

The expected eccentric:

Mango and curry. Gunnar and Marian. Bold, Colorful, Experimental, Open Minded.

Expected? Sadly, I find myself being dismissed as unlike the Spanish Inquisition. So much for that B&D tapas bar I was going to open up.

Do you disagree Prof. Swanson? I feel pretty confidant in my pick of you and Marian for the Expected Eccentric category.

But after more thought, maybe I got Tan and Debbie mixed up. I don't think Tan has a shrill scream anywhere in him, but I bet he's a manic-depressive that performs exceptionally well in burst. And Debbie offers a lot of words, but I can't recall any original visuals of hers. So maybe it's Tan the Scattered Soul, and Debbie The Connoisseur?

Streaker—

Do you disagree Prof. Swanson? I feel pretty confidant in my pick of you and Marian for the Expected Eccentric category.

It was only the “expected” part I was whining about (thus my Monty Python reference.) Bryony’s categories were (delightfully) snotty, each containing a nice dig and “expected” was the nasty part of that category.

So mango in a curry? Maybe. (I’m not much of a curry maker. Fruits in salsa? Sure.) Keedy Sans? Never. (Okay, there was that one time. It was before the face was released so I had to build all of the letters myself. Sort of growing my own mangoes, I guess. A parody of a CalArts poster featuring a Keedy quote from Emigre: “Ugly is such a harsh word.” Jeff denies having said that, BTW.)

No, I wouldn’t argue with your choice (which I’d call accurate and honorable even if it didn’t put me in such good company) but putting Marian and me in the same design category ranks you as an (unexpected) eccentric.

In addition to Bryony’s delightfully snarky digs, I forgot to mention how much I enjoyed the links.

Thanks Gunnar. I couldn't just let you (and everybody else for that matter) off that easy now, could I?

Quick correction: in the intro of this post I mentioned Ironic Chef which is currently played out at the How Conference. Turns out it is actually developed by Print Magazine.

Just so you know.

>but I bet he's a manic-depressive that performs exceptionally well in burst.

This is partially true, except that I'm not a manic-depressive or scattered in the least. I'm like a 1-speed blender. When I'm on, it's full-contact, focused, ramming speed for me. When the project is done, the blender gets turned off, and everyone enjoys the margharitas. I don't that's being bipolar. If anything, I'm consistent almost to a fault.

And Debbie is definitely a better choice for the consummate connoisseur.

So Tan you're saying that I got the "performs exceptionally well" part correct?

I might have considered you for the Anal Overtly Focused Perfectionist, but MK has taken that category higher than you can achieve. The comment he posted about which way to slice apple's for tarte? Was it tarte? I can't remember and didn't write it down. But that's extreme. Do you really think you could hold your ground with MK in an "Iconic Chef" battle.

(Too bad Ironic Chef is taken, that was good.)

Bluestreak, you've put me in a quandry. If I were to refute being identified as Anal/Overtly Focussed/Perfectionist then that may only confirm your classification. In all honesty, I do admit to a degree of anal compulsion — which changes depending on context. Language, design and production — definitely. A neat desk, CD's by the stereo, an updated website (soon, honest!), cutting certain molds off certain cheeses — not really.

On the other hand, if you take a look at Marian's posts, I hope you would notice great (compulsive?) attention to minute details; the lines above and below photos, for example. Heck! What about her work? All those fine lines? Those patterns? She crazy.

As for the proper Tarte Tatin, the question was how to keep the thing from falling apart — and if lining the apples vertically or horizontally made a difference. I have asked every chef and restaurant owner since then what the secret is. After eating many Tarte Tatins (some which fell apart... at proper French restaurants, too!) and bothering many chefs; it seems that the answer is... a very hot, almost white hot, iron skillet. The specific heat of an iron skillet seems to adhere the apples and caramel better. At least that's what I've been told. My non-cooking neighbors freak out and sometimes call the Fire Department when I seal my roasts; so I gotta lay low until the weather's good enough for me to keep the windows open. Oh, the trials of living in an apartment building where everyone orders in.

For me, cooking is a way to show friends and family how much I care for them and their pleasure. Oftentimes it's much better to enjoy each other's company over dinner, at home, instead of a loud restaurant where you're just another table to be turned over.

Like Bryony, I have also found a degree of sympathy between the processes of cooking and design. Knowing how things are made — whether it's shoes, wall finishes, paintings, Tarte Tatins, or 6-color identity systems — increases one's ability to understand and appreciate the work of a great craftsman. For example, watching the Food Network; I've come to cherish Mario Batali as an American treasure. I have learned more from his knowledge of history, language, materials and process than in several dozen AIGA slide presentations.

MK. I think you revel in being an A/OF/P. Instead of even attempting to refute my choice, you reinforced it. You've removed all doubt from anyone reviewing this topic.

As to Marian, yeah, she crazy!

You do make a strong case that Marian is an A/OF/P. But nope, I'm not buying into that. Her visuals are tight... tight, tight, tight. But her work and writing seems conceptually loose and very playful.

Is there any chance Bryony's going to come forward to the SU readership and reveal the regulars that were the inspiration for this list?

(And Killer B, I got MK right, didn't I?)

Is there any chance Bryony's going to come forward to the SU readership and reveal the regulars that were the inspiration for this list?

More than specific regulars, I was inspired by my self-diagnosed MP (multiple personality). But, in the interest of some observations I will take the following stand:

The anal overtly-focused chef

Although MK is a natural choice, he is also a bit of a scattered soul (he does not focus on one given thing forever, ya’know?). No, this one I would probably toss on over to ps, who quietly and patiently works away. But the winners, based on my newly found discoveries of this weekend are without a doubt, are Stefan Bucher and Ze Frank.

The scattered soul

Honey (click on Honey)

The connoisseur

Debbie is my girl on this one, only to be continuously challenged by MK. Or vice versa. It would be interesting to organize a debate between them, based on on-the-fly proposed subjects. (seriouSeries?) And who could forget our dearest Design Maven? And our newest author http://www.gunnarswanson.com/" target="_blank">Gunnar Swanson?

The expected eccentric

Graham when he writes and/or speaks. As for design, pk is a natural choice in my mind, not because he is necessarily eccentric but he manages to surprise in unexpected ways.

The skeptical analyst

Or opinionated master of all and everything?

The natural

Tan the chameleon who can adapt and adopt any project or role you give him.

And so it is that I am unable to place my own designer self around here. When it comes to cooking I can label myself as a natural, I don’t measure, I disregard times and temperatures for a gut instinct. Not so much with my design, I can obsess over kerning and specific characters and alignments to no end, but I also like to analyze and question everything and more about a project… and so I shall keep my MP label for now. At least until somebody comes up with a better scenario.

I'm touched. Thank you Bryony.

Speaking of our dear Maven — rumor has it that he'll be back from haitus sometime in May...or should I say....

Rumor has it that HE'LL BE BACK FROM HAITUS sometime in May!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm touched. Thank you Bryony.

Tan, you wuss!

(says Armin)

The connoisseur

Debbie is my girl on this one, only to be continuously challenged by MK. Or vice versa.

Well, duh.

. . . And who could forget our dearest Design Maven?

I can’t. Is it true that his new job as Senate Minority Leader is keeping him from the blogs?

And our newest author Gunnar Swanson

Connoisseur? Not even close. Unless you’re going for an old girlfriend of mine’s father’s favorite joke: What canna sewer is he?

Tan, when you said that you were a sous chef, I was immediately impressed. For those that may not know, being a sous chef (literal translation: the under chef) is frequently a much harder job than being the executive chef. While an executive chef gets to set the menu and shmooze with the customers, the sous chef is the one who really makes it all happen by managing the line cooks and the flow of food being served.

My wife has been in the fine dining business for almost 15 years, working for some of the best restaurants in San Francisco (like Aqua and Farallon). Through her, I've learned quite a bit about food and wine, although I still consider myself to be very much a neophite.

Many times I've been waiting for my wife's shift to end, sitting at the bar with a nice glass of something red, watching the waiters, busboys, managers, line cooks, etc. busily going about their duties. There's a compelling bustle of energy that fills the air when things are humming along at a good clip. The orchestration of all the various components of the restaurant's staff working together to create a seemingly effortless experience of indulgence for their customers. It's a bit like a dance performance. And I've often reflected that this coordinated effort is not unlike a design studio when things are really cranking along. Everybody working together to create a seemingly effortless, enjoyable experience at the conference table.

In regards to asparagus, since 2/3's of my kitchen is ripped out and sitting in a heaping pile my backyard, including the skanky old stove top and oven (yes, another tale of the seemingly endless kitchen remodel), my cooking options have been fairly limited. The two fast and easy ways we've been using: 1) 3 minutes in the microwave (nuclear steaming) with a dash of mayo-mustard sauce; and 2) rubbed with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled with sea or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, and then grilled on the barbeque for a few minutes until soft. Pull them off the fire and sprinkle with some some well-aged basalmic vinegar. Voila!

I'm complete opposites when it comes to this cook/designer parallel. I have absolutely no confidence in the little cooking I manage to do when Bryony is home late or when she's out of town. (I keep a drawer full of delivery menus). I also don't find a lot of pleasure in cooking, eating yes, cooking, not quite. Oddly, I very much enjoy watching cooking shows and pretty much anything showing on the Food Network.

But as a designer, that's another story — I have confidence and enjoy it thoroughly. I would categorize myself under creatively organized yet on the verge of anal retentiveness. When I do layouts everything has to have some sort of numerical or proportional relationship —�things have to base-align on full picas or half-picas, p3 if I'm feeling saucy. But I dream of being looser in my approach, sometimes it gets too rigid. Or boring.

> From a distance it's tough to know the difference between you two. Except for a hint of testosterone here and a touch of venus there.

Thank you for noticing my Venus BlueStreak.

>Tan, you wuss! (says Armin)

he's just mad cause his lovely wife complimented me, plus, I'm making him do evil things with Jello (sorry, inside joke folks).

>being a sous chef is frequently a much harder job than being the executive chef.

Yes, sort of. A sous chef does serve as the hands for the head chef. But while a sous chef technically does more of the cooking, the head chef sets the menu, orchestrates the entire kitchen staff, including line, prep, sous, and pastry, as well as oversee final presentation and managing service timing of the food out of the kitchen.

It's alot like the relationship between a creative director and his/her art director. The art director is equivalent to a sous chef.

Working in fine-dining is all hard work, no matter the position. Man, just thinking about it brings back memories of the stress and adrenaline. But I'll tell ya, I made a helluva lot more money as a waiter than I ever did as a chef. And yes, it's all one big grand performance every night.

Rumor has it that HE'LL BE BACK FROM HAITUS sometime in May!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Geez Tan, your e-style forgery looks like the real Maven, and you also have the background to pull out details like he does. Speaking of chameleons - I now have to wonder if instead of Armin, that Maven night be hiding somewhere in you?

Even I am having doubts on who's behind Maven. For a while I started to believe that Maven was just Maven but every now and then… I dunno…

But I'll tell ya, I made a helluva lot more money as a waiter than I ever did as a chef. And yes, it's all one big grand performance every night.

I hear this from my wife, as well, now that she's transitioned from being a waiter to being a manager. She works longer hours and makes about $10K less than she did as a waiter. But, on the upside, she gets to set the policy on most aspects of how the "front of the house" works, she doesn't have to suck-up to every freakish disgruntled customer for a reasonable tip, and she now has a career rather than job.

BTW, my wife's currently on an eleven-day nearly-all expenses paid business trip to Rome. (Yeah, an interesting time to be there!) She's doing research on Italian food and wine, primarily through first-hand experience. I know, sounds rough, doesn't it? I'm looking forward to sampling some of her viniculture investigations, upon her return. (She brought a big suitcase; heh-heh.)

When I do layouts everything has to have some sort of numerical or proportional relationship —�things have to base-align on full picas or half-picas, p3 if I'm feeling saucy. But I dream of being looser in my approach, sometimes it gets too rigid.

Wow Armin, that sounds like me. I really like designing elements in numerical systems, frequently using units of three in pica/points. (If BlueStreak's reading this, I'm sure there's smile on his face. Still occasionally listening to KCSM, I hope.) Anyway, while I still love playing with mathematical relationships, I've also been making a concerted effort in the past couple of years to just move things around the page until it feels right. It's wild and crazy! Living large on the edge of control!

Tan, when you said that you were a sous chef, I was immediately impressed.

You’d be even more impressed if you’d tasted his sous.

C'est dégo�tant, Gunnar!

(That's disgusting!)

Sorry. Typo. I meant “tasted his soup.”

Thanks for the culinary breakdown Bryony. This thread has been very entertaining.

Gunnar, the sewer joke stinks.

Armin, your touch of Venus?! A foul-mouthed hooligan like you?

Steven, actually I've got more of a smirk on my face than a smile. Jaz 91 has been in my toolbar favorites since you posted it. And since your wife's out of town for a few days, like, uh, when did the party start?

Cette sous-merde, j'en ai soupé.

(I've had it up to here with that disgusting person.)

Sorry, couldn't resist thumbing through my slang dictionaries and finding a pun.

BlueStreak, glad I've got you hooked. Jazz 91 is a great station. As far as the party goes... well, uh... It's more like me, the dogs, and the cat just chillin'... with some intermittent wine consumption, naturellement...

Okay, gotta fire up the barbeque for my rasberry-chipote marinated salmon fillet, before it gets too late.

Okay, gotta fire up the barbeque for my rasberry-chipote marinated salmon fillet, before it gets too late.

Do I detect a hint of mango-curry eccentricity?

Oh yes, I've definitely got quite a bit of mango-curry eccentricity, blended with equal parts of the anal overly-focused and the natural, and a few table spoons of the connoisseur as a binding agent.

It's a complex mixture, but perhaps not unexpected for someone who believes in multiplicity. :-)