This was the question asked of forty of the world's top designers. The resulting interviews are thought-provoking, poignant, irreverent, hilarious, philosophical - and above all, inspiring.
Just as these great designers have the ability to get - and stay - inspired, so will you, as you read their interviews, see their self-portraits, experience examples of their best work, and peruse personal questionnaires that each one filled out by hand.
Here's a sampling of what the designers are talking about:
- Doyald Young on education and reinterpretation
- Stefan Sagmeister on honesty, smoking and science
- Milton Glaser on the subconscious and receptivity
- Jan Karlsson & Hjalti Wilker on music videos, European design and weirdness
- Erik Spiekermann on pressure and problem solving
- Sean Adams on cops, authenticity, details, reality and going against the grain
- Michael Beirut on greatness against the odds and craftmanship
- Clive Piercy & Michael Hodgson on design legacy, soul and idea-driven work
- Chip Kidd on problems and solutions, pluralism and Japanese ephemera
- Luba Lukova on being true to your work, honesty and the circus
- Mirko Ilic on working with great people and combining experiences
- Margo Chase on jazz, architecture, vision and passion
- Noreen Morioka on truth, beauty and living real life
- Ann Willoughby on curiosity, the future and cultural studies