Brendan Murphy Presentation

Image source: http://www.pittstate.edu/calendar/index.dot?id=243894

When I first heard about the presentation, I didn't really think any of the information would be very applicable to me, since my major is technical writing. I thought the presentation would be solely over topics in graphic design. However, I got a very pleasant surprise.

     Brendan came across very well as a successful person as well as "one of us," a former student. He wasn't uppity or pretentious in the least, which was very refreshing, and it was neat to be inspired by someone who didn't have a sky-high opinion of themselves. He actually mentioned how humbled he felt coming back to Pittsburg because the community helped him through school--he didn't come from a wealthy family. He emphasized the importance of really paying attention in school, because the social and communications skills you learn are very important facets of working with people in the business world.

     One thing that I found particularly inspiring was the amount of time that Brendan said that he doesn't spend designing. He said, "Although my  job is as a designer, I spend 75% of my time writing, and about 5-10% drawing." As a technical writing student, I really don't feel capable or talented as a designer. I was really inspired by the way he emphasized tech writing as an important skill, right alongside design. In fact, he said, "I could kiss the lady who taught me technical writing." He mentioned that his skills as a writer helped him reach the level of success that he has achieved so far as a senior partner at Lippincott in New York.

     Another very inspiring aspect of Brendan's speech was how he used one of his projects to give back to the community. He designed a new handicapped logo with the intention to set the person in the illustration apart as being a person--not a part of the wheelchair. When he was asked about the opposition he encountered to implementing the new logo, he matter-of-factly replied, "Any time there is change, you're going to get opposition."

     One wise piece of advice caught my attention, in particular. Brendan talked about a quote that he had heard from an acquaintance. That quote went something like, "Never fall in love with technology, because technology will change,"--in other words, work on your design skills and ideas, not just technological skills, because the technology will change. It's easy to get caught up in the latest software and other developments, but the real value of a designer is in that person's ideas. I liked the way he emphasized that creative, problem-solving work from the designer's mind is what is being sold--not just technical skills.