Yesterday, the creative team headed downtown to hear Michael Bierut (pronounced bay-root) speak at the Portfolio Center. He’s a bit of a celebrity to us design types, as a partner at the infamous Pentagram in New York City. A bit drained from the usual day of design adventures and heroics, the topic of grabbing a drink rather than attending the planned event came up multiple times. Traffic was worse than usual due to a circus zebra on the loose and we already knew we were going to be late.

However, we kept a straight path and showed up at the event about half an hour late. As luck would have it, Bierut hadn't started speaking yet so we squeezed into the back, with standing room only. Just the introduction of Mr. Michael Bierut and his accomplishments was enough to spark my design spirits. As he went through his “life as a font,” there were so many aspects of his experiences to feed the creative soul. He is a real person with children who are more critical of him than probably most clients. He is an icon of design with clean and thoughtful work. And my personal favorites, he enjoys running to work out his ideas and he likes to brainstorm in words, not sketches.

Two feelings usually strike after hearing someone of this prestige speak. There is a feeling of shame for not doing enough to feed your design passion, followed by an intense desire to do everything all at once. A glass of beer doesn't deliver on the desire part. We made the right choice. Bierut wins.