DEBBIE MILLMAN-DesignMatters-STEFAN SAGMEISTER

According to designobserver.com, Debbie Millman is "a partner and president of the design division at Sterling Brands, one of the leading brand identity firms in the country. Millman is president of AIGA, and chair of the School of Visual Arts’ master’s program in Branding. She is a contributing editor to Print magazine and host of the podcast “Design Matters.” She is the author of How To Think Like A Great Graphic Designer (Allworth Press, 2007), The Essential Principles of Graphic Design (Rotovision, 2008) and Look Both Ways: Illustrated Essays on the Intersection of Life and Design (How Books, 2009)."

She interviews people and also talks about herself as she navigates the world of design. She seems o have many connections and has had many interviews with the best and brightest of the design world. She also talks a lot on her web site about love, life and design, which are probably the most controversial topics one could pick.

Design Matters keeps track of interesting design trends and the people behind those trends. Design Matters puts the designers and the public together with interesting interviews. The topics are interesting and on the edge of design.

The interview with Stefan Sagmeister from 6.29.05 (which is my friend's birthday, I think he turned 19 that year). Fresh in Debbie Millman's mind was the iconic "writing on flesh" body modification thing Sagmeister did and somewhat defines his very different style. The dichotomy of the generic American accent of Millman and Sagmeister's Schwarzenegger-esque Austrian accent creates a feeling that I'm listening to two different conversations that were cut in half and randomly pasted together. I think the interviewer and the interviewee are in different places. Physically and intellectually (the interview took place over a phone and the quality reflects this). We can appreciate how much has changed since that far off date of June '05. Things are not as simple, Sagmeister is older and Millman is using more makeup.

The focus of the conversation really is about how work and life intersect and how the importance of work in our life changes. For instance, when and how do you check your email? How important is that in your day? Should you check from correspondence from your clients as soon as you regain consciousness or should you take time for yourself or other people first, then look at the email?

The way we handle work and life can also impact the quality of our design, and it is important to be happy, which means work and play. Not just work.

Additionally, the interviewer talks about how Sagmeister found work and how he gets his name out there. That part was cut out by a commercial. So we will never know.