Stefan Sagmeister – The Keynote Not Related to Learning

OK, his picture is scary.  But I am assuming his keynote will be much more pleasing! (NOTE: after writing this, this has very little to do with learning at all.  So you might want to skip it unless you want to waste some time…  but my synopsis is at the end.)

Rotting bananas, pig cars, tiled portraits, life sayings…

First, he shows us how he creates personal logos off of pictures.  They are computer generated graphical shapes.  Using for personal, corporate, product branding.  Also there is music that is generated that, from the example he showed, sounds like my 5 year old was playing on the piano.

Socially Responsible Design: Inflatable graphs, kind of like my kids bouncing on those big inflatable toys.  You know what I am talking about?  Also, vehicles shaped like pigs.  One bus turned upside down on top of another bus (signifying topsy tervy). Both of these to show how extreme they feel US military spending is.  Way too political for me in a speech like this.

Every 7 years he closes the business and does an experimental year (Would love this!).  One of the best chefs in the world is only open for 6 months a year.  The other 6 he explores – there is no pressure.  A lot of people have some time on Friday morning.  Or the Google 20%, etc…  he does a yearly thing.  During this time he came up with a new thought.  Interestingly, his clients, when he came back, they were very willing to give him jobs still.  One, he was given a six page spread in a magazine to do with whatever he wanted.  He created a collage of interesting textures and colors and shapes saying “Everything I do comes back to me.”  Another one: The city of Paris gave him a billboards to do the same thing.  “Trying to look good limits my life.”  He said creating these is much more fun than action scripting.  I would agree!  Another, “Everybody thinks they are right.”  With Esquire magazine in Tokyo they said you can do whatever you want.  So they took a picture of them peeing the message.  They sent it in and didn’t hear anything for a long time.  But eventually they were told that that Nissan felt they were peeing on their car (in the picture).  So they redid it for Scotland with inflatable monkeys.

His second 7 years itch/break starts this year, which he will do in Indonesia.

Now he is waxing about our reaction to 9/11.  Then he throws up newpaper/magazine pages, one with some bare breasted ladies.  Please.  Know your audience.  Quite inappropriate.  Maybe that is socially OK in Austria (where he is from), but it is not OK here in front of 1000 people wanting to learn about learning. Personally I believe it is never OK.

One of his quotes is “Complaining is silly.  Either act or forget.”  At least he is doing that.  He is acting about with what he believes and that I admire.

OK, I am done with this one even though he is still going.  It was interesting art, form and great sayings of life, but too political, too little linkage to learning.  Overall it was interesting, but not what we (at least I) would have like to have seen.  It was good sprinkled with other stuff, but nothing of learning.

I have a personal philosophy.  “Why settle for good when you can have greatness?”  That goes for everything.  Now I am not so naive to realize that everything I do or will be involved in will be ‘greatness,’ but I expect it, I strive for it and do the best given the constraints.  The choice of Stefan as a keynote was only on the level of ‘good’ with some objectional things thrown in.  Why settle for that?  Understandably, sometimes you don’t know what you have until you get it, thinking it would be different.  I trust that this was the situation here.  But those are just my thoughts.  I am sure others thought it was great.  I just couldn’t.

Maybe for a different a different perspective, visit Kerry McGuire’s blog globetrottingkerry.wordpress.com. We are sitting right next to each other doing this.

(NOTE: I know I said was done, but… His next life saying was “Low Expectations are a good strategy.” Funny, huh?  Or not?)