Head of 2D Design Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art speaks to graphic design students at USU

By Ashlie Albrecht
 
Art students should be willing to forego the traditional rules of design they have learned in their schooling and use a process of trial and error to see what works for them, according to Elliott Earls, the designer-in-residence and head of the 2D Design Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. On Thursday night, Earls gave a seminar to students from the Utah State University Art Department and encouraged this experimental thinking.

“My responsibility, I believe, is to the work and to the truth of the work, not to orthodoxy,” Earls said.

Instead of starting his presentation talking about his greatest successes, as he said most designers would, Earls instead began his presentation with an overview of his biggest failures, including being fired from two designing jobs. Through these experiences he said he learned it is possible to try too hard.

“My life has been deeply meaningful through the struggle, not through the successes and not through the failures, but through the absolute struggle,” Earls said.

Mike Daines, a graphic design professor at USU, hosted Earls’ visit to campus and thought the advice Earls had for students was very beneficial.

“I think a great thing that Elliot brings is understanding how to kind of flip the traditional design process and to think in a way that’s almost the reverse of what we usually teach students,” Daines said. “It’s exposing them to a different methodology in working within graphic design.”

Reed Brenchley, a USU graphic design student, was inspired by Earls’ lecture to try to create more eccentric pieces.

“I definitely want to be able to go past the boundaries and go past normal everyday stuff,” Brenchley said. “I do a lot of logos, page layouts, web design and traditional commercial things, but I want to get past that stuff and make things that are really interesting like Elliott does.”