Under the Influence of Travel

Tinker Hatfield, one of my favorite designers, once said, "I have this philosophy that every time I draw something or sit down to try and design, whatever I do is a culmination of everything that I have seen, done and experienced in my life before that point in time.” I couldn't agree more.

Now, everyone has their own unique path in life, but as someone in a creative field, I'd have to argue that traveling outside your hometown or home state at least once in your life is absolutely a must. We could talk about the general benefits of traveling outside your normal surroundings, but let's just focus on design.

Whether you see it, or realize it, our world is ruled by design -- from how our toothbrush is used to how we are sold consumer goods. Design, much like music, is a universal language. A design that means one thing in the US might mean something else in the UK, but the way that design is used is universal: to grab your attention and communicate a specific message. I'm fortunate enough that I get to travel all around for work, and I can confidently say that experiencing different cultures and environments beyond the familiar have changed my life and greatly influenced my eye for design. Get out there before life passes you by.

What do you think?

Anyways, just sitting here for another 5 hours in the airport and felt inspired to do a quick post.

Cheers.