TED talk by Christopher Niemann
Christopher Niemann is one of the most influential artists of this generation. He is an illustrator, graphic designer, editor and co-author of several books. Some of his most famous works include the ” Sunday sketches ” collection and his covers for the New York Times magazines.
” The deeper something is etched into your consciousness , the fewer details we need to have an emotional reaction” – Chritoph Niemann ( TED talk ) “
In his TED talk, Niemann states” Abstraction in itself is not very interesting “, and what he truly strives to achieve the perfect level of abstraction, ( that is the medium between realism and abstraction ). He further explains this by saying he enjoys art most when its a very simple message that sets off a big reaction.
He also delves into concepts into negative space, and how our brains recognize and comprehend images in a way that the piece does not have to be complete ( can be lacking details) for us to get the picture. Niemann goes on to say that art allows you to take a very intricate, complex idea and communicate it in a simple, efficient form. He concludes this point by saying art is capable of depicting ideas that words simply cannot.
A list of things I learned from the artistic mastermind himself –
- As a designer, you have to have an understanding of the cultural and visual vocabulary of your audience.
- With his work, he unearths images omnipresent in our mind, therefore he needs a minimal level of detail to convey his message
- ” The most important skill for an artist is empathy “
- Shorter deadlines can have a positive impact on your work
- while creating art, you shouldn’t be waiting around for ideas, for that ‘ a-ha!’ moment. Sometimes you just have to put the elements down on paper and let your thoughts flow