Carin Goldberg: Inspiration vs. Motivation

Carin Goldberg presenting her life’s work

And now it’s the lovely Carin Goldberg, our newest AIGA Medalist, taking the stage. And she is going to talk about a different make/think dichotomy. Inspiration, namely, design ephemera: “our potato chips, our junk food” vs. motivation: “sustenance, a breakfast for champions” (usually money). Designers are constantly battling with the two concepts, and she describes her own trajectory in the industry as a timeline that began with the need to be Cool (“I wanted to be cool but my hair wouldn’t cooperate”), Bravura/Art (book covers), Change (Time Inc custom publishing), Proviso (a type poster), Despair, Flattery (magazines and newspapers actually starting to assign great editorial illustration), Love, Fear/Disco. She then plays a film with a tremendously dramatic lead up that features all her work, each piece pulsing onto the screen for just a second each (you can create your own simulation at her website). Why so short? It’s so she could avoid the inevitable fear that comes along with seeing any piece of her work up there for more than a nanosecond. Of course it’s set to disco. And she’s dancing!