JKR

All designers create work by appropriating things they admire, and the good ones convert their influences into something new. If they tell you otherwise, they are remarkable, delusional, or dishonest. In simpler, pre-internet times, there were fewer famous designers, and the pool of influential work was remarkably small. Brody at The Face, or Carson on Ray Gun did their thing and thousands followed their lead (much to the leaders’ chagrin).

But in our age of over information there are so many leaders and styles in play that it’s hard to pick out any one in particular. Business Week listed 27 designers most influential on our era. The list has some obvious choices, but some I am embarrassed to say I have never heard of. And, of course, debate then raged about why so many had failed to make the list. One can’t keep up with the endless stream of thought leadership from the stage of Ted. And where once there were a small handful of books covering the history of design to be plundered and inspired by, now if one wants to find anything no matter how obscure, it’s all there online.

All in all, the depth of choice and resources makes for a landscape richer and more diverse for plunder than ever before. But it’s hard to see the wood for the trees.

Of course, one can see this is brilliant, as it throws up more eclectic designers and fewer sheep. But movements can be good things too – individuals clustering around a few leaders, borrowing and building a style which defines an era and adds something to culture. We live in a time when it’s harder to see such movements catching fire, faced as we are with so much choice. Does this make for more spirited individuals, or blander overall results? One could argue that, say, the punk era saw more creative, independent and vibrant fashion than we get today, with everyone dressed more or less the same by the same brands, despite a tsunami of trend information posted daily.

There is no particular point to these observations, but we are operating in interesting times. Talent imitates, genius steals (as Picasso supposedly said). The influential designers of tomorrow will perhaps be those most capable of filtering all the information. Because finding the rough diamonds which can be held high for us all to admire is a skill in itself.

The wonderful image of Devon’s Racing Rams was taken by Rick Turner. I hope he does not mind me appropriating it.