Journal Entry: Chip Kidd

Chip Kidd seemed to be a very interesting person in his Ted Talk. The way he presented himself really drew me in and made me want to know more about him as a designer.  He went into great detail about how he comes up with his ideas for book covers. He seems to try to communicate the power of the story through the cover so that the power of the book can translate through the cover and to the viewer. When it comes to the book he discussed in the video, he thought his cover idea was brilliant and perfect for the story. Unfortunately though, the publishers did not feel the same way, and Chip Kidd ended up having to start over completely. Once Kidd began to start fresh, he found that he liked his new idea even better; however, the publishers still didn't like his design. The publishers even asked Kidd if he wanted to quit the project. Of course, Kidd was not going to settle for being a quitter so he took his determined attitude and continued on. His cover didn't end up being picked as the final design, he felt accomplished in the sense that he did not give up like many other people probably would have. It's comforting to know that someone as famous and successful as Chip Kidd doesn't always succeed in everything he does. All famous designers are human, we all can't create amazing stuff every time we sit down and create something. I have a lot of respect for Kidd knowing that he came out and shared this story openly with the public. You don't have to be the best to  be good at something. As long as you work hard in whatever it is that you do, you're doing just fine.