Membership Spotlight: Ron Edelen

July 01, 2009 Filed Under: Member Spotlight 1 Comments

Ron Edelen, AIGA Member Since 2008
Creative Director and Partner at Myjive Inc.

What attracted you to design?
I originally went to school with a Mickey-Mouse perception of what graphic design was. I was ignorant. It wasn't until six years after my first typography class that I fully understood the depth of design as a profession. It was many years later before I was confident in myself as a design professional. Design embodies so much of life – which is why it is always changing – and is one of the few disciplines that can be simultaneously artful and utilitarian. It took a long time for me to mature within the field. I fell in love with design for that reason.

Profession other than design?
A Chef. Let me preface this with the fact that I am a very uneducated cook. I've always wanted to go to culinary school. I love the culture and diversity that food brings and the social aspects of it once the meal is prepared. Like design, the culinary arts are both practical and aesthetic. The process takes years of experience to master and the preparation involved in making a single meal can be extensive. My wife hates to cook for that reason, "I just can't see spending 1-2 hours cooking when it only takes 4 minutes to eat it." For me, its about the process of cooking. The learning. The failures. The improvisation. All of which builds towards one amazing experience that is savored only for a moment before you move onto the next. It is this process of cooking that excites me. One meal is a progression towards the next and with every progression I get better at it.

What is my favorite word?
I like new words. Those that have been recently invented and that catch on so widely that they earn a place in our vocabulary. I'm not talking about slang or differences in cultural dialects. The most famous right now derive from Google and Twitter. Their brand names have become engrained into our language as everyday adjectives. "I need to google that." "Do you tweet?" Text messaging has also propelled us into a new world of short-hand vocabulary. I know these are more or less acronyms for longer phrases, but I've actually experienced people say in conversation "my BFF" or "WTF" without thinking twice about it. Some of it might be short-lived but it is still exciting to watch language evolve with each generation.

What's the best advice you've ever received?
"Fifteen Things Charles & Ray Teach Us." It is a small, overly simplistic, paperback book edited by Keith Yamashita. The book comprises of fifteen short statements about what we have learned from the presence of Charles and Ray Eames. Every one of the fifteen statements is an invaluable nugget of inspiration each of which have helped motivate and guide the choices in my own life. A few highlights:
#1 Keep good company
#2 Notice the ordinary
#8 Never tolerate "O.K. anything."
#9 Remember your responsibility as a storyteller
#14 Make design your life... and life, YOUR design
#15 Leave something behind

Goal for the future?
To have as little regrets as possible. Most of the actions and decisions in my life have been based on one thought, "Will I regret this in the future." This perspective actually makes my decision process easy. Will I regret it if I act or don't act? As of now I have a very fulfilled life and therefore very little regrets. I have an amazing wife, a killer set of friends and a job that I am passionate about. The goal is to move forward everyday with confidence. To feel whole and overwhelmingly content when I reach the final crescendo and take a look back upon my life. Of course, I have much more to go before I even think about looking back.

References:
15 Things Charles & Ray Teach Us
 

If you or someone you know would like to be interviewed and appear on AIGA Charlotte’s Membership Spotlight, contact rmartin@aigacharlotte.org.