So the morning began bright and early, no seriously I was up at 7:45 which is the earliest thus far. Unfortunately I realized only last night that I was supposed to print my ticket in order to get in. Damn here I am in Paris with no printer. Never fear, my iPhone is here. I was able to download my ticket to the phone so hopefully this will be enough to get me in the front door. Judging by the fashion plates that are in line, some good some bad, it will be a tragically hip event for sure. Apparently I am the only person who isn't cool enough to be rolling my own and lighting up at least 6 times while waiting in line for my wrist band. Not to mention feeling a bit out of sorts being one of the few who didn't arrive with 12 friends in tow. As a result I must spend my time silently judging everyone, which I tend to do anyway so it's all good.

 

Ok so my iPhone ticket did the trick, I'm in. And with a bunch of conference swap to boot. Actually, practically speaking, this is the least amount of useless swag I have received at any conference. One bag, one shirt, and one program. Bravo! It's not as though I need anything more. Especially when you consider the whole 3 day conference was only 79 euros. Pretty cheap, as long as you ignore the $2000 it took to get here. 

 

So we begin with a little history lesson from Steven Heller. In keeping with the conference theme, "Nostalgia for a past future", he does a nice job of demonstrating how design has played an influential role in our view of "the future", making it interesting, inspiring or unbelievable, when in reality it was really just the technology of today, put in a futuristic package. If there is any doubt check out the 1939 Worlds Fair in NY. Thank you industrial design! But when you juxtapose the 1939 view of the future with our current view it's far less interesting or magical. I mean we got the iPhone which was pretty cool I must admit, and now we have the iPad. Nothing too magical, just a bigger iPhone right? Anyway, Steven did a much more eloquent job defending his argument than I can. Suffice to say, it was a nice way to kick things off, and truthfully I think the last time I heard any speaker actually reference the theme of the conference.

 

Next up was a forgettable speaker, quite literally, I can't even remember his name. And for him to say, "Well Adobe flies me around the world to talk about how I use Flash" kills me. I was thinking, well then Adobe needs a new spokesperson. Bad presentation, lack luster work, and just all around "energy suck" in the course of an otherwise decent start to the conference. 

 

Next up was Hellohikimori. A small group from Paris that did primarily Flash based work for the web, TV and film. Showed some work for Glee and Marvel Comics amongst others. Overall some decent work, but I couldn't help feeling like this was something, at least aesthetically, that I saw in 2003. Lots of technical prowess, slick visuals and pumping music, but not sure if there was much beyond the slick package. On the other hand they seemed like a genuine bunch of guys that were enjoying what they did, so more power to em.

 

Then the big letdown of the morning, the crew from H5, who received an Oscar for their Logorama feature, decided not to show up. Apparently there was some kind of strike in Paris that hindered their arrival. Seems odd considering they are based in Paris, and everyone else, including me, was able to get to the conference.

 

Moving on...

 

With H5 MIA, it was extended break time. So I took the next few hours to wonder the neighborhood and get some lunch. And for those wondering, yes they do have Pho in Paris. And it was damn tasty. After some more walking, and witnessing a near fist fight on the corner (yes Parisian's are passionate, and it was damn hot today) I made my way back to the conference. The smoking and drinking were in full swing when I arrived. I know from my tone you are thinking I disapprove, well quite the contrary. I do appreciate the chill attitude that brings about such activity. It's something I have been seeing all over Paris. People just enjoy themselves. It's as though everyone says, "hey I'm gonna die one day anyway so I might as well enjoy myself while I'm here." I gotta tell you I can't argue with that. Once again, I think this is where Paris, or maybe Europe in general, has the US beat. As I type this I am enjoying my second glass of wine, and it feels gooooood! 

 

So I feel like I am being rather longwinded with this post so far, so will speed things up a bit. Next up were a series of inspiring presentations from Craig Ward of Words are Pictures and Dixon Baxi. All though they are at very different places with their collective work I found them equally inspiring. Craig is kind of a one man show, more of an artist than a designer in the traditional sense, I was very surprised to hear he recently moved to NYC to work at Gray. It just seems like a place that would kill his brand of thinking. Although he won't refer to himself as one, he is essentially a typographer. His work is thoughtful, painstaking and beautiful. I appreciated the way he had been very deliberate in his career path, noticing when he was getting bored with his agency gig and so began pursuing letterpress which has led him to satisfaction and notoriety. His work for the NY Times, Dockers, MTV and Creative Review are all nice departures from the predictable slick, polished digital work that is everywhere today. Dixon Baxi is at the other end of the spectrum, doing elegant, yet spectacular TV work for the likes of MTV, Studio Universal and Sci Fi Channel. Their mantra, "respect the process." They have actually dropped long term clients because they wanted to do different work that would challenge them, as they put it, "not good for the financials, but great for the soul". I have nothing but respect for people that approach their careers with this in mind. It's not an easy road to travel, but such a rewarding one. We'd all do well to take a page from their play book.

 

The day ended with a talk from Marc and Sara Schiller, the couple behind the Wooster Collective and David from his name sake, Hillman Curtis. Both were entertaining and informative, but not great. It was the end of a long hot day so maybe the crowd was feeling it, especially after the significant consumption of beer and cigarettes at lunch. Whatever the reason, the mood was quite mellow. I have seen David speak on a few other occasions, and although I do tend to like his work and his approach, I always find him to have an air of smugness that bugs me. Maybe it's just me? I did however, really appreciate his acknowledgement, similar to both Craig and Dixon Baxi, that one has to separate ambition from desire. Unfortunately they don't always align, and we have to be better about realizing that early, so we can shift our focus to what we love to do for ourselves, rather than what we have to do for career success. I'm still trying to figure that one out for myself.

 

So what was the net take away from day one of the OFFF Conference? Well there are still amazingly creative people in this world that are willing to make the necessary changes/sacrifices in their lives to pursue their desires. That there is more to life then money. And we must collaborate with other like minded people from diverse backgrounds to learn, grow and further our collective creative efforts. Truthfully these sentiments are not unlike those from just about every conference I've been to, but that's kinda the whole point. In the day-to-day grind of our "creative careers" we may fail to see what is right in front of us and continue down the path of ambition rather than desire. These paths rarely cross in a meaningful way, so it's important to be reminded of how critical a role they play in our long term happiness and satisfaction. It also demonstrates that whether it's 2003 or 2010 the sentiments remain the same. That's why I spend the time and money to come to conferences. It's an important part of nurturing your soul and recharging your mind. 

 

Well being that it's just day one of the conference, and in the event none of the above proves to be the secret to happiness, I'll continue with my daily consumption of red wine, and the occasional hand rolled cigarette just in case. 

 

And now some random pictures from the days events.