On March 20, renowned graphic design professional Debbie Millman arrived at SUNY Oswego to talk about her experiences regarding her life and the struggles leading to her involvement as a voice in the design industry. She has many accomplishments, most notably as the co-founder of the School of Visual Arts (SVA) Masters Program, President Emeritus of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) chair and most notably as the host of the podcast Design Matters and as an author.
Despite the harrowing weather conditions that day (20 mph winds with temperatures reaching 27 degrees Fahrenheit), the lecture took place anyway.
“Your weather doesn’t scare me. I went to SUNY Albany,” Millman said jokingly.
In 1983, Millman graduated from SUNY Albany with a major in English and a minor in Russian literature.
“It took over a decade of experiments in rejection and failure. In 1993 I got a cold call to work at a brand agency. Somehow, I was good at branding, [so I] left behind skills I wasn’t so good at [including] textile art [and] poetry.”
She explains that this journey began entirely coincidentally, as the only marketable skills she had on her resume came from writing for the Albany Student Press (ASP). Millman credits her interest in design during her time as an editor in her senior year. It was her only marketable project leaving college.
“You have to think about what you really want, and the only way I can think to get it is to sacrifice for it,” Millman said. “I think about all the goals I sacrificed, and I didn’t really want to live in Manhattan, and I did.”
She explained that despite living with four roommates and living near a homeless shelter, it was what she desperately wanted.
In 1995, Millman joined Sterling Brands, where she worked up the corporate ladder to become president of the design division and chief marketing officer. Her portfolio includes works with Tropicana, Pepsi, Gillette, Campbell, Nestle, Burger King and Star Wars. In 2004, her experience in the industry felt stifling and corporate.
“Success was new and intoxicating, but then burnout,” Millman said.
After a viral article about purple becoming more important in electoral maps, she was contacted by Voice America to host her own show. Starting in 2005 in the Empire State Building, she started “Design Matters” for four years. She said the audio quality was terrible and was frequently commented on.
Later, the radio show moved onto iTunes Podcast and was named one of the top 100 podcasts in the world at the time. The show, 19 years later, is still being produced at SVA, with voices within the industry visiting the show. She has been nominated for ten awards and won two podcast awards.
Millman continued by offering advice to aspiring students.
“Design Matters began as a self-funded, self-generated project,” Millman said. “It was an investment of a dream, and it turned into a journey of a lifetime.”
She stressed that the only way to get started on projects is to just do it.
“Gamify your work, similar to a Duolingo way of working,” Millman said. “Reach for 100 days or even 1000 days on your project. Commit to making ten posts and then giving yourself deadlines.”
She also advised students not to work too hard, as that can lead to burnout.
