Penn State Harrisburg hosts graphic design artist James Victore
- Feb 24, 2015
- 2 min read
MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - On Jan.28 American art director, designer and author, James Victore spoke at Penn State Harrisburg at an event attended by close to 300 students, faculty and members of the public.
Victore designs work for what he calls ‘brave clients,’ and teaches creative courage through life-changing talks and provocative workshop experiences. In 2010, Abrams Books published Victore’s monograph “Victore or, Who Died and Made You Boss?” Also, in 2010 and 2012 Victore's work was exhibited in The Museum of Modern Art. He has won numerous awards and accolades for his unique graphic design on posters.
The event started out with guests signing in at the registration table where they could purchase Victore’s latest book. Victore hosted a signing session after his presentation where attendants had the chance to talk with him in person as thet got their books signed. Letterpress posters were also printed on site as a special gift for each guest.
In his speech, Victore gave advice to both up-and-coming and established professionals. He split his speech into seven different phrases, including concepts like “Trust yourself, do the work, and always ask for more.”
He told prospective graphic artists to learn everything, then forget it and then design. “Soak in as much information as you can about whatever field you are passionate about,” Victore told his audience. “Read books, watch documentaries, look at current ‘successfuls’ and how they got there. Once you have taken in as much as possible then forget it. Create for yourself.”
He then went on to tell the audience to “trust yourself” and “do the work.” A large part of his presentation focused on people finding their passions in life and focusing on them for an entire lifetime. He discussed how the things that make people weird as kids what also make them even greater later in life. When people enjoy what they do and are passionate about it, they will just “do the work” according to Victore. “We need to enjoy the work, but most importantly do the work,” Victore said.
Toward the end of his speech, Victore gave the audience two last pieces of advice. “Too many people are waiting for the right time, for the right setting, for permission,” Victore said. “We have to stop waiting for permission from professors, bosses, or others. Start now, no excuses.”
He then told the audience to always ask for more in their lines of work. “Make sure that whatever work you do, you get paid for it,” Victore said. “Although you may be doing what you love, you still need to get paid in order to continue to do what you love.”
Victore finished his talk with a Q&A session, which is not something he typically does at his events. To learn more about Victore and his work, visit http://www.jamesvictore.com/.
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