Earls’ designs, and the work his students produce at Cranbrook, explore some very experimental terrain. We strive to “unlearn the fundamental values of design so that we can test them,” he said as he showcased the array of media, topics and tones he and his students have explored.

After his primer on Cranbrook, he discussed his various design projects. These project range from posters and performance videos to branding for Cranbrook, but they all showcase Earls’ desire to explore an idea across different contexts and media.

“Powerful work flows from problematic spaces and conditions, not from resolved ones,” he said as he described a project that explored sexuality in a latent way that “echoes of our culture and resonates subconsciously.”

Earls got a lot of positive reaction form his audience, but the line that garnered the most applause was “Never forget. Skills Pay Billz.” His advice on making money as a designer? Keep labor costs low and develop an awesome aesthetic that drives up the value of your work. Oh, and don’t let medium or or social consensus define what roles you take as a designer. There’s a wide skill set involved with design, and it stretches across art to branding to news and beyond, Earls said.

The graphic designer ended his Typo San Francisco 2014 presentation with an appeal for higher-quality creative criticism. He says he instructs his students to think beyond whether they “like” or “don’t like” a graphic design. Instead, we should all discuss a piece’s interpretation, themization and contextualization so that it becomes part of the historical, evolving design dialogue.

Text — Emily Hubbell — @emwritesbiz