Intelligent design

“It’s exciting to make things and see them come to life on a national or global scale,” said graphic designer Max Erdenberger, who will give a free lecture at Portland State Thursday in the Art Building.

Erdenberger will share his career path, how he ended up doing the work that he does and, most revealingly, his creative process.

“It’s one thing to show a finished piece and another to talk about the steps that led up to that,” Erdenberger said. “The finished piece is just an artifact of all the processes that went into it. The story of how it was made is interesting.”

Erdenberger is the art director at the Portland-based advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy.

“[Wieden+Kennedy] understands that the relationship between a consumer and a brand is a dialogue,” Erdenberger said. “I think the guys who started this company figured out that you shouldn’t talk at people—you should give them your hand and invite them into a conversation.”

Wieden+Kennedy’s clients include Coca Cola, Nike and Target. They also do pro bono projects for groups such as the American Indian College Fund and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

“Day to day, there’s some work that isn’t glamorous, but it’s definitely a fun environment,” Erdenberger said. “It’s different every day, and you’re challenged constantly with new and interesting problems.”

Erdenberger grew up in Portland. He got into graphic design when he got an internship with a senior designer at Nike—before he’d even gone to college. After being mentored at Nike, he attended the California Institute of the Arts. He later returned to Portland and joined Wieden+Kennedy.

Erdenberger said that, like most designers, he tries to focus on the ideas of the design and not his own personal involvement.

“I don’t like to make it about me because I think design is really democratic,” Erdenberger explained. “You’re getting in the way of a piece of communication if you try to inject yourself into it. I try to make things clear and seamless so that whoever is taking it in doesn’t think about who made it as much as what it means.”

Erdenberger hopes that students will understand that the graphic design path is long and can often seem discouraging.

“You’re going to make a lot of bad things before you’re happy with the type of work you’re making. I’m constantly dissatisfied,” Erdenberger said. “I think it’s a lifelong journey. You just have to prepare to make a lot of mistakes and mess up a lot and try to keep learning.”