For one of my design projects, I was instructed to choose a famous designer and write a character study about them. I decided to choose someone that I had heard of, but didn't know much about, so that I could become further educated in the world of design over the duration of this assignment. I chose Bruce Mau, as he is extremely well-known in the field of design, yet I didn't know exactly what he had done to get where he is today.
Turns out, Bruce Mau has done A LOT. Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario he decided after high school to move to Toronto to attend the Ontario College of Art and Design. Before graduation, Mau left to work at a Toronto design group, called Fifty Fingers. Shortly after, the opportunity arose to develop and design the Zone Book series, and in order to do this properly, Mau decided to start his own design studio. In 1985, Bruce Mau Design was founded.
What sets Bruce Mau apart from other designers is that most designers think of design as more visual, whereas Mau sees it on a much larger scale. Design to him, is all about improving the world.
"It is not about the world of design, but the design of the world." - Bruce Mau.
This way of thinking is applied to his studio, and because of all of the creativity, Mau was inspired to write what he has called the "Incomplete Manifesto for Growth" in 1998. This manifesto is more or less a list of Mau's beliefs, strategies and motivations, referred to before approaching every design project at Bruce Mau Design.
Now with a studio in Toronto and Chicago, Bruce Mau is known as a world-leading innovator and design visionary. He has gained noteworthy clients along the way - Coca Cola, McDonalds, MTV, Frank Gehry, and Herman Miller - to name a few. He also developed and designed all the branding for Indigo, as well as created the environmental graphics and visual signature for the Walt Disney Concert Hall. On top of that, Bruce Mau Design was also responsible for the new logo and typographic design for the MoMA (museum of Modern Art) located in New York City.
Throughout his career, Mau has written and designed several books, Zone Book series being a major project at the beginning of his career, having around 100 books in the series. He has also been involved in the creation of S, M, L, XL an award-winning novel by dutch architect Rem Koolhaus in collaboration with Bruce Mau. Life Style is also an interesting one, as this book is actually about Bruce Mau's accomplishments and inspirations.
Overall Bruce Mau has accomplished quite a bit. From what I have gathered, this famous Canadian designer is an extremely hard worker, is not afraid to stand out and take a chance, and has a very positive attitude and mind set. What really impresses me, is the fact that he is extraordinarily motivated to make a difference in the world. Bruce Mau is a complete inspiration.
Check out an intimate video interview with Bruce Mau.
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