Design

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Profile David Carson

Surf’s up

David Carson
“Overall, I’d say I’m a bit of a lazy person. But with graphic design it’s always been such a passion it rarely feels like work.” David Carson on motivation and me. ery few people can claim to have had the kind of impact on their chosen field that David Carson has had on graphic design. From Surfer magazine in the early 90s, through 33 seminal issues of Ray Gun and on to ad campaigns for monsters such as Nike, Microsoft and Fox TV, David’s work has consistently refreshed and invigorated graphic design, earning him a reputation as a maverick genius. His distinctive style has been called ‘illegible’ as often as it’s been hailed beautiful, but this doesn’t faze the man who once famously advised against “mistaking legibility for communication.” And anyway, as the author of the world’s best-selling book on graphic design, he’s happy to let the figures speak for themselves.

David didn’t start out to be a graphic designer; instead he diligently studied and then taught sociology while simultaneously becoming a professional surfer. You can still sense the relief when he looks back: “I taught sociology for five years. That was hard work.” Graphic design came to the rescue late in the day, cavalry-style: “I first heard the term ‘graphic design’ when I was 26 years old,” says Carson. “A summer workshop at the university of Arizona, taught by Jackson Boelts, convinced me I wanted to be a graphic designer.” Late or not, it was a revelation: “It was crystal clear,” he says, something sociology class never is. “I’ve not looked back since.” Having just returned from a surfing/lecture tour of Panama, David’s now working on a special issue of Explorations, a surfing magazine. The subject matter of David’s first foray into design is still an important part of the man’s life. So much so that he lists appearing in Matt Warsaw’s Encyclopedia of Surfing alongside a similar accolade in Philip Meggs’ The History of Graphic Design as career