ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Michael Bierut - Designer, critic
Michael Bierut is a partner in the New York office of Pentagram, a founder of Design Observer and a teacher at Yale School of Art and Yale School of Management.

Why you should listen

Michael Bierut studied graphic design at the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, graduating summa cum laude in 1980. Prior to joining Pentagram in 1990 as a partner in the firm's New York office, he worked for ten years at Vignelli Associates, ultimately as vice president of graphic design.

His projects at Pentagram have included work for the New York Times, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Harley-Davidson, The Museum of Arts and Design, Mastercard, the New York City Department of Transportation, the Robin Hood Foundation, Mohawk Paper Mills, New World Symphony, the New York Jets, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and MIT Media Lab. As a volunteer to Hillary for America, he created the ubiquitous H logo that was used throughout the 2016 presidential campaign.

He has won hundreds of design awards and his work is represented in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Montreal. He served as president of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) from 1988 to 1990 and is president emeritus of AIGA National. Bierut was elected to the Alliance Graphique Internationale in 1989, to the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame in 2003, and was awarded the profession’s highest honor, the AIGA Medal, in 2006. In 2008, he was named winner in the Design Mind category of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards. In spring 2016, Bierut was appointed the Henry Wolf Graphic Designer in Residence at the American Academy in Rome.

Bierut is a senior critic in graphic design at the Yale School of Art and a lecturer at the Yale School of Management. He writes frequently about design and is the co-editor of the five-volume series Looking Closer: Critical Writings on Graphic Design published by Allworth Press. In 2002, Bierut co-founded Design Observer, a blog of design and cultural criticism which now features podcasts on design, popular culture, and business.

Bierut's book 79 Short Essays on Design was published in 2007 by Princeton Architectural Press. A monograph on his work, How to use graphic design to sell things, explain things, make things look better, make people laugh, make people cry and (every once in a while) change the world, was published in 2015 by Thames & Hudson and Harper Collins. This accompanied the first retrospective exhibition of his work, part of the School of Visual Art's Masters Series, which was on view at the SVA Chelsea Gallery in New York City for five weeks in autumn 2015. His next book, Now You See It, is due out from Princeton Architectural Press this fall. 


More profile about the speaker
Michael Bierut | Speaker | TED.com
TEDNYC

Michael Bierut: How to design a library that makes kids want to read

Michael Bierut: Como criar uma biblioteca que faça as crianças gostarem de ler

Filmed:
1,850,983 views

Quando Michael Bierut foi sondado para projetar um logotipo para bibliotecas de escolas públicas em Nova Iorque, ele não tinha ideia de que estava embarcando numa longa e apaixonante viagem. Nesta palestra super-hilária, ele fala da sua obsessiva busca para trazer energia, aprendizado, arte e imagens para esses lugares mágicos onde os bibliotecários podem inspirar novas gerações de leitores e pensadores.
- Designer, critic
Michael Bierut is a partner in the New York office of Pentagram, a founder of Design Observer and a teacher at Yale School of Art and Yale School of Management. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

Existe uma coisa chamada
"lei das consequências não intencionais".
00:12
So there's this thing called
the law of unintended consequences.
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00:17
I thought it was just like a saying,
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Achei que fosse só um ditado,
mas de fato ela existe, eu acho.
00:19
but it actually exists, I guess.
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Existem artigos acadêmicos a respeito.
00:20
There's, like, academic papers about it.
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00:23
And I'm a designer.
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Eu sou designer.
Não gosto de consequências
não intencionais.
00:24
I don't like unintended consequences.
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00:27
People hire me because they have
consequences that they really intend,
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As pessoas me contratam
para fazer algo que realmente esperam,
00:31
and what they intend is for me
to help them achieve those consequences.
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e elas esperam que eu as ajude
alcançar o que elas desejam.
00:35
So I live in fear
of unintended consequences.
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Então, eu tenho medo
de consequências não intencionais.
00:38
And so this is a story about
consequences intended and unintended.
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Esta é uma história sobre consequências
intencionais e não intencionais.
00:44
I got called by an organization
called Robin Hood
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Recebi uma ligação de uma
organização chamada Robin Hood
00:47
to do a favor for them.
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me pedindo um favor.
A Robin Hood fica em Nova Iorque,
uma instituição filantrópica maravilhosa
00:48
Robin Hood is based in New York,
a wonderful philanthropic organization
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00:52
that does what it says in the name.
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que faz jus ao nome que tem.
00:54
They take from rich people,
give it to poor people.
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Tiram dos ricos e dão aos pobres.
00:56
In this case, what they wanted to benefit
was the New York City school system,
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No caso, eles queriam ajudar o sistema
educacional da cidade de Nova Iorque,
01:01
a huge enterprise that educates
more than a million students at a time,
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uma enorme rede que educa
mais de um milhão de estudantes
01:07
and in buildings that are like this one,
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em edifícios como este:
01:09
old buildings, big buildings,
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edifícios antigos, edifícios grandes,
01:11
drafty buildings, sometimes buildings
that are in disrepair,
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edifícios frios, às vezes
edifícios degradados,
01:14
certainly buildings
that could use a renovation.
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edifícios que certamente
mereciam uma reforma.
A Robin Hood tinha a ambição de melhorar
esses edifícios de alguma forma,
01:17
Robin Hood had this ambition
to improve these buildings in some way,
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01:20
but what they realized was
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mas eles perceberam
01:21
to fix the buildings would be
too expensive and impractical.
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que reformá-los seria
caro demais e impraticável.
01:26
So instead they tried to figure out
what one room they could go into
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Em vez disso, tentaram
descobrir uma única sala
em cada um desses edifícios,
no máximo de edifícios possíveis,
01:30
in each of these buildings,
in as many buildings that they could,
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e consertar essa sala
01:33
and fix that one room
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01:36
so that they could improve
the lives of the children inside
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de modo a melhorar a vida
das crianças dentro dela
01:39
as they were studying.
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enquanto estudassem.
01:40
And what they came up with
was the school library,
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Eles acabaram pensando
na biblioteca da escola,
e acabaram criando
a ideia da "Library Initiative".
01:43
and they came up with this idea
called the Library Initiative.
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Todos os alunos precisam
passar pela biblioteca,
01:46
All the students
have to pass through the library.
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é onde ficam os livros,
01:48
That's where the books are.
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onde está o coração e a alma da escola.
01:49
That's where the heart
and soul of the school is.
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Vamos reformar essas bibliotecas.
01:52
So let's fix these libraries.
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Então eles fizeram algo maravilhoso,
01:53
So they did this wonderful thing
where they brought in
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primeiro trouxeram 10,
depois 20 e depois mais arquitetos.
01:56
first 10, then 20, then more architects,
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01:59
each one of whom was assigned a library
to rethink what a library was.
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Cada um deles recebeu
uma biblioteca para reinventar.
02:03
They trained special librarians.
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Capacitaram bibliotecários especiais.
02:05
So they started this mighty enterprise
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Deram início a uma empreitada enorme
02:07
to reform public schools
by improving these libraries.
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de reformar escolas públicas,
por meio dessas bibliotecas.
Então me chamaram e disseram:
"Poderia contribuir um pouco?"
02:10
Then they called me up and they said,
"Could you make a little contribution?"
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Eu disse: "Claro.
O que querem que eu faça?"
02:13
I said, "Sure, what do you want me to do?"
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E eles disseram: "Queremos
que você seja o designer gráfico
02:16
And they said, "Well, we want you
to be the graphic designer
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responsável por tudo isso".
02:18
in charge of the whole thing."
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Eu pensei: "Sei o que isso significa.
Significa que posso criar um logotipo.
02:20
And so I thought, I know what that means.
That means I get to design a logo.
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Eu sei fazer isso. Eu crio logotipos.
02:23
I know how to design that. I design logos.
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É para isso que as pessoas me procuram.
02:26
That's what people come to me for.
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Tudo bem. Vamos criar
um logotipo para esse projeto.
02:27
So OK, let's design a logo for this thing.
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02:29
Easy to do, actually,
compared with architecture
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É fácil, comparado com arquitetura
e com ser bibliotecário.
02:32
and being a librarian.
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02:33
Just do a logo, make a contribution,
and then you're out,
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Fazer o logotipo,
dar sua contribuição e pronto,
e você vai se sentir bem por isso".
02:36
and you feel really good about yourself.
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Eu sou um cara ótimo e gosto de como
me sinto ao fazer esses favores.
02:38
And I'm a great guy and I like to feel
good about myself when I do these favors.
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Então, pensei: "Vamos ir além.
02:41
So I thought, let's overdeliver.
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Vou criar três logotipos,
todos com base nessa ideia.
02:43
I'm going to give you three logos,
all based on this one idea.
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02:46
So you have three options,
pick any of the three.
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Vão ter três opções. Escolham uma.
Todas são ótimas", eu disse.
02:48
They're all great, I said.
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02:50
So the basic idea was
these would be new school libraries
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Basicamente, seriam novas bibliotecas
02:53
for New York schools,
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para escolas de Nova Iorque.
02:54
and so the idea is that it's a new thing,
a new idea that needs a new name.
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A ideia é que fosse algo novo, uma nova
ideia que precisa de um novo nome.
02:58
What I wanted to do was dispel the idea
that these were musty old libraries,
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Eu queria desfazer a ideia
de que essas bibliotecas eram velhas,
03:03
the kind of places
that everyone is bored with,
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o tipo de lugar que deixa
as pessoas entediadas,
03:07
you know, not your grandparents' library.
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sabe, como a biblioteca dos seus avós.
03:09
Don't worry about that at all.
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Não se preocupem com isso.
Vai ser uma biblioteca nova, empolgante,
03:10
This is going to this new, exciting thing,
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03:13
not a boring library.
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nada entediante.
03:14
So option number one:
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Então, opção número um:
03:15
so instead of thinking of it as a library,
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em vez de imaginá-la como biblioteca,
03:18
think of it as a place where it is like:
do talk, do make loud noises.
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pensem nela como um local onde
é permitido falar e fazer muito barulho.
03:22
Right? So no shushing,
it's like a shush-free zone.
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Nada de silêncio.
É uma área livre de silêncio.
03:26
We're going to call it the Reading Room.
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Vamos chamá-la de A Sala de Leitura.
03:28
That was option number one.
OK, option number two.
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Essa é a opção número um.
Agora, opção número dois.
03:31
Option number two was, wait for it,
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A opção número dois foi: vejam só,
03:35
OWL.
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OWL, coruja em inglês.
03:36
I'll meet you at OWL.
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"Encontro vocês na OWL."
03:37
I'm getting my book from the OWL.
Meet you after school down at OWL.
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"Vou pegar meu livro na OWL."
"Vejo você na OWL depois da aula."
03:41
I like that, right?
Now, what does OWL stand for?
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É legal, né? Mas o que significa OWL?
03:43
Well, it could be One World Library,
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Pode ser "One World Library".
03:45
or it could be Open. Wonder. Learn.
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Pode ser "Open, Wonder, Learn".
03:48
Or it could be -- and I figure librarians
could figure out other things it could be
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Ou pode ser... e os bibliotecários
poderiam pensar em outras coisas,
pois são bons com as palavras
03:52
because they know about words.
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Então, outras coisas, certo?
03:54
So other things, right?
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Agora vejam isso.
Parece o olho de uma coruja.
03:55
And then look at this.
It's like the eye of the owl.
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Na minha opinião, é irresistível.
03:57
This is irresistible in my opinion.
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Mas tinha mais uma ideia.
03:59
But there's even another idea.
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Opção número três.
04:01
Option number three.
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A opção número três
foi baseada na linguagem,
04:02
Option number three
was based actually on language.
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04:04
It's the idea that "read"
is the past tense of "read,"
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na ideia de que "read", em inglês,
é o passado do verbo "read",
e são escritos do mesmo jeito.
04:08
and they're both spelled the same way.
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Então por que não chamamos
este lugar "The Red Zone"?
04:10
So why don't we call
this place The Red Zone?
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04:13
I'll meet you at the Red Zone.
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"Te encontro na 'Red Zone'."
"Você está na Red?"
04:14
Are you Red? Get Red.
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"Fique Red."
04:17
I'm well Red.
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"Eu sou bem Red."
04:19
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
04:20
I really loved this idea,
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Eu amei essa ideia,
04:21
and I somehow was not focused on the idea
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e, de alguma forma,
não estava focado na ideia
04:24
that librarians as a class are sort of
interested in spelling and I don't know.
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de que bibliotecários como categoria
se interessam por ortografia, sei lá.
04:30
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
04:31
But sometimes cleverness
is more important than spelling,
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Mas, algumas vezes, a inteligência
é mais importante que a ortografia,
04:35
and I thought this would be
one of those instances.
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e eu pensei que esse poderia
ser um desses casos.
04:37
So usually when I make these presentations
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Sempre que apresento uma ideia,
digo que só há uma pergunta,
e a pergunta deve ser:
04:39
I say there's just one question
and the question should be,
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"Como posso lhe agradecer, Mike?"
04:42
"How can I thank you, Mike?"
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04:44
But in this case,
the question was more like,
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Mas, nesse caso, a pergunta era mais:
04:46
"Um, are you kidding?"
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"Hã, você está de brincadeira?"
04:49
Because, they said,
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Porque, eles disseram,
a premissa de todo esse trabalho
04:50
the premise of all this work
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04:52
was that kids were bored
with old libraries, musty old libraries.
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era que as crianças estavam entediadas
com as antigas bibliotecas, obsoletas.
04:56
They were tired of them.
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Elas se cansaram delas.
04:57
And instead, they said, these kids
have never really seen a library.
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Em vez disso, disseram as crianças
nunca tinham visto uma biblioteca.
05:01
The school libraries in these schools
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As bibliotecas dessas escolas
05:02
are really so dilapidated,
if they're there at all,
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são tão degradadas,
quando elas ao menos existem,
05:06
that they haven't bored anyone.
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que elas não tinham entediado ninguém.
05:08
They haven't even been there
to bore anyone at all.
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Elas nem mesmo existiam
para entediar ninguém.
05:11
So the idea was, just forget
about giving it a new name.
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Então a ideia era apenas esquecer
desse negócio de dar um novo nome.
05:14
Just call it, one last try, a library.
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Apenas chamá-la, numa última
tentativa, de biblioteca, certo?
05:18
Right? OK.
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Então, eu pensei: "Ok,
vamos adicionar um pouco de vigor?
05:20
So I thought, OK, give it a little oomph?
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05:23
Exclamation point?
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Ponto de exclamação?"
05:24
Then -- this is because I'm clever --
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Depois, como sou esperto,
05:26
move that into the "i,"
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vou movê-lo para o lugar do ï",
05:28
make it red,
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pintar de vermelho,
e aí está, a Initiative Library.
05:30
and there you have it,
the Library Initiative.
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Eu pensei: "Missão cumprida,
aí está seu logotipo."
05:32
So I thought, mission accomplished,
there's your logo.
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O interessante sobre esse logotipo,
uma consequência não intencional,
05:34
So what's interesting about this logo,
an unintended consequence,
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era que ele não precisava realmente
do meu trabalho como designer,
05:37
was that it turned out that
they didn't really even need my design
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porque ele poderia ser escrito
com qualquer fonte, ou à mão,
05:41
because you could type it any font,
you could write it by hand,
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e, quando começaram a enviar e-mails,
05:44
and when they started
sending emails around,
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eles só usavam shift + 1,
05:46
they just would use Shift and 1,
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que o logo deles aparecia
na hora, ali mesmo.
05:47
they'd get their own logo
just right out of the thing.
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Eu pensei: "Bom, tudo bem.
05:50
And I thought, well, that's fine.
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Sintam-se à vontade para usar esse logo."
05:52
Feel free to use that logo.
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05:53
And then I embarked
on the real rollout of this thing --
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E, então, eu embarquei
na implantação prática de tudo isso,
05:56
working with every one of the architects
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trabalhando com cada um dos arquitetos
para colocar esse logotipo
na porta da frente de cada biblioteca.
05:58
to put this logo on the front door
of their own library. Right?
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Esse foi o grande lançamento.
06:02
So here's the big rollout.
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Basicamente, eu trabalharia
com vários arquitetos.
06:03
Basically I'd work
with different architects.
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06:06
First Robin Hood was my client.
Now these architects were my client.
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Primeiro, o cliente era Robin Hood,
agora eram os arquitetos.
06:09
I'd say, "Here's your logo.
Put it on the door."
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Eu dizia: "Este é o logo.
Coloque na porta.
"Agora coloque o logo nas duas portas."
06:11
"Here's your logo. Put it on both doors."
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"Aqui está o logo. Coloque-o na lateral."
06:13
"Here's your logo.
Put it off to the side."
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"Aqui está o logo repetido
em toda a parte de cima."
06:15
"Here's your logo
repeated all over to the top."
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Estava tudo fluindo bem.
06:17
So everything was going swimmingly.
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Eu só dizia: "Aqui está o logo.
Aqui está o logo."
06:19
I just was saying,
"Here's your logo. Here's your logo."
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Então recebi uma ligação
de um dos arquitetos,
06:22
Then I got a call
from one of the architects,
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um cara chamado
Richard Lewis, que me disse:
06:24
a guy named Richard Lewis,
and he says, "I've got a problem.
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"Estou com um problema.
Você é o designer. Pode resolver?"
06:27
You're the graphics guy.
Can you solve it?"
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E eu disse: "Sim, claro".
06:29
And I said, OK, sure."
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Ele disse: "O problema é que tem
um espaço entre a estante e o teto".
06:30
And he said, "The problem is
that there's a space
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06:33
between the shelf and the ceiling."
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Parecia mais um problema de arquitetura,
06:35
So that sounds like
an architectural issue to me,
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não um problema de design,
e eu disse: "Prossiga",
06:37
not a graphic design issue,
so I'm, "Go on."
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06:39
And Richard says, "Well,
the top shelf has to be low enough
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e ele: "A prateleira superior tem de ser
baixa o bastante para a criança alcançar,
06:43
for the kid to reach it,
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mas o prédio é grande e antigo,
e o teto é muito alto,
06:44
but I'm in a big old building,
and the ceilings are really high,
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então eu tenho todo esse espaço livre
06:47
so actually I've got
all this space up there
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e preciso de algo como um mural".
06:49
and I need something like a mural."
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E eu disse: "Epa, eu faço logotipos.
06:51
And I'm like, "Whoa,
you know, I'm a logo designer.
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Não sou nenhum Diego Rivera ou algo assim.
06:54
I'm not Diego Rivera or something.
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06:56
I'm not a muralist."
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Eu não sou muralista."
E então ele disse:
"Você poderia pensar em algo?"
06:58
And so he said, "But can't you
think of anything?"
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Eu disse: "Ok. E se nós tirássemos
fotos das crianças na escola
07:00
So I said, "OK, what if we just
took pictures of the kids in the school
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07:05
and just put them around
the top of the thing,
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e as colocássemos em cima das estantes,
07:08
and maybe that could work."
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talvez isso funcione".
07:09
And my wife is a photographer,
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Minha esposa é fotógrafa,
Eu disse a ela: "Dorothy, isso não é pago,
07:11
and I said, "Dorothy, there's no budget,
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07:13
can you come to this school
in east New York, take these pictures?"
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você poderia vir a essa escola
em Nova Iorque e tirar essas fotos?"
E ela tirou.
07:16
And she did,
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Se você for à biblioteca do Richard,
07:17
and if you go in Richard's library,
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que foi uma das primeiras a abrir,
07:19
which is one of the first that opened,
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vai ver esse lindo painel
com os heróis da escola,
07:21
it has this glorious frieze
of, like, the heroes of the school,
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07:24
oversized, looking down
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enormes, olhando para baixo
07:26
into the little dollhouse
of the real library, right?
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para a pequena casinha de bonecas
da biblioteca real, certo?
07:29
And the kids were great,
hand-selected by the principals
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As crianças foram fantásticas, escolhidas
a dedo pelos diretores e bibliotecário.
07:32
and the librarian.
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07:34
It just kind of created
this heroic atmosphere in this library,
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Isso acabou criando
essa atmosfera épica na biblioteca,
07:37
this very dignified setting below
and the joy of the children above.
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esse ambiente solene embaixo
e a alegria das crianças em cima.
07:41
So naturally all the other librarians
in the other schools see this
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E então os outros bibliotecários
das outras escolas viram isso
e disseram: "Nós queremos murais também".
07:45
and they said, well, we want murals too.
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1936
Eu fiquei meio ...
07:47
And I'm like, OK.
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Tudo bem, pensei: "Bom,
não podemos usar o mesmo mural".
07:48
So then I think, well,
it can't be the same mural every time,
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07:51
so Dorothy did another one,
and then she did another one,
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Dorothy fez outro, e fez mais outro.
07:54
but then we needed more help,
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Mas nós precisamos de uma ajuda,
07:56
so I called an illustrator I knew
named Lynn Pauley,
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liguei para uma ilustradora
minha conhecida, Lynn Pauley,
07:59
and Lynn did these beautiful
paintings of the kids.
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e a Lynn fez essas lindas
pinturas das crianças.
08:02
Then I called a guy named Charles Wilkin
at a place called Automatic Design.
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Depois chamei um cara chamado
Charles Wilkin, da Automatic Design.
08:06
He did these amazing collages.
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474600
1800
Ele fez essas colagens incríveis.
08:08
We had Rafael Esquer
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Tivemos Rafael Esquer,
que fez essas silhuetas fantásticas.
08:11
do these great silhouettes.
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08:13
He would work with the kids,
asking for words,
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481200
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Ele pediu algumas sugestões às crianças
e, com base nisso, criou
essa constelação alucinante
08:15
and then based on those prompts,
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483400
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08:17
come up with this little,
delirious kind of constellation
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de silhuetas de coisas
que estão nos livros.
08:19
of silhouettes
of things that are in books.
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Peter Arkle entrevistou as crianças
08:21
Peter Arkle interviewed the kids
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para elas falarem
sobre seus livros favoritos
08:23
and had them talk
about their favorite books
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e transformou seus testemunhos
em um painel lá em cima.
08:25
and he put their testimony
as a frieze up there.
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Stefan Sagmeister trabalhou
com Yuko Shimizu,
08:27
Stefan Sagmeister worked with Yuko Shimizu
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08:30
and they did this amazing
manga-style statement,
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e eles fizeram essa incrível
declaração no estilo mangá:
08:32
"Everyone who is honest is interesting,"
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"Os honestos são os mais interessantes",
08:34
that goes all the way around.
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isso ao redor da sala toda.
08:36
Christoph Niemann, brilliant illustrator,
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Christoph Niemann, ilustrador brilhante,
08:39
did a whole series of things
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fez uma série inteira
em que misturou livros
com rostos, personagens,
08:40
where he embedded books
into the faces and characters
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imagens e lugares
que você encontra nos livros.
08:43
and images and places
that you find in the books.
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08:46
And then even Maira Kalman
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E até Maira Kalman
08:48
did this amazing cryptic installation
of objects and words
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516840
3815
fez essa incrível ilustração enigmática
com objetos e palavras,
ao redor da sala toda
08:52
that kind of go all around
and will fascinate students
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520679
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e vai fascinar os estudantes
enquanto estiver ali.
08:55
for as long as it's up there.
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523880
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08:57
So this was really satisfying,
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525480
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Isso foi muito gratificante,
08:59
and basically my role here was reading
a series of dimensions to these artists,
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e meu papel foi, basicamente, tirar
uma série de medidas para os artistas,
09:05
and I would say,
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e dizer: "Um metro por quatro,
o que você quiser fazer.
09:06
"Three feet by 15 feet, whatever you want.
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Me avise se você tiver algum problema."
09:09
Let me know if you have
any problem with that."
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E eles fizeram tudo isso.
Foi uma coisa extraordinária.
09:11
And they would go and install these.
It just was the greatest thing.
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Mas o melhor de tudo é que, na verdade,
09:14
But the greatest thing, actually, was --
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de vez em quando recebo um convite
pelo correio, de cartolina,
09:16
Every once in a while,
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544880
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09:18
I'd get, like, an invitation in the mail
made of construction paper,
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dizendo: "Você foi convidado
para a inauguração da nossa biblioteca".
09:21
and it would say, "You are invited
to the opening of our new library."
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549360
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Então eu ia à biblioteca, digamos, a PS10,
e, quando entrava, havia balões,
09:24
So you'd go to the library,
say, you'd go to PS10,
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09:27
and you'd go inside.
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555080
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09:28
There'd be balloons,
there'd be a student ambassador,
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havia uma aluna embaixadora,
09:31
there'd be speeches that were read,
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havia discursos,
09:33
poetry that was written
specifically for the opening,
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poesias escritas especialmente
para a inauguração,
09:36
dignitaries would present people
with certificates,
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dignitários conferiam certificados
a algumas pessoas,
09:39
and the whole thing
was just a delirious, fun party.
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567160
2616
e era tudo uma festa
alucinante, muito divertida.
09:41
So I loved going to these things.
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569800
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Eu amo ir a essas coisas.
Eu estava lá em pé, vestido assim,
me sentindo bem deslocado,
09:43
I would stand there dressed like this,
obviously not belonging,
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e alguém disse: "O que o senhor
está fazendo aqui?
09:46
and someone would say,
"What are you doing here, mister?"
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574440
2667
Respondi: "Bom, faço parte da equipe
que projetou esse lugar".
09:49
And I'd say, "Well, I'm part of the team
that designed this place."
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577131
3165
E ele respondeu: "Você fez as estantes?"
09:52
And they'd said, "You do these shelves?"
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580320
1905
Eu disse: "Não". "Foi você quem
tirou aquelas fotos?"
09:54
And I said, "No."
"You took the pictures up above."
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582249
2407
"Não."
09:56
"No."
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584680
1216
"Então o que você fez?"
09:57
"Well, what did you do?"
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585920
1216
"Sabe quando você entrou?
O letreiro em cima da porta?"
09:59
"You know when you came in?
The sign over the door?"
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587160
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"O que tem escrito biblioteca?"
10:01
"The sign that says library?"
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589640
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(Risos)
10:03
(Laughter)
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591080
1016
10:04
"Yeah, I did that!"
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592120
1216
"Sim, eu fiz aquilo."
Então ele ficou meio...
"Ok. Você fez um ótimo trabalho."
10:05
And then they'd sort of go,
"OK. Nice work if you can get it."
238
593360
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10:10
So it was so satisfying
going to these little openings
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Foi tão gratificante
ir a essas inaugurações,
10:14
despite the fact that I was
kind of largely ignored or humiliated,
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602320
3736
apesar do fato de eu ter sido
enormemente ignorado e humilhado,
mas foi tão divertido ir às inaugurações
10:18
but it was actually fun
going to the openings,
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que decidi juntar o pessoal do escritório
10:20
so I decided that I wanted
to get the people in my office
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que trabalhou nesses projetos,
juntar os ilustradores e fotógrafos,
10:23
who had worked on these projects,
get the illustrators and photographers,
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611000
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e eu disse: "Por que não alugamos uma van
10:26
and I said, why don't we rent a van
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614480
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e dirigimos por Nova Iorque
10:28
and drive around
the five boroughs of New York
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para ver o máximo
que conseguirmos em uma viagem.
10:30
and see how many we could hit at one time.
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618600
2016
10:32
And eventually there were
going to be 60 of these libraries,
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E, no fim das contas,
havia 60 bibliotecas.
Provavelmente, conseguiríamos ver
seis bibliotecas em um dia puxado.
10:35
so we probably got to see
maybe half a dozen in one long day.
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3776
10:39
And the best thing of all
was meeting these librarians
249
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A melhor coisa de tudo isso
foi conhecer os bibliotecários,
10:42
who kind of were running these,
took possession of these places
250
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que eram quem tomava conta de tudo,
que tinham a posse desses lugares
como se fossem seus palcos particulares
onde eles foram convidados
10:45
like their private stage
upon which they were invited
251
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2576
10:48
to mesmerize their students
and bring the books to life,
252
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3936
a inspirar os estudantes
e dar vida aos livros.
10:52
and it was just
this really exciting experience
253
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Foi uma experiência
fascinante para todos nós
10:55
for all of us to actually
see these things in action.
254
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ver as coisas na prática.
10:57
So we spent a long day doing this
255
645840
2536
Então passamos um longo dia fazendo isso
11:00
and we were in the very last library.
256
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1816
e já estávamos na última biblioteca.
11:02
It was still winter,
because it got dark early,
257
650240
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Ainda estava no inverno,
porque anoiteceu bem cedo,
e a bibliotecária disse:
11:05
and the librarian says,
258
653080
1216
"Eu estou quase encerrando.
Foi muito bom receber vocês.
11:06
"I'm about to close down.
So really nice having you here.
259
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11:09
Hey, wait a second, do you want to see
how I turn off the lights?"
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3136
Esperem um segundo, querem ver
como eu apago as luzes?"
11:12
I'm like, "OK."
261
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Eu disse: "Ok".
E ela disse que tinha
um jeito especial de fazer isso.
11:13
And she said, "I have
this special way that I do it."
262
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2496
Então ela me mostrou.
11:16
And then she showed me.
263
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1256
O que ela fez foi desligar
as luzes uma por uma,
11:17
What she did was she turned out
every light one by one by one by one,
264
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11:20
and the last light she left on
265
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e a última luz que ela deixou ligada
11:22
was the light that illuminated
the kids' faces,
266
670880
2896
foi a luz que iluminava
o rosto das crianças.
11:25
and she said, "That's the last light
I turn off every night,
267
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2856
Ela disse: "Esta é a última luz
que desligo, toda noite,
porque eu gosto de lembrar
o porquê de eu vir trabalhar".
11:28
because I like to remind myself
why I come to work."
268
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2576
11:31
So when I started this whole thing,
269
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2856
Então, quando eu comecei tudo isso,
lembram que era só para projetar
um logo, ser inteligente e criar um nome?
11:34
remember, it was just
about designing that logo
270
682160
2191
11:36
and being clever, come up with a new name?
271
684375
2001
A consequência não intencional aqui,
11:38
The unintended consequence here,
272
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1576
11:40
which I would like to take credit for
273
688000
1816
a razão por que gostaria de ter o crédito
e pensar que previ toda essa experiência
11:41
and like to think I can think through
the experience to that extent,
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3216
mas não posso.
11:45
but I can't.
275
693080
1216
Eu estava apenas focando
um palmo adiante do nariz,
11:46
I was just focused on a foot ahead of me,
as far as I could reach with my own hands.
276
694320
3976
onde eu poderia alcançar.
E, do outro lado, bem distante,
11:50
Instead, way off in the distance
277
698320
2576
11:52
was a librarian
278
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havia uma bibliotecária,
11:54
who was going to find
the chain of consequences
279
702200
2936
que encontraria, nessa corrente
de consequências
11:57
that we had set in motion,
280
705160
1416
que nós colocamos em curso,
11:58
a source of inspiration
281
706600
1496
uma fonte de inspiração
12:00
so that she in this case
could do her work really well.
282
708120
3376
para que ela pudesse
fazer bem o seu trabalho.
12:03
40,000 kids a year
are affected by these libraries.
283
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3376
E 40 mil crianças por ano
são afetadas por essas bibliotecas.
12:06
They've been happening
for more than 10 years now,
284
714920
2456
Elas já existem há mais de 10 anos,
12:09
so those librarians have kind of turned on
a generation of children to books
285
717400
4536
então esses bibliotecários apresentaram
os livros a uma geração de crianças.
12:13
and so it's been a thrill to find out
286
721960
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Tem sido muito emocionante descobrir que
às vezes as consequências não intencionais
12:16
that sometimes unintended consequences
are the best consequences.
287
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3736
são as melhores consequências.
12:20
Thank you very much.
288
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Muito obrigado.
12:21
(Applause)
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(Aplausos) (Vivas)
Translated by Erick Araújo
Reviewed by Raissa Mendes

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Michael Bierut - Designer, critic
Michael Bierut is a partner in the New York office of Pentagram, a founder of Design Observer and a teacher at Yale School of Art and Yale School of Management.

Why you should listen

Michael Bierut studied graphic design at the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, graduating summa cum laude in 1980. Prior to joining Pentagram in 1990 as a partner in the firm's New York office, he worked for ten years at Vignelli Associates, ultimately as vice president of graphic design.

His projects at Pentagram have included work for the New York Times, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Harley-Davidson, The Museum of Arts and Design, Mastercard, the New York City Department of Transportation, the Robin Hood Foundation, Mohawk Paper Mills, New World Symphony, the New York Jets, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and MIT Media Lab. As a volunteer to Hillary for America, he created the ubiquitous H logo that was used throughout the 2016 presidential campaign.

He has won hundreds of design awards and his work is represented in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Montreal. He served as president of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) from 1988 to 1990 and is president emeritus of AIGA National. Bierut was elected to the Alliance Graphique Internationale in 1989, to the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame in 2003, and was awarded the profession’s highest honor, the AIGA Medal, in 2006. In 2008, he was named winner in the Design Mind category of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards. In spring 2016, Bierut was appointed the Henry Wolf Graphic Designer in Residence at the American Academy in Rome.

Bierut is a senior critic in graphic design at the Yale School of Art and a lecturer at the Yale School of Management. He writes frequently about design and is the co-editor of the five-volume series Looking Closer: Critical Writings on Graphic Design published by Allworth Press. In 2002, Bierut co-founded Design Observer, a blog of design and cultural criticism which now features podcasts on design, popular culture, and business.

Bierut's book 79 Short Essays on Design was published in 2007 by Princeton Architectural Press. A monograph on his work, How to use graphic design to sell things, explain things, make things look better, make people laugh, make people cry and (every once in a while) change the world, was published in 2015 by Thames & Hudson and Harper Collins. This accompanied the first retrospective exhibition of his work, part of the School of Visual Art's Masters Series, which was on view at the SVA Chelsea Gallery in New York City for five weeks in autumn 2015. His next book, Now You See It, is due out from Princeton Architectural Press this fall. 


More profile about the speaker
Michael Bierut | Speaker | TED.com