Most folks are familiar with the old proverb, “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” Well, Leslie Becker (designer, writer, scholar, professor, and recipient of the AIGA SF 2009 Fellow Award) is one giant exception to that rule. This extraordinary California College of the Arts (CCA) design educator has accomplished more in her lifetime, than most people dream of achieving in their entire lives.
Her professional bio is available online.
But if you’re craving to go beyond just the surface, (as Leslie has throughout her remarkable career), then follow interviewer/designer Stephanie Orma as she digs deeper, goes beneath the surface and discovers what it takes to follow your dreams. With a career built on talent, determination, hard work, and driving curiosity, Leslie Becker shares her personal thoughts, experiences, and reflections on her life in design, thus far.
Orma: With such a successful career working on projects ranging from graphic design, interior design, custom furniture, writing and teaching to completing a second degree and a Ph.D., plus running a marathon (at the age of 50 to boot!) what achievement are you most proud of? And why?
Leslie: Although I needed to complete a marathon because “it was there,” I couldn’t imagine going to my grave without having done one. I know this makes no sense, but I come from a competitive family. I might say that having finished my Ph.D. is what I am most proud of, but this is probably because it is the most recent achievement and definitely was a kind of boot camp that lasted for 5.5 years! I am also delighted to receive communications from former students who thank me years after having been in my class for something I imparted to them. Personally, I am most proud of my two sons because I find them to be good people. They have been living their lives according to values that I respect. (I realize that this is immensely self-congratulatory.)
Orma: In terms of your career and all the eclectic projects you’ve worked on over the years, can you pinpoint one or two that really stand out as favorites?
Leslie: I really enjoyed a lighting project that I did many years ago. It was extremely experimental and, though I wasn’t conscious of it at the time, was actually based upon the form of a military parafoil kite. Years later, I realized that I had just finished a kite catalog when I began the lighting project. This particular client would look at a rough sketch and enthusiastically encourage me to have it made. I would then go back to the office and deal with the space between fantastical idea and fabrication.
Another significant project was the Wooden Synagogue project. It was a series of print pieces designed to raise funds to rebuild a replica in Berkeley of a wooden synagogue that had been destroyed by the Nazis. Even the discussions around my choice of Fraktur [typeface] were really emotional. To read the complete interview, as well as interviews with Doug Akagi and Michael Cronan (equally exceptional 2009 Fellow Award recipients) visit AIGA SF