I was over on Design Observer to check out back-episodes of Debbie Millman's Podcast and came across this video of Mr. Bierut speaking @ the 99% Conference in 2009.

According to the title, his talk is about the 86 notebooks he's kept over his career, and a few of the projects that have found their solutions in those pages, but the really notable thing about the talk is the very last section, which has nothing to do with the notebooks.

He describes a pro-bono project that he's been working on for a series of libraries...and describes it as a labor of love for these kids who will use the libraries, and the librarians who will work in them.

Then, in the last few seconds of the speech he drops the bomb. He let's loose this very concise little nugget of universal wisdom that I believe is essentially what makes good designers good. Really, it's what makes anyone who does well at anything good. He says, "Remember who you're doing it for. Remember why you are doing it, and you will not go wrong."

This is especially powerful for me today, as I am about to embark on a new pro-bono project for the Humane Society of Coppell, TX.

Well...I say that, but I'm really doing it for the dogs. ;-)

You can watch the video here: Michael Bierut