Why graffiti helped me build products
Hi dudes, this is Matthias. I am one of the design leads at Goodpatch, a digital product studio in Tokyo, Berlin and Taipei. I found out that I already learned a lot about building products before I started working in this field — namely during my active graffiti past.
Graffiti has been part of my life for a long time. In the last few years, I participated more by watching rather than doing. But the spirit is still always around me. No day passes by without me looking for a new ‘throw up’ in the streets. Berlin is full of graffiti such as the subway that gets my full attention when a painted car arrives at the station. Graffiti shapes my carrier to a certain point and it’s in my DNA.
That’s why I want to share 10 things with you. You will see that there are some similarities in the process of ‘writing a graffiti’ and ‘building a product’. And I am not talking about colors, shapes, layout composition or other arty things.
chapter one — Structure Yourself!
1. Organize the session
Who is sketching out the letters, who is filling the draft and who is doing the outlines? Nothing is more frustrating and dangerous than unclear roles or workflows. Forgetting the ladder for a session — not good. Trust me. It happened. This means for you: Organize your sprint and map out the days and tasks. Plan the procedure and shape a schedule. Know the team and manage each role.
2. Know your timeline
Never get busted — keep the deadline in mind. As a graffiti writer you know that you’re under limited time. You need to get your shit done before somebody is tries to catch you. Same for your product. Deliver and get the product done. Otherwise, you can go home.
3. Sketch your idea quickly
It is important to grab your idea the second it comes. Wherever you are; write it, draw it, prototype it. Sometimes you need to communicate the idea at the same time. In this case: ‘show’ is always better than ‘tell’. Give your counterpart some visuals.
4. Know your budget
You should be aware of the money you want to spend for the project. Big piece and small money? Do chrome letters. More money but limited space? Think about the richness in the details. I learned this lesson the hard way. I chose a representative spot but ran out of cans — very embarrassing. What I want to tell is, balance your effort. Do the right stuff at the right time. No mock ups if you need a strong concept. But put always a bit on top and surprise your audience — make them smile.
chapter two — Learn to scale!
5. Keep proportions
Zoom out to see the context. Most of the time graffiti writers are painting bigger than canvas size. You need to step back to see the entire picture, plus the environment. This can be annoying and painful, if you are painting on a scaffold. The pain of going up and down over and over can stay for days in your legs. But it is important to consider the whole eco-system. Easy example on the product side; if your product or service is about ‘car-sharing’, be aware of ‘autonomous driving’.
6. Know the point of view
Wonder why so many graffiti peaces have big block buster letters and simple colors? On the highway your audience is sprinting by and the text needs to be read in time. In other words; know your users and pick them up from the right place.
7. Build your team and trust them
Product or backjump, your team is running the action. Don’t forget that. Build relationships that last a lifetime and not just for a scope. But also challenge each other and get out of your comfort zone.
chapter three — React spontaneously!
8. Keep opportunities in mind
When a writer enters a place for a night time session, he should know the exit and the condition around that. If one way is not working, try to have a backup. Try to sketch solutions for a problem in many ways. When it comes to A/B tests and the result is not what you expected, it is nice to look back and try one of the other ways you sketched at the beginning.
9. Be aware, changes happen always
New requirements and new rules arise all the time. One of my frequently used spots was always legal and a ‘hall of fame’. From one day to another the hall became illegal. At this time I hadn’t the self-confidence to step up and revolt. But I questioned the reason it had become illegal and was at least skeptical. I think you get the message. Also, if you don’t look around you for changes, you can break your neck.
10. Your competitors learn fast
Don’t lay back and be satisfied. Yeah, as a graffiti writer you are supposed to have a big ego, because you are writing your name everywhere. But some crews are trying hard to beat you and others are trying to catch you. Never underestimate others and don’t stick to old behavior patterns. This is the time when you get lazy and make mistakes.
That’s it, this was a brief insight to my graffiti past. I hope you felt entertained and found some of the comparisons useful. Don’t take it too serious. Creating digital products or colored walls should be fun too. If you want to stay in touch for new posts — follow here. See you some day out there.
