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

翻译人员: Anney Ye 校对人员: Mo Siman

So there's this thing called the law of unintended consequences.

有一种东西叫意外结果定律。

我还以为这只是说说而已，

I thought it was just like a saying,

but it actually exists, I guess.

但是这一定律真实存在。

There's, like, academic papers about it.

这方面有一些学术文章。

And I'm a designer.

我是个设计师，

I don't like unintended consequences.

我不喜欢意外结果。

People hire me because they have consequences that they really intend,

人们雇佣我，就是因为他们 想要达到某个结果，

and what they intend is for me to help them achieve those consequences.

而他们希望我 帮他们达到这个目标。

So I live in fear of unintended consequences.

所以我活在对意外结果的恐惧中。

And so this is a story about consequences intended and unintended.

这个故事是关于计划中 和意料外的结果的。

I got called by an organization called Robin Hood

一个叫罗宾汉的组织打电话给我，

to do a favor for them.

希望我帮个忙。

Robin Hood is based in New York, a wonderful philanthropic organization

罗宾汉是一个总部在纽约的很棒的慈善组织，

that does what it says in the name.

他们的任务就如同其名字一样，

They take from rich people, give it to poor people.

损有余而补不足

In this case, what they wanted to benefit was the New York City school system,

这次，他们想为纽约的学校做贡献，

a huge enterprise that educates more than a million students at a time,

这些学校接收了超过一百万学生，

在像这栋楼一样的楼里提供教育。

and in buildings that are like this one,

old buildings, big buildings,

都是些很老的大楼，

drafty buildings, sometimes buildings that are in disrepair,

十分破旧，有的年久失修，

certainly buildings that could use a renovation.

因此其中一些需要整修。

Robin Hood had this ambition to improve these buildings in some way,

罗宾汉的本意是想 改善这些楼的设施，

but what they realized was

但他们意识到

to fix the buildings would be too expensive and impractical.

整修这些楼不仅昂贵，而且不现实。

So instead they tried to figure out what one room they could go into

所以， 他们想是不是能 在尽量多的楼里，

in each of these buildings, in as many buildings that they could,

每栋楼选择一个房间，

and fix that one room

翻修那一个房间，

so that they could improve the lives of the children inside

这样，他们能在 孩子们学习的同时，

提高他们的生活品质。

as they were studying.

And what they came up with was the school library,

他们决定修建学校图书馆，

and they came up with this idea called the Library Initiative.

称之为“图书馆计划”。

All the students have to pass through the library.

所有学生都会经过图书馆。

That's where the books are.

图书馆有书，

That's where the heart and soul of the school is.

是学校的心脏和灵魂所在。

So let's fix these libraries.

所以我们得弄好这些图书馆。

So they did this wonderful thing where they brought in

他们开始做这件美好的 事情，请来了

first 10, then 20, then more architects,

开始是10位，然后是20位， 接着是更多的建筑师，

each one of whom was assigned a library to rethink what a library was.

每个人都被分配了一个图书馆， 来重新思考图书馆的定义。

They trained special librarians.

他们培养了一些 特别的图书馆管理员。

So they started this mighty enterprise

他们通过改善图书馆，

to reform public schools by improving these libraries.

开始了改革公立学校 这项伟大的事业.。

Then they called me up and they said, "Could you make a little contribution?"

然后他们打电话给我说， “你能帮一点忙吗？“

I said, "Sure, what do you want me to do?"

我说，“当然可以， 你们想让我做什么？“

And they said, "Well, we want you to be the graphic designer

接着他们说， “我们想让你作为图形设计师

in charge of the whole thing."

来负责整个事情。”

And so I thought, I know what that means. That means I get to design a logo.

我想了想，我明白了， 这意味着我得设计出一个标识。

我知道怎么做， 我是商标设计师。

I know how to design that. I design logos.

That's what people come to me for.

人们找我都是为此而来。

So OK, let's design a logo for this thing.

那好吧，那就给 这项活动做个标识。

Easy to do, actually, compared with architecture

相比设计建筑和当管理员，

and being a librarian.

这其实是个简单的活。

Just do a logo, make a contribution, and then you're out,

只需要做个标志，做点贡献， 就可以走人,

and you feel really good about yourself.

而且你会觉得自己很棒。

And I'm a great guy and I like to feel good about myself when I do these favors.

我很棒，我喜欢因为帮忙而 自我感觉良好。

So I thought, let's overdeliver.

所以我想，要不多干一点活吧。

I'm going to give you three logos, all based on this one idea.

我会给你们三个 基于一个想法设计的标识。

So you have three options, pick any of the three.

你们可以从这三个中 任选其一。

They're all great, I said.

它们都很棒，我介绍道。

So the basic idea was these would be new school libraries

基本想法是， 这是新的学校图书馆，

for New York schools,

为“新约克”（纽约）的 学校而设计，

and so the idea is that it's a new thing, a new idea that needs a new name.

所以，这是一个新生事物， 一个需要一个新名称的新点子。

What I wanted to do was dispel the idea that these were musty old libraries,

我不想让人们认为 这些图书馆都十分老旧，

the kind of places that everyone is bored with,

那种每个人都 厌烦的图书馆，

you know, not your grandparents' library.

你懂的，就是老一辈人 那种图书馆，

Don't worry about that at all.

完全不是这样。

This is going to this new, exciting thing,

这会是一个 令人振奋的新事物，

not a boring library.

而不是无聊的图书馆。

So option number one:

所以，方案一：

so instead of thinking of it as a library,

不把这个地方当成图书馆，

think of it as a place where it is like: do talk, do make loud noises.

而是把它当成可以自由谈话、 发出响声的地方。

Right? So no shushing, it's like a shush-free zone.

没人能阻止别人说话， 不会有人说“嘘”。

We're going to call it the Reading Room.

我们会把这个地方叫做阅读室。

That was option number one. OK, option number two.

这是第一个方案。 好了，接下来是第二个。

Option number two was, wait for it,

方案二是，瞧好了，

OWL.

OWL。

I'll meet you at OWL.

我们OWL见。

I'm getting my book from the OWL. Meet you after school down at OWL.

我要去OWL取书。 放学后我在OWL等你。

I like that, right? Now, what does OWL stand for?

我喜欢这个。 OWL是什么意思呢？

Well, it could be One World Library,

事实上，它既可以是“One World Library”（一个世界图书馆），

or it could be Open. Wonder. Learn.

也可以是开放(Open)、好奇 (Wonder)、学习(Learn)。

Or it could be -- and I figure librarians could figure out other things it could be

还可以是——我想图书管理员 肯定有别的解释，

because they know about words.

因为他们懂很多词。

So other things, right?

那还有什么呢？

And then look at this. It's like the eye of the owl.

看，它像猫头鹰 (owl)的眼睛。

This is irresistible in my opinion.

我对此难以抗拒。

但是，还有另一个点子。

But there's even another idea.

Option number three.

方案三。

Option number three was based actually on language.

方案三，其实是个文字游戏。

It's the idea that "read" is the past tense of "read,"

灵感来源是，“阅读”的 过去时与“红色”同音，

and they're both spelled the same way.

过去时和现在时的拼写相同。

So why don't we call this place The Red Zone?

所以，我们为何不把这个 地方叫做“红区”呢？

I'll meet you at the Red Zone.

在“红区”见面吧。

Are you Red? Get Red.

你“红”（读书）了吗？ 变“红”（阅读）吧。

I'm well Red.

我“很红”（读了很多书）。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I really loved this idea,

我很喜欢这个想法，

and I somehow was not focused on the idea

而不知怎的 我没考虑到

that librarians as a class are sort of interested in spelling and I don't know.

图书管理员们，一般都…… 对拼写很在意。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But sometimes cleverness is more important than spelling,

但有时创意比拼写正确更重要。

and I thought this would be one of those instances.

我认为眼下就是如此。

So usually when I make these presentations

当我展示自己的设计时，

I say there's just one question and the question should be,

客户一般只会有一个问题， 那就是——

"How can I thank you, Mike?"

“Mike，我要怎样感谢你？”

But in this case, the question was more like,

但这一次，客户的问题却是，

"Um, are you kidding?"

“呃，你在开玩笑吗？”

Because, they said,

他们说，因为

the premise of all this work

这些设计的前提

was that kids were bored with old libraries, musty old libraries.

是孩子们厌倦了 老旧的图书馆，

They were tired of them.

受够了这些。

And instead, they said, these kids have never really seen a library.

然而这些孩子从未 见过真正的图书馆。

The school libraries in these schools

这些学校里的图书馆，

are really so dilapidated, if they're there at all,

都非常破旧， 有的学校甚至没有。

that they haven't bored anyone.

他们连厌倦 的机会都没有。

They haven't even been there to bore anyone at all.

这些图书馆甚至 没有存在过。

So the idea was, just forget about giving it a new name.

所以，我不需要给它 取什么新名字。

Just call it, one last try, a library.

只要叫它“图书馆”就行了，

Right? OK.

就这样。

So I thought, OK, give it a little oomph?

所以我想，行吧， 弄点花样？

Exclamation point?

加个感叹号？

Then -- this is because I'm clever --

然后—— 我运用聪明才智——

move that into the "i,"

我把感叹号移动到了I处，

make it red,

把它变成红色。

and there you have it, the Library Initiative.

这样就完成了： “图书馆计划”。

So I thought, mission accomplished, there's your logo.

于是任务完成了， 这就是你们要的标志。

So what's interesting about this logo, an unintended consequence,

有趣的是，这个标识 有一个意外结果。

was that it turned out that they didn't really even need my design

事实证明，客户其实 并不需要我设计什么，

because you could type it any font, you could write it by hand,

因为这个标识可以 用任何字体打印，可以手写，

and when they started sending emails around,

而当他们开始发邮件的时候，

they just would use Shift and 1,

只要在键盘上打个感叹号，

they'd get their own logo just right out of the thing.

就能直接打出自己的标志。

And I thought, well, that's fine.

我想，嗯，行吧。

Feel free to use that logo.

这个标志你们随便用。

And then I embarked on the real rollout of this thing --

然后，我开始真正展示我的设计。

working with every one of the architects

和每一个建筑师合作，

to put this logo on the front door of their own library. Right?

把这个标识放在图书馆门上。

So here's the big rollout.

事情是这样的。

Basically I'd work with different architects.

我需要和不同建筑师合作。

First Robin Hood was my client. Now these architects were my client.

原本罗宾汉是我的客户， 现在建筑师们是我的客户。

I'd say, "Here's your logo. Put it on the door."

我会说：“这是你的标志。 把它放在门上。”

"Here's your logo. Put it on both doors."

“这是你的标志。把它放在两扇门上。”

"Here's your logo. Put it off to the side."

“这是你的标志。把它放在边上。”

"Here's your logo repeated all over to the top."

“这是你的标志。在顶上把它重复放。”

So everything was going swimmingly.

所以每件事都做的挺快。

I just was saying, "Here's your logo. Here's your logo."

我只是说，“这是你的标志。这是你的标志。”

Then I got a call from one of the architects,

然后，我接到了一个建筑师的电话，

a guy named Richard Lewis, and he says, "I've got a problem.

他叫理查德·路易斯， 他说：“我遇到了个麻烦。

You're the graphics guy. Can you solve it?"

你是负责图像设计的。 能帮个忙吗？

And I said, OK, sure."

我说，“当然可以。”

And he said, "The problem is that there's a space

他说：“书架和天花板之间

between the shelf and the ceiling."

有一个空档。”

So that sounds like an architectural issue to me,

对我来说这听起来像 建筑问题，

not a graphic design issue, so I'm, "Go on."

而不是图像设计问题。 我说：“继续。”

And Richard says, "Well, the top shelf has to be low enough

他说：“最高的书架必须低到

for the kid to reach it,

孩子们能够得到，

but I'm in a big old building, and the ceilings are really high,

但在老楼房里天花板很高，

so actually I've got all this space up there

所以有一块很大的空白，

and I need something like a mural."

我需要弄些壁画。”

And I'm like, "Whoa, you know, I'm a logo designer.

我说：“啊？我是商标设计师，

I'm not Diego Rivera or something.

不是画家。

I'm not a muralist."

我不会壁画。”

And so he said, "But can't you think of anything?"

他说：“但你不能想点什么吗？”

So I said, "OK, what if we just took pictures of the kids in the school

我说：“行，如果给孩子拍点照片，

and just put them around the top of the thing,

然后放在书架上方，

and maybe that could work."

或许就搞定了。”

And my wife is a photographer,

我夫人是摄影师，

and I said, "Dorothy, there's no budget,

我告诉她：“多罗西，这没有预算，

can you come to this school in east New York, take these pictures?"

你能到纽约东边的这个学校拍点照吗？”

And she did,

她去了，

and if you go in Richard's library,

而如果你到了那个图书馆，

which is one of the first that opened,

这批图书馆第一个开放的，

it has this glorious frieze of, like, the heroes of the school,

你会看到，像英雄一般

oversized, looking down

很大的人像，俯视着

into the little dollhouse of the real library, right?

下面的小小图书馆。

And the kids were great, hand-selected by the principals

这些孩子都很好， 由校长和图书管理员

and the librarian.

亲自挑选。

It just kind of created this heroic atmosphere in this library,

这就使得图书馆有种英雄气氛，

this very dignified setting below and the joy of the children above.

下面是庄严的气氛， 上面是欢快的孩子们。

So naturally all the other librarians in the other schools see this

后来其他学校的图书馆员看到了，

and they said, well, we want murals too.

他们说，“我们也想要壁画。”

And I'm like, OK.

我想，好吧。

So then I think, well, it can't be the same mural every time,

但这不能每次都一样，

so Dorothy did another one, and then she did another one,

所以多罗西拍了照片 给另外两个图书馆，

but then we needed more help,

然后我们需要别的支援了。

so I called an illustrator I knew named Lynn Pauley,

我认识一个叫林·泡利的插画师，

and Lynn did these beautiful paintings of the kids.

他画了这些美丽的孩子们。

Then I called a guy named Charles Wilkin at a place called Automatic Design.

然后我找来Automatic Design 的查尔斯·维京，

He did these amazing collages.

他做了拼贴画。

We had Rafael Esquer

我们有拉斐尔·伊斯科，

do these great silhouettes.

他做了剪影。

He would work with the kids, asking for words,

他会和孩子们合作， 想寻找词语，

and then based on those prompts,

基于孩子们的回答，

come up with this little, delirious kind of constellation

做出这些剪影组合，

of silhouettes of things that are in books.

反映了书中的内容。

Peter Arkle interviewed the kids

比特·阿科尔采访了孩子们，

and had them talk about their favorite books

让他们说说他们最喜欢的书，

and he put their testimony as a frieze up there.

然后把他们的话放在上面。

Stefan Sagmeister worked with Yuko Shimizu

斯特凡·萨格和清水裕子合作，

and they did this amazing manga-style statement,

用漫画配上格言，

"Everyone who is honest is interesting,"

“诚实的人都很有趣，”

that goes all the way around.

放在周围。

Christoph Niemann, brilliant illustrator,

克里斯托弗·聂曼，优秀插画家，

did a whole series of things

创作了一系列作品，

where he embedded books into the faces and characters

画面中书本与书中的

and images and places that you find in the books.

人物形象、场景等融为一体。

And then even Maira Kalman

还有玛利亚·卡曼，

did this amazing cryptic installation of objects and words

她的物品和词语的剪纸，

that kind of go all around and will fascinate students

贴满图书馆，一直深深地

for as long as it's up there.

吸引着孩子们。

So this was really satisfying,

大家都很满意。

and basically my role here was reading a series of dimensions to these artists,

我基本只要把尺寸告诉艺术家就行。

and I would say,

我会说，

"Three feet by 15 feet, whatever you want.

“3X5英尺，随便你弄。

Let me know if you have any problem with that."

有问题找我。”

然后他们就会把这些弄好。 这是最棒的事。

And they would go and install these. It just was the greatest thing.

But the greatest thing, actually, was --

但更棒的事，其实是，

Every once in a while,

我时不时会

I'd get, like, an invitation in the mail made of construction paper,

收到彩色卡纸做的请柬，

邀请我去参加图书馆的开馆大会。

and it would say, "You are invited to the opening of our new library."

所以，我去了那个图书馆， 比如这个PS 10，

So you'd go to the library, say, you'd go to PS10,

and you'd go inside.

走进去。

There'd be balloons, there'd be a student ambassador,

会有气球，会有学生接待，

there'd be speeches that were read,

有事先拟好的演讲，

poetry that was written specifically for the opening,

有为了开馆写的诗歌，

dignitaries would present people with certificates,

还有大人物颁发证书，

and the whole thing was just a delirious, fun party.

整个活动就是一个 激动人心的派对。

So I loved going to these things.

我爱参加这些活动。

I would stand there dressed like this, obviously not belonging,

我会站在那，穿着正装， 显得格格不入，

and someone would say, "What are you doing here, mister?"

然后有人问我， “你为什么来这里？”

And I'd say, "Well, I'm part of the team that designed this place."

我说：“我参与设计了这个地方。”

And they'd said, "You do these shelves?"

他们问：“你设计了书架吗？”

And I said, "No." "You took the pictures up above."

我说，“不是。” “那就是拍了上面的照片？”

"No."

“不是。”

"Well, what did you do?"

“那你设计了什么？”

"You know when you came in? The sign over the door?"

“你进门时看到 那个符号了吗？”

"The sign that says library?"

“那个写了图书馆的指示牌吗？”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

"Yeah, I did that!"

”是啊，那是我设计的。“

And then they'd sort of go, "OK. Nice work if you can get it."

他们就走了，“设计得不错，挺好的。”

So it was so satisfying going to these little openings

总之我很高兴去参加这些开幕式，

despite the fact that I was kind of largely ignored or humiliated,

尽管我基本上被忽视或者嘲笑。

but it was actually fun going to the openings,

但这真的很有趣，

so I decided that I wanted to get the people in my office

所以我决定叫来我工作室的人，

who had worked on these projects, get the illustrators and photographers,

是他们找来了插画师和摄影师，

and I said, why don't we rent a van

所以我说，为什么不租一辆车，

and drive around the five boroughs of New York

然后在纽约开来开去，

and see how many we could hit at one time.

看看我们一次性能看到多少图书馆。

And eventually there were going to be 60 of these libraries,

最后一共有60个图书馆。

so we probably got to see maybe half a dozen in one long day.

所以或许我们能在一天看完6个。

And the best thing of all was meeting these librarians

最棒的是见到 图书管理员，

who kind of were running these, took possession of these places

他们管理这些地方， 主宰这里，

like their private stage upon which they were invited

就像他们自己的舞台， 他们被请来

to mesmerize their students and bring the books to life,

迷住孩子们，让书本活起来。

and it was just this really exciting experience

亲眼见到他们的”表演“

for all of us to actually see these things in action.

让我们都十分兴奋。

So we spent a long day doing this

我们花了一整天，

and we were in the very last library.

来到最后一个图书馆。

It was still winter, because it got dark early,

这是冬天，天黑的很早，

and the librarian says,

图书管理员说，

"I'm about to close down. So really nice having you here.

“我要关门了。很高兴你们能来。

Hey, wait a second, do you want to see how I turn off the lights?"

等等，你要看看我怎么关灯的吗？”

I'm like, "OK."

我说，“好啊。”

And she said, "I have this special way that I do it."

她说，“我有特别的做法。”

And then she showed me.

她展示给我看。

What she did was she turned out every light one by one by one by one,

她一个个把灯关上，

and the last light she left on

最后一盏灯，

was the light that illuminated the kids' faces,

是那盏照亮着孩子们脸的灯。

and she said, "That's the last light I turn off every night,

她说，“那是我每天最后关的灯。

because I like to remind myself why I come to work."

因为我想提醒自己 我工作是为了什么。

So when I started this whole thing,

看，当我开始做这一切时，

remember, it was just about designing that logo

我只是设计一个标识，

and being clever, come up with a new name?

然后想个巧妙的名字。

The unintended consequence here,

最终的意外结果，

which I would like to take credit for

我很想归功于自己，

and like to think I can think through the experience to that extent,

很想认为一切都在 我最初的设想中。

but I can't.

但我不能。

I was just focused on a foot ahead of me, as far as I could reach with my own hands.

我只是关注下一步，只考虑 自己触手可及的事情，

Instead, way off in the distance

而在远方，

was a librarian

是一个图书管理员，

who was going to find the chain of consequences

把这个因果链，把我们不断发展的

that we had set in motion,

一系列活动

a source of inspiration

当做一种激励。

so that she in this case could do her work really well.

这样，她就能很好地 完成自己的工作。

40,000 kids a year are affected by these libraries.

每年有四万个孩子 受益于这些图书馆。

They've been happening for more than 10 years now,

现在已经过去了10年。

so those librarians have kind of turned on a generation of children to books

某种意义上这些图书馆员 让一代孩子接触到了图书，

and so it's been a thrill to find out

而意识到这一点让人兴奋：

that sometimes unintended consequences are the best consequences.

有时候，意外的结果 是最好的结果。

Thank you very much.

谢谢大家。

(Applause)

（掌声）