Creative Columns #7: Copycat 101
welcome to copycat 101: the lesson where you can be a professional copycat, harnessing the powers of both copy and paste.
yes, you there, in the back row, what’s your question? you want to know what a copycat is? you should have known that before applying to this lesson, but seeing this is a free course, i’ll just answer that question for you, free of charge.
simply said; a copycat is someone who mimics others, imitating their behavior, looks and actions. that sums it up.
as a designer you can easily create fame and fortune by just copying other people’s designs. let’s open up our textbooks at the second page and find out how [for you internet readers out there: this means clicking the "read more"-link].
the first step is to find something to copy. this is easy, anything that you like or think can come of use in creating your everlasting fame and fortune is worthy of reproduction. so make your pick.
the copying itself is as easy as taking a cookie from an elderly. you can use tools such as key combinations ctrl-c and ctrl-v, or just a camera. besides copying something, you can also steal it. if copy equals ctrl-c and paste equals ctrl-v than your keyboard equivalent for steal is ctrl-x. use this key combo wisely, cause the original designers tend to notice when nothing is left behind. even the smallest empty space can trigger the unhappy event of some form of retaliation. [do i feel a lawsuit coming on?]
let’s move on to…oh, i see we have another question. so this young man wants to know what the right tools are for copying. well, i was just getting to that mister, so don’t be so impatient. there are many tools for copying ranging from amateur to pro. i shall give you some examples of both. and pay attention, cause this is a vital part of today’s lesson.
most amateur copycats and their tools are easy to spot. one of their primary tools is the digital camera, and they are not that stealthy using one; just follow the flashes. however, there are a lot of times these amateur copycats stay in passive-mode. but spotting them in this phase is also quite easy, cause 99% of all amateur copycats are japanese.
sometimes these amateurs try to go pro, but before you get into such behavior: sticking a scanner to your back and a video-camera to your head is not pro behavior!
the pro’s deal with copycatism [yes, it’s a cultural movement] in a totally different way. they stay on top of the latest technological innovations to fully develop their skills.
one of the latest trends seems to be tapping into your retina and recording that signal. in other words: your recording what you see. this was done because there were many events where a copycat was looking but not seeing [ironically, a common japanese saying] and missed out on a great copy-opportunity, or copportunity.
adding to this is a long list of specialized tools. his ultra-portable 8†laptop is powered by special long-lasting fuel cells and has voice activation for copy, paste and prntscrn. one of their most important software tools revolves around the removal of any evidence of copyright, patents or watermarks. because the last thing a copycat wants is getting slapped in the face with a lawsuit.
any questions at this point? no? great, then i’ll just move on to the final chapter for today; dealing with the fact everybody is a copycat. yes, it’s inevitable.
after all of this some of you might realize this is an alter ego you do not wish to have. you are thinking: “i don’t want to do what everybody does! i am different! and the things i design are different!†well, you better stop there, because you’re not fooling anybody.
the fact is, we are all copycats. we copy and paste things all the time, wherever we are. just remember that the next time you copy letters from the alphabet, choose to implement the color cupertino white or surf the same site as 10,000 other individuals.
and to make things worse: where did you think you got your genes from? the building blocks of your self-being are all copied from your parents, which they got from theirs.
so if you want to be a true innovator you might as well start at yourself, and design some new genes. but when you use this approach to a more in-depth level, you’re gonna need to come up with some new atoms, cause using those found in the periodic system of elements isn’t quite re-inventing the wheel, is it?
that’s it for today. remember: we are all born and raised to be natural copycats. except for us.
ctrl-c + ctrl-v ≠469
jan van der asdonk is a contributor to studio469 in the shape of his creative spamming, manifesting itself in his somewhat distorted views and theories of the world around him. feedback, topic requests and fan mail are all very welcome at jan@studio469.com
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March 7th, 2007 at 10:58
Everyone is a copycat, so true…
One day you might see some poster flash by on your way home from work. Than late at night you’re off to do your little graphic design thingy. When you pass by that same poster in the morning you think hey!, that looks just like what I made last night. A good, self aware designer will face the truth, and just start over his design, it’s the other half we need to worry about.
Of course it’s not as black and white as the example above. You might have seen the poster ages ago, did not copy literally, or just take parts from more different sources than just one. (take a look at Book Tip #9 - Anatomy of Design).
The fact is that you mind is good at remembering fuzzy things, and not so good at coming up with new stuff. That’s why you still remember that grumpy old maths teacher like it was yesterday, but you have trouble doing your linear algebra at the moment. It’s the way your mind is designed, deal with it, but do it in an ethical way.
Let me know how you guys feel about this
March 7th, 2007 at 15:03
Everyone is a copycat, so true indeed… Somebody once wrote the following oneliner:
“If you copy from a single design, you’re stealing, if you copy from many you’re researching”
I think this one liner explains it perfectly, we creative artists use all we see, all the different impressions to merge and mix into something new, all the elements are there, we can’t change it or go around it, we have to deal with it. For example colours, you can’t just come up with a new colour, but if you mix Cupertino White with BMW Blue and ad a little of Apricot Yellow, you’re no longer steeling, but inventing and creating. That’s what we do with products too.. now isn’t it?
March 7th, 2007 at 18:26
great oneliner. and for the color-mixing we’ll have adobe kuler [we might need to start inputting some design colors there, like cupertino white and stuff]
it sounds a bit like when i wrote about relativity in creative column #2, continued into the comments accompanying it. we have all the stuff around us to copy, and cannot invent something new. we’ll just have to wait until we see something new, like when the first aliens land, or a meteor brings new elements.
so in order to innovate and be a copycat to the fullest potential we need to broaden our horizon and use those things around us to create some “copied innovation”.
sounds rather lame if you tell a creative person he’s only copying stuff…
March 18th, 2007 at 12:51
Interesting…
but in my opinion stealing / copying is the wrong term here. We’re talking here about the origin of new ideas, which could be seen as making combinations. Interesting literature on this topic is definiately “A technique for producing ideas” by James Young. A 7 US$ booklet, which demonstrates the way people come up with new ideas (and eventually products or whatever) is by making combinations of things seen or experienced before.
So i’d rather talking about recycling or combining, than stealing / copying…
… I’ll be eager to lend you the booklet ;)…
March 18th, 2007 at 18:14
although i did not intend to focus on the origin of new ideas in this month’s column, it does find itself entangled into its context. the origin of ideas, and humans’ relativity, is a more main focal point in my 2nd creative column; “it’s all relative”
nonetheless i understand your point and share james young’s vision. maybe i’ll write some more on this topic in one of the coming creative columns, since i try to switch between humorous- and scientific-based columns now and then.
thanks for offering me the book, i’ll have to find some time, cause i have a gazillion books on my “wish-to-read-list”.