I think you’re under the illusion that the designers you mentioned have exceptional design skills. They’re good in their own way, of course, but their talent is augmented and reinforced by luck, timing, place, business savvy, promotional skills, subsequent fame, and landing high-profile clients that allow them to run wild with ideas that most clients would reject.
Through the years, I’ve worked closely with the caliber of designers you’ve mentioned on three occasions. On two of those occasions, I was disappointed that their talent and ability failed to live up to their reputations.
You mentioned the Vignelli Canon. While reading it, did you notice the poor typography and the rigid conformance to an ill-conceived grid? You also mentioned Stefan Sagmeister. Visit his website. Do you honestly consider it to be well-designed? It’s certainly unusual and experimental, but if you presented a solution like that to a typical client, they’d rightfully hire someone else.
Why do you feel compelled to measure yourself against these people? They’ve carved out their niches, and you should carve out yours. Not once in my career have I encountered a client who said, “I want you to design something so innovative, creative, and experimental that you win a dozen awards and become famous.” Instead, they say, “I want you to design something that I like and that I think will help me sell my widgets and make me more money.”
Eight or nine years after my BFA, I returned to graduate school — partially because I had the opportunity to have a very high-profile designer on my graduate committee. I’ve never been quite so disappointed in anyone’s reputation as I was in his. However, working with him did allow me to re-evaluate my misconceptions regarding the nature of our field, which I think you’re still trying to do.
Quit being so hard on yourself.