Flod Meeting, December 2, 2009
Idaho Stew
Stuart Alden
“Choc Full of Good Stuff”
A married couple and an intern turned employee are the only ones who make up the super successful design company, Idaho Stew. The success I see is not soley about money, but I can see that through their love of design, and hard work—willingness to go beyond what’s expected, they were able to affect the lives of people who need clean water, support a political cause they felt strongly about, and most importantly, because of their business success, spend their lives doing something they love.
My first impression of Idaho Stew was that they were elitist designers, which put me off a little. Stuart Alden started off the talk about the difference between a graphic designer and a graphic decorator, saying that designers are more involved start to finish with the creation and production of their designs, while decorators merely match the feel and look of a job, not taking the time to invest themselves personally in the design. But I realize that they are so critical about their profession because quality and good looking design means a lot to them, not because they feel the need to validate their hard work by diminishing the value of others.
I appreciate that they have strong conceptual content in their work, each element ties in affectively based on concept as well as aesthetic coherence. Their intensive research techniques show another aspect of how comittment to a job, to creation of the idea start to finish actually earns them their jobs.
“We Voted for Ourselves”
Idaho Stew got the chance to bid on creating posters for the Democratic National Convention, and before they even delivered their comp ideas, they got the job. They love to screen print so that was a cool way to handle the project adding that extra little personal touch to the job. They actually got to meet a lot of famous politicians and participate in a really interesting event. They’ll never forget it.
They also created a campaign for a clean water charity in a third world country. Legitamit design creates a sense of confidence in the charity, which I believe affects how much people give (time and money).
But again, the most successful businesses in the design world are the ones who’s motto reflects Picasso’s quote, “I’m always doing that which I cannot do…” Idaho Stew challenged themselves especially when they found themselves designing for environments. They created a lounge using wall vinyl design, but they also found themselves creating the entire environment. They picked out floor tile, furniture—everything. This is another example of their willingness to go beyond the call of duty. They create a reputation for themselves as a business with the foundation for trust.
Flod Meeting, September 2, 2009
Art & Anthropology, Inc
Jason Ontero
“The intrinsic desire to express complemented by the imperative to understand”
Jason Ontero believes that designers need to create work that’s relevant and beautiful. Its refreshing for me to think about design as art again. The job I have now is really not about that—they mostly create work that mimicks old styles, lacking in visual punch and creativity. What allows Ontero’s business to explore art in his real designs is that he always seeks out intelligent work and clients who are open for it. When you’re picky about your clients, work will ebb and flow, but you’ll always give yourself the chance to really be proud of your work. Another way to keep challenging yourself as a designer is to surround yourself with people who are better than you. Intellectual challenges are necessary to spark the desire to create awesome work, nothing mediocre.
One thing I noticed about Jason is that he is willing to do anything, with client approval, including going way beyond the call of duty. His company, Art & Anthropology spends a lot of time doing production work, like screen printing, hand cutting, letterpressing, etc.) to make an interesting design piece out of anything. The company is small and really good at what they do, so I think they can charge more in order to be able to spend that extra time on work that could be solved quickly and thoughtlessly. He created very involved business cards for a realtor. They were cut out keys and tags. It’s a big production puzzle to solve for something that could have been remedied easily with a little card. Most of the print/design shops I have come across gets angry when presented with print jobs that are odd sizes. Ontero doesn’t look for the easiest or the cheapest fit, he looks for the best solution to design jobs I think his attitude makes the difference in his business and definitely reveals the source of his small business success is actually about hard work, commitment, and enthusiam about every project. Although it may be easier to be picky about projects, picking ones that you’ve never done or had experience doing are the ones that have the most pay off. And why would anyone seek to create work that’s half-assed and embarrassing, especially when trying to build a financial support from design work.
“Have no fear…say yes to everything… And figure the rest out later.”
There is more to creating a successful design business than creating awesome work. There is a need for networking and a social/business mindset. In this way especially, getting invested in the projects you get will give you the fuel to support your business confidence.
Opportunities rarely find you…Get Invested.
