UPSTNY Member Interview | Doug Bartow

AIGA member since 2003, Doug Bartow, principal and design director at id29 of Troy, NY is interviewed by fellow member and Treasurer, Lori Reed.

What prompted you to start your own business?

I had been working as Director of Design at MASS MoCA for 8+ years (and commuting 2 hours per day) before my business partner and I decided to quit our jobs and start an agency without any clients in 2003. It was a calculated leap of faith that kept me up many nights in the summer as we planned id29. My partner Michael Fallone is a brilliant creative director/strategic thinker and former agency 'suit,' which is the perfect complement to my formal design background—we had the bare-bones skill set to make an impact. We called everyone in our rolodex and said, "We're starting a design firm, can we sit down and talk about it?" Fortunately, a few old friends quickly became new clients and we were busy right out of the gate. We had actually talked about starting our own shop 10 years earlier when we were fairly inexperienced and toiling together at a large agency. I'm glad we waited.

What inspires you?

I'm going to flip this question—I think a better variation is "What do I do to inspire others?" I'll frame the answer in the context of my work with AIGA: I got involved with helping to program the UPSTNY Chapter of AIGA two years ago because of the lack of a creative network in the eastern portion of upstate NY. By working to 'activate' this area through programming such as the Capital Region Student Portfolio Review, Designing MASS MoCA and our version of the popular Creative Eats, we've seen local involvement grow to new levels. Our local student members are graduating, finding jobs, and returning to our events as AIGA Associate and Professional Members. We are the AIGA, and the benefits of membership are directly related to the work we put into it. I'm hoping my efforts will inspire others to get involved as well.

What role do you think designers should play in going green?

Is that a back-handed stab at my colorblindness? Ha! I don't think simply being a designer means one has additional responsibilities above and beyond what the rest of our society should be doing to help maintain our environment for the future. I do think that as communicators, however, designers have the unique ability to help tell this story in a compelling way that can help influence others into action.

What would your top piece of advice be for a designer who is just getting started in the industry?

I just answered this same question via iChat for AIGA Chicago's 2009 Student Conference, "SPARK." (http://spark.visualvoltage.org)

See my answer here: (http://vimeo.com/7768158)

In what way does being a part of AIGA enhance your career being a designer?

For me, the forum AIGA provides to meet and talk with other designers and creatives is one of the biggest benefit of membership. I've always looked at design education as a lifelong process. AIGA, particularly in terms as a discourse on design, is ongoing and vital to our profession.

Would you like to be interviewed? Contact us: communication@upstatenewyork.aiga.org

Posted by newyorkupstate in Member Interview | November 30, 2009

Post a Comment