Terry Allen
2009
You've been involved with magazines, posters, and books. How has graphic design changed since you began?
The computer! Of course, good design is not all about how you execute it on your computer, but a young designer with a limited digital skill set will have far fewer opportunities than one who is well versed in contemporary software. And it's pretty key to have even a working knowledge of interactive basics. I strongly advise my students to add at least one motion or interactive class to their schedules. There's just no getting around it now, and the technological advances make me wish I were just starting out. Design is so much bigger and all-encompassing than it was for the class of 1984. It's kind of amazing.
How have you managed or challenged those changes?
I don't know that I've adapted as well as many of my peers. I still operate almost exclusively in the world of print design, though I am certainly more intrigued by the interactive realm than I was even a few years ago. And I teach a class that involves after- effects, so motion is becoming more and more appealing. But I'd be lying if I said I was able to do more than art direct the way something moves. I'm still not hands-on, but I'm more than ever curious about the possibilities of design. I'm glad I continue to have a little of that fire in my belly.
You are also known for your typographical prowess, which might be described as “conceptual typography.” Would you explain what you do with type?
I joke that I love to make type talk, but I guess that's really true. I'm lucky to have a decent memory for fonts, and I peruse the various font sites most weeks to see what's new. I'm open to almost anything, though there are times I'd be just as happy setting all of my type in Trade Gothic Bold Condensed.
Has your typographic language (or style) changed with the digital revolution?
In my Rolling Stone days, we'd sketch our designs and then work with a letterer to render the concepts on film. Often it was as simple as redrawing letters that were photostatted from books, and other times, it involved drawing type from scratch. Either way, it was a lot of work, time, and expense. Designers, including myself, are relatively self-sufficient now, and commissioned lettering has the possibility of being so much more elaborate. The digital revolution made the excess that I love readily available, but the abundance of excess is now causing me to pull back a little.
SVA Poster
Client: School of Visual Arts
Art Director: Michael Walsh
Designer: Gail Anderson
2008
You work in movement as well as static. What is different about making typography for screen and page (other than the obvious)?
Type that's on screen is generally absorbed pretty quickly, and then it's time to move on. You have to turn up the volume a little to make it resonate or strip away a few layers to make it legible. It's a tricky balance. Typography for print has the opportunity to be much more subtle.
You used to hire designers. What do you look for in an intern or assistant?
I still hire the occasional designer, and certainly interns, but my focus has shifted to teaching aspiring designers. I look for sensitivity to font selection when I'm working with designers, flexibility, and a willingness to experiment with words. It's important for designers to be well read or at least tuned in to what's going on in the world outside of our little design bubble. I look for good communicators, whether the position is for that of a designer or an intern. An intern shouldn't be too set in his or her ways yet and should be an active contributor to the team. I am always willing to give an intern as much responsibility as he or she is willing to take on.
Peer Gynt
Client: SpotCo
Designer: Gail Anderson
Mo' Meta Blues
Client: Grand Central
Art Director: Claire Brown
Designers: Gail Anderson and Joe Newton
Illustrator: David Cowles
The Dylanologists
Client: Simon & Schuster
Art Director: Jackie Seow
Designers: Gail Anderson and Joe Newton
Chapter 2
Starting a Studio or Working for Someone Else
There are at least two options when building a design career: working for someone or working for oneself. The former requires getting hired by an existing studio or firm; the latter, and more complicated option, is to start your own business. Some designers take this leap immediately out of school; others acquire more experience through employment with businesses on which they might model their own.
Hipster Studio Names
Old school names are not always as effective as hip names. With the current rage in digital business names like Google, Twitter, Pintrest, Spotify, and the like, design firms are taking on names that sound like music groups. Among the quirkiest are Psy Op, Heads of State, Change Is Good, Razorfish, Original Champions of Design (see page 58), Lust (see page 234), and Simple Is Beautiful (see page 260). If you are appealing to a youth cultural or artistic clientele, a name like my favorite, World Domination Studio, may work. However, think carefully about how far out on a limb you want to go. But speaking of music groups, try to avoid The Beatles, as we believe it is a registered trademark.
Increasingly, the trend is for young designers to acquire a minimum of two to four years of experience working in an established studio or firm to learn the ropes and the nuances of running a studio. Depending on the quality of the job, that should be enough time to then branch out into a studio or partnership. Yet there are dozens of business scenarios (some of which are outlined in the interviews).
Starting as a freelancer, which does not involve hiring staff or maintaining office overhead, is probably the safest option. It allows you to determine whether or not a business is what you want to do early in your career. Often freelancing feeds other ambitions, as it provides the confidence necessary for engaging in a full-fledged operation.
Some designers cannot, however, wait for what was once called an “apprenticeship” to end before jumping headlong into building a design business. Beware! But nonetheless, don't be timid. You are only foolhardy if you are ignorant of the responsibilities you'll have to assume. But if you are aware of how a business operates, then you will doubtless find a partner or associate who can help on many levels: finances, selling, promoting, and so on. A good advisor will guide you through and help you neutralize what might otherwise be a mine field.
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