ADC

ADC Q&A with Dana Arnett
Posted on 2008-Feb-5 at 03:24
Dana Arnett is a principal of VSA Partners , leading a team in the creation of design programs, film projects, interactive initiatives and brand communications solutions for a diverse roster of clients. His clients have included Caterpillar, Harley-Davidson, Cingular, IBM, Handspring, Chronicle Books and Time Warner. Founded and headquartered in Chicago, VSA Partners has offices in New York, St. Louis and Minneapolis.

Dana will chair the ADC Design Jury for the 87th Annual Awards. Over the course of more than two decades in the field, Dana has been recognized globally by more than 60 competitions and designations, including: ADC, Communication Arts, Graphis, The Type Directors Club, ID, The LA Film Festival, the AR100, The American Marketing Association, AIGA and American and British Art Director Clubs. Dana was a 1999 inductee into the Alliance Graphic International, and holds the honor of being named to the ID40, which has cited him as one of the 40 most important people shaping design internationally. He is currently a board member of the American Institute for Graphic Arts.

A frequent lecturer and visiting professor, Dana is also active in helping to shape the role of design in society through his contribution to publishing endeavors, conference chairmanships and foundation activities. The Harley lovin' Chicago native offers the ADC his thoughts on design education, a "wish I'd thought of that" moment, the meaning of awards, and the preference of thin crust over deep dish pizza. Blasphemy? Interviewed by Regan Murphy, regan@adcglobal.org.

ADC: You are reported to be an avid motorcycle lifestyle fan - did personal interest inform your approach to any given design solution for Harley-Davidson?

DA: Personal interest and a passion for motorcycling has everything to do with the success we've experienced with Harley-Davidson. My knowledge and experience with motorcycles has always provided an intuitive advantage for making decisions and finding special ways to creatively express ideas or concepts for their customers. Referencing those motorcycle moments and memories keeps things real when it comes to translating concepts to Harley's highly discriminating customer base. You can't sugarcoat anything Harley-Davidson.

ADC: Digital creatives will work side-by-side with designers and ad agency creatives to evaluate all forms of work entered in ADC's 87th Annual Awards. What are the implications for the outcome?

DA: With the rapid convergence of media, the rules and lines for creative success are rapidly blurring. Whether it's a digital designer or a traditional art director, I look forward to sharing insights with anybody who's at the top of their creative field. The interactive judges, regardless of their chosen medium or set of preferences, will surely inspire me to think differently when it comes to evaluating the work. It's no secret that consumer preference and habits are being influenced the most by digital forms of communications.

ADC: In the process of identifying the most compelling and innovative work, judges may have the bittersweet experience of seeing work they wish they'd done. Any "I wish I'd thought of that" moments for you this past year?

DA: Wow, that's a hard one. I have one of those moments virtually everyday. I have to say that Michael Beirut's simple, yet elegant signage solution for the New York Time building is one of those, "I wish I had thought of that." The execution has little to with décor, and everything to do with execution. The power of this idea emerges from the beautifully restrained integration of typography and surface. Michael chose to tattoo the newspaper's ageless masthead directly on the louvered façade of the building. There aren't any fancy tricks here, just the tasteful and intelligent integration of two forms. If you've ever signed a building, you know how difficult it can be to balance the opposing demands of the client and the architect. Michael achieved both. Dare I say that he made the building look even better than that architect imagined? You be the judge.

ADC: Your work has been recognized internationally by competitions and special honors, including ADC. As a designer and principal of a design firm what do awards mean to you?

DA: I have to resort to one of my favorite Mark Twain quotations when answering this question, "It is better to deserve honors and have them than to have them and not deserve them." While I appreciate the various awards and distinctions that VSA has received over the years, I'm also sober enough to realize there are clients who provide us the opportunities to do great work. Sure we strive to do exceptional work everyday, but never out of need for recognition. We actually love to design and realize that richer rewards come when clients see results from the investments they've made in excellent design.

ADC: As an activist in helping to shape the role of design in society through various endeavors - what is top of mind at the moment?

DA: I think the most important issues for designers to focus on right now is the need to create truth and relevancy in our media rich and sensationalized world. Everyday, we're asked to tell stories and position products and services for a wide variety of audiences. Beyond the job at hand, designers need to sort through the content and point people in the right direction. Unfortunately, much of today's advertising and design has less to do with words and more to do with how content is manipulated, packaged and channeled. McLuhan's prophecies from the 60's have never been more relevant than today.

ADC: VSA's work for the Converse (PRODUCT) RED campaign debuted in the July issue of Vanity Fair. The campaign, titled "Weapon of Change", featured bold messages and illustrations encouraging consumers to be optimistic rebels and to become agents of change. ADC's Designism program also supports this exploration. What are your feelings about "responsibility" when it comes to implementing change through design?

DA: Design has always had the power to drive our assumptions and shape opinion. Walter Gropius, one of the founding fathers of the Bauhaus, argued that, "design has a significant contribution to the making of institutions as well as our lives." The lesson here is simple, whether it's a RED advertisement or an identity for a large company, design has a chance to rise above the fray and have a profound effect on people's behavior. And design doesn't have to choose between form and function, it can be a vehicle for both. Until we teach our design students this fundamental truth and preach these ethics to our peers and clients, we'll never get the public to realize the larger effect that design.

We're beginning to see a shift happen as a result of design. More and more corporations are seeking designers to incorporate design beyond the predictable functions of differentiation and decoration. Companies like Target, Apple, Interface and Nike are utilizing design to position their purpose, not just their product.

ADC: Given your many speaking and teaching gigs at design conferences and educational institutions how well do you think design students skill sets and today's design business environment are meshing?

DA: We have a long way to go. Unfortunately, the vast proliferation of design curriculums at the university level over the last twenty years has diluted our abilities to position some of the most important driver of design - business being one of them. With over 30,000 design students graduating from various programs every year, its no wonder there's so few "rounded thinkers" out there. Certainly, there are still a handful of exceptional college programs that stress the important synergy that exists between business and design. But sadly, the most viable places to learn about the marriage of design and business are generally on the job or at special conferences or events. Until we see a concerted effort to reshape or create certification for design education, we'll be obligated as a profession to shape this issue on an extracurricular basis.

ADC: What do you like most about "mid-west attitude"?

DA: Honesty.

ADC: Has Chicago's severe weather ever impacted your design style?

DA: Well, we do stay inside for six months of years. Perhaps that has something to do with the hours we devote to design and our proliferation of ideas.

ADC: How have the mid-western origins influenced VSA?

DA: We really don't view ourselves as "Midwestern" in the traditional sense of that word. Most of our clients are from out of town and our staff represents a virtual melting pot of origins and backgrounds. Yes, Chicago is a very manageable city to live and work in, and this may have helped to shape our attitude. One of the most important things I learned while growing up and living in the Midwest is just how durable and provocative this region can be. We take little for granted and we're known for putting our noses to the grindstone. Perhaps these are the subtle, yet important, attributes of VSA.

ADC: And finally, please give your three favorite...

Places you've been:
The South Island of New Zealand
Front porch of my Michigan Lake House
The Pacific Coast Highway on a Harley-Davidson

Websites:
http://www.google.com/
http://mocoloco.com/
http://www.auctionzip.com/

Places you want to go:
Turkey
The Oval Office
Heaven

Drinks:
Cold beer on a humid day
A good single malt
Hendry Zinfandel

Foods:
Fresh peaches
Thin crust pizza (yes, I'm from Chicago)
A grilled New York Strip

Movies:
The Searchers
Magnolia
Fast, Cheap and Out of Control

All images are the work of Dana Arnett and his colleagues at VSA Partners.