Q&A with Marc Gobe
Posted on
2007-Nov-19
at
01:50
With the opening of the 87th Annual Awards Call for Entries came the unveiling of a new award category, the ADC Design Sphere Award. Chairing the ADC Design Sphere jury is Marc Gobé, chairman, chief executive officer and executive creative director of Desgrippes Gobé, a thirty-year design and branding consultancy with offices around the world. Trained as a designer and a graduate from the Ecole Professionnelle de Dessin Industriel in Paris, his broad experience in packaging, structural design and architecture has attracted a mix of clients and ADC's interest in his leadership of the Design Sphere jury. His firm has created some of the most memorable brand identities and design programs for Air France, AOL, Victoria's Secret, Banana Republic, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Weight Watchers, Travelocity and Gillette - to name just a few.
Marc shared with us his aspirations for the ADC Design Sphere, his broad affection for the American landscape - from a national park to a Brad Pitt movie - and his reaction to seeing his work on the runway.
Interviewed by Regan Murphy, regan@adcglobal.org.
ADC: Describe the design business today.
MG: There is a realization that design is truly one of the best ambassadors of a brand's message and corporate philosophy. People judge brands by their products, and advertising is so much more effective when it endorses products that are designed to bring emotional experiences to consumers.
ADC: What work are you most proud of?
MG: Two global graphic identities for Coca-Cola - in the second, we introduced a robust visual vocabulary by activating the Coca-Cola iconography and adding the color yellow. It's probably what I consider the company's best work. Seeing John Galliano use the new cans in a runway show - in the models' hair, with dresses of red and yellow - that was a heart-stopping moment.
ADC: How do you decide which clients and/or projects you want to work with and why?
MG: Generally our clients choose us. After meeting our team and seeing our work, we either have an almost instant connection or not.
ADC: What do you anticipate as the first Jury Chair for ADC's Design Sphere category?
MG: I hope that we'll be able to see how design, when managed over a long period of time, can establish a brand image that continually inspires people. I want to show that there is a power in managing design on a consistent basis, as it reinforces a company's vision, message and experience.
ADC: What is the average length of time that a design firm works with a client?
MG: It really depends. We have had clients ranging from 10 years down to short 6-month projects, but we always encourage longer relationships in order to build more consistency and power into their brands.
ADC: What does D/G bring to the party?
MG: We believe that design is one of the most under-leveraged and powerful tools that brands have available to them. Desgrippes Gobé is a truly global firm, with offices in New York, Paris, Brussels, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul, so we have a great variety of talent and cultural perspectives available to us. Our cross-functional teams of strategists, designers, writers, product designers and architects really work seamlessly together with our clients to create potent insight and provocative work.
ADC: What do you do to ensure sustained relationships with clients?
MG: Service, service, service. We try to have the right team on the job and have a proactive approach in constantly stimulating clients with new ideas.
ADC: Design is synonymous with ____ and____.
MG: Music and jazz.
ADC: What inspires you?
MG: Nature.
ADC: How do you inspire your team?
MG: With my passion for design.
ADC: Who has most influenced your career?
MG: Raymond Loewy.
ADC: What is the smartest decision you have made?
MG: To come to America.
Please name your favorite...
Places you've been:
Praia do Forte, Brazil
Yosemite National Park
Marrakech, Morocco
Websites:
Google
Desgrippes Gobé
Places you want to go:
The moon and scuba diving in Samoa
Movies:
A River Runs Through It
My Architect
Books:
The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
Ethics (Baruch Spinoza).
TV Shows:
None
ADC: And finally, do you have any big news?
MG: Not yet but very soon.
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