Mar 20, 2019
THE CRITERIA: GDUSA starts each year by choosing a group of People To Watch who embody the spirit of the creative community. Individuals we have come to know and respect for their talent, leadership, success, newsworthiness and community service. In a field so deep in talent and broad in numbers, this is clearly a subjective process. Still, for more than five decades, it has seemed to work out pretty well: the roster of past participants is star-studded to say the least. The 2019 group adds to the shine.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, LITTLE BIG BRANDS, WHITE PLAINS NY
Richard leads the creative department at Little Big Brands, focusing on creating strategically inspired design, in addition to growing the firm’s design offerings and building a talented inhouse studio. Richard was born and raised in England where he began his design career at Smith & Milton and Siebert Head, soon after moving to New York where he honed his skills while quickly rising through the ranks of agencies such as Landor, Sterling Brands, Clark McDowall and Anthem. His design approach is reflective of the symbiotic relationship between design and the consumer, with the goal of tapping into unmet consumer needs and truths. He’s also a proponent of client collaboration throughout the design process and believes a brand owner’s knowledge and insights are essential to ultimate success. Richard’s work reads like a who’s who of the CPG world, including P&G, Unilever, Mars USA, MarsPet, Stella & Chewy’s, FreshPet, Kraft, ConAgra, Campbell’s, Pepperidge Farm, Kellogg’s, Heinz, SCJohnson, GSK, Pfizer, Novartis, J&J, Bayer, Merck, Henkel, Revlon, Colgate Palmolive, Coca Cola, PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard, Anheuser-Busch, Georgia-Pacific, Supervalu and CVS. Richard lives in a woodsy oasis in Connecticut with his wife (a designer in her own right!), creatively minded daughter and rambunctious twin boys. Life is good!
WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW?
Born and raised in Essex, England. Now live in Ridgefield CT
DID YOU GO TO DESIGN SCHOOL?
I went to what was NSAD (Norwich School of Art & Design), now NUA in Norwich, England, with a BA (Hons) Degree in Graphic Design.
LEFTY OR RIGHTY?
Righty
MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?
Morning person
FICTIONAL OR HISTORICAL CHARACTER YOU IDENTIFY WITH?
Dick Van Dyke!
ARE YOU MUSICAL AND/OR PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?
Nope
FAVORITE BOOK?
Smile in the Mind (favorite design book)
FAVORITE MOVIE?
I can’t possibly pick one! Goodfellas, Dr. No (one of my favorite graphic title sequences ever), Thomas Crown Affair, Gladiator, The Green Mile, Return of the Jedi
FAVORITE TV BINGE WATCH?
Stranger Things, The Ozarks, Bodyguard, Ray Donovan, Bosch
FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM?
Instagram
FAVORITE PODCAST?
Don’t have one
FAVORITE FINE ARTIST?
Oldies: Roy Litchenstein, Keith Haring + Robert Rauschenberg Youngens: Robert Mars, Evan Hecox, Noma Bar, Malika Favre + Tom Haugomat
FAVORITE CHARITY OR CAUSE?
ACS & WWF
FAVORITE FREE TIME ACTIVITY?
Playing with the kids, whilst doing yard work!
COLLECT ANYTHING?
Skateboard decks, MCM furniture, creative packaging new and old.
WHICH AREA OF GRAPHIC DESIGN IS GROWING THE MOST?
Digital
DESIGN MENTOR/INSPIRATION/HERO?
Paul Rand, Josef Albers, John Pawson, Ray & Charles Eames, George Nelson
GREATEST STRENGTH/WEAKNESS AS A DESIGNER?
These could be either – planning ahead and focusing on the minute details.
ADVICE TO A YOUNG DESIGNER JUST STARTING OUT?
Think beyond the immediate design problem you’ve been asked to solve.
IF YOU WERE NOT A DESIGNER, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
Landscape Architect/Designer
A MANTRA OR SAYING YOU LIVE BY?
“Treat others how you’d like to be treated.”
