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ERIK MILLER
TBWA/CHIAT/DAY
After graduating from Art Center College of Design in Graphics and Packaging Design (1998), Erik Miller launched his career at Selbert Perkins Design. There, among a multitude of other projects, he spearheaded the LAX redesign culminating in the LAX Gateway Enhancement Project. Now, as design director for TBWA\Chiat\Day, Miller touches every brand that the agency handles, overseeing their overall look and feel. The position has enabled Miller to blend his unique design abilities and his people management skills to build one of the first integrated design departments in a top tier global advertising agency. His team allows the agency to continue it's award-winning record by increasing the firm's attention to detail and graphic elegance. Miller's most recent accomplishments include Infiniti's new ad campaign for car enthusiasts, as seen in Road and Track and Car and Driver magazines. Miller is an instructor at Art Center College of Design, where he directs graduating advertising students in an intense study of graphic design within advertising. The class focuses on building brands by using alternative forms of advertising and critical thinking about typography, imagery and layout. When not teaching or designing, Miller likes to spend his time with his wife and their three boys.
Was graphic design your first career path?
I have always been a design enthusiast and incorporated that into my everyday life. Attending Pasadena Art Center College of Design helped solidify my enthusiasm into something I could be passionate about in the workplace.
When you have a deadline, do you start right away, wait until the last minute or switch back and forth between projects?
In advertising EVERYTHING is on deadline, so time management is essential. I have to keep many projects going at the same time. Sometimes that means working through the night to accomplish the job.
Which project in your portfolio are you most proud of?
The LAX Gateway Enhancement Project. It's pylons are a lighted gateway to Los Angeles. Every flight that lands and takes off from LAX has an amazing view of that huge-scale piece of art. The pylons are placed up Century Boulevard to represent a plane taking off. They start at 33 feet high, and as you approach the airport, they reach 110 feet skyward. It's such a dramatic look at night.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
To start a project, I allow time to digest the concepts. I have to step away from it to really appreciate its purpose and help me create something unique. As an example, the beauty of nature has played a key role in the latest Infiniti campaign.
Should graphic design be an instrument for positive social change?
Absolutely. Anytime someone can take a stand for something that he or she truly believes in, it is important for the soul. I have been working pro bono on the Freedom Campaign. A joint effort between the Human Rights Action Center and U.S. Campaign for Burma, it is focused on raising worldwide attention to the struggles of the activist Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma.
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