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AMANDA + ALAN ALTMAN
A3 DESIGN
Alan and Amanda Altman are the husband and wife team behind A3 Design of Charlotte NC. Originally from upstate New York, the Altmans met at the State University of New York at Fredonia, where they both earned B.F.A.'s. Tired of the snow, they packed up and headed south. In March 2004 they made Charlotte their new home. Since then, they have established a diverse client base, including The Charlotte Visitor's Bureau, Carolina Beer Company, Consolidated Theatres and Mattamy Homes. They have also worked on projects for Lowe's Racing Team, USGA, United Way, The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the Carolina Panthers. They quickly became one of Charlotte's leading design studios. Alan and Amanda sit on the board for the AIGA/Charlotte, where Alan is the membership director and Amanda is the events director. In the past five years, their design firm received recognition from national and regional design and advertising organizations, competitions and publications. Their work has also been featured in galleries throughout the east coast.
Was graphic design your first career path?
Alan: We still hear stories about the artistic talent we each had as children. I designed quite the logo for my tree fort when I was younger, but art was always second to baseball. I turned out to be a good baseball player in high school and college. After trying out for the Atlanta Braves three times and not getting picked up, I refocused my attention on graphic design.
Amanda: I always admired the artwork on the cars at the track where my dad raced. Growing up, I would draw the cars in the pit and create logos for my father's car. I had always wanted to work in the creative field but did not aspire to work in graphic design until college. Both of us have always been interested in graphic design in one way or another, but we didn't recognize it as our destiny until we were in college. There is no question that this is what we are supposed to be doing. We cannot think of another career we would be this passionate about.
What talents do you wish you possessed?
Amanda: I wish I could cook better. I mean really have the talent to pull a bunch of stuff out of the fridge, slap it all together effortlessly and make it taste good.
Alan: I wish I was better at public speaking.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
Often we go for a drive, play pinball, take the dogs to the park — anything relaxing that clears our minds. It is when we are not thinking about the problem so intently that we get the best solutions.
What is your worst habit?
We have cursing issues. Vulgarities are just a part of our vocabulary in the studio. It is never meant to be offensive or angry; it is just a way for us to banter and deal with stress. Often we try to top each other throughout the day by seeing who can be the most vulgar. It becomes almost a contest to see who crosses the line first.
Should graphic design be an instrument for positive social change?
Absolutely. We try to remember that what we do is bigger than us. Where there is a message to be heard, there is a designer whose job it is to communicate that message clearly, effectively and, hopefully, in a way that will affect people in a positive manner. One campaign we worked on was for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to promote the adoption of animals and to educate the community about the euthanasia problem in North Carolina. The promotional material and fundraising events brought in tons of money for the CMPD and helped many animals find good homes.
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