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DEBRA + KEITH RIZZI
RIZCO DESIGN
Debra and Keith Rizzi have made a great team from the start. They met as colleagues at Porter Novelli; Keith was a designer and Debra headed up production. Not much has changed since then. In 1999, Keith took over his father's production firm and Debra soon followed him. Together they launched Rizco Design. Based in the shore of New Jersey, Rizco Design specializes in brand identities, print and interactive projects and children's book design. Their clients include Fortune 500 companies as well as small start-ups in the consumer, healthcare, non-profit and business-to-business sectors. Keith believes "it's not about the client name; it's more so about producing high-quality work that conveys the appropriate message." In the past six years, Rizco Design has grown from two to five employees and earned dozens of awards from the likes of the Association of Graphic Communications, International Engraved Graphics Association, Art Directors Club of New Jersey and Jersey Shore Public Relations and Advertising Association. Their work was published in Robin Landa's Graphic Design Solutions and David E. Carter's The Big Book of Layouts. Debra, a graduate of Bucknell University, and Keith, a graduate of Drexel University, attribute the growth of their business to Donald Burg, their creative director at Porter Novelli. "Donald taught us how to run a business — you have to be buttoned up. We believe that process provides structure for our work, but that doesn't make our working environment rigid. We love what we do; we have fun doing it," says Deb.
Was graphic design your first career path?
KR: I followed in my father's footsteps.
DR: I double majored in business and art history. Post-graduation, I found myself working as a financial analyst for corporate Lord & Taylor. I caught a major mistake on a budget for the VP of advertising, and he promised he would find a way to get me onto his staff. He did, and that was the beginning of my design and print production career.
When you have a deadline, do you start right away, wait until the last minute or switch back and forth between projects?
It would be fun to have the choice! Don't let the surfboard in the corner of our office confuse you. Most of our projects fly into our studio with a "due yesterday" flag on them. We jump right in. It keeps us on our toes.
Which project in your portfolio are you most proud of?
Do children count? We think so. Our girls, Mia and Marley, are labeled as "Project Parenting." It is the most creative and inspiring project that we collectively work on. It is forever evolving, consistently rewarding and open to boundless opportunities.
What is your worst habit?
Being unable to say "no" to a client. We are trained to make it happen.
What role does "green design" play in your work?
Our printers and paper spec reps have played a great role in educating us about environmental initiatives within our industry, and we are now taking it upon ourselves to educate those we work with about the benefits. To support this end, Rizco Design is launching BeLeaf, a sustainability program that ensures that a percentage of each job is environmentally friendly and that our clients are educated about the positive impact they are making on the environment.
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