DOUG BARTOW

Doug Bartow is an award-winning art director and designer with over 15 years experience working with a variety of national and international clients. As Director of Design at MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) for 8-plus years, Bartow helped put the country's largest arts center on the cultural map by designing the museum's identity system, exhibition and wayfinding signage, print collateral, catalogs and web presence (with only the help of an occasional summer intern.)

Bartow left MASS MoCA in 2003 to co-found id29 in Troy NY. Since opening its doors, id29 has collaborated to build brands, campaigns and strategies for clients such as Pitney Bowes, Litespeed Bicycles, The Steve Case Foundation, The Travel Channel and Revolution Money, and was the agency behind Scholastic's national campaign for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007.

Bartow earned a BFA in graphic design from SUNY New Paltz and a MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art where he studied with Muneera Umedaly Spence and Katherine McCoy. When he isn't coaching youth soccer, or watching the U.S. Men's National Team, Bartow plays in the local over-30 men's league and complains about muscle pulls to his wife and three junior soccer players at home.

Where were you born, where do you live, did this effect your design style or sensibilities? Born in Syracuse NY. Currently reside in Troy NY. I try everyday to reject a personal design style. Some days this works.

If you were not a designer, what would you be? A residential architect. I'd love to design a modular set of attractive and affordable homes for Americans. I don't like looking at ugly graphic design, but it's usually fleeting. Bad architecture abides.

What is your design process, do you sketch first, go to the computer, take days off to get inspired? Inspiration is overrated. I try to get as much time to think about a project before I have to dig in. In the real world, this can range anywhere from a few weeks to five minutes. Strangely, the quick turns often seem to work out.

What is one thing you have done to help weather the economic downturn? We've cut back on the production specs for our own non-commissioned pieces. Oh, the horror!

What is your greatest strength and weakness as a designer? I'm colorblind, which sometimes makes new clients nervous (and usually surprises designers.) I still get sent back upstairs by my wife on occasion because of the clothes I've picked out. This has been an integral part of my life (and my design process) since I can remember. I recently heard noted typographer Doyald Young describe the "color" that the negative space between black and white letterforms in a wordmark produced. This really resonated with me, and is one of the reasons I've always loved typography — and consider it one of my strengths.

YOUR DESIGN HERO?
God

WORST HABIT?
Procrastination (especially with a deadline)

FAVORITE COLOR?
Black

FAVORITE TYPEFACE?
Anything grotesk

FAVORITE TV SHOWS?
Star Trek, Man vs. Food

FAVORITE BOOKS?
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

FAVORITE MOVIES?
Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars (episodes IV & V)

FAVORITE MUSICIAN?
Elvis Costello

FAVORITE FINE ARTIST?
Michael Oatman

FAVORITE GADGET?
Leatherman

BOOKMARKED WEBSITES?
aiga.org, designobserver.com, massmoca.org

ONE THING YOU NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT?
Shoes

ONE THING YOU CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT?
My family

TALENT YOU WISH YOU POSSESSED?
Ability to hit major league curve balls