CO-CEO/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DDW, SAN FRANCISCO CA
Ross Patrick grew up on the prairies of Canada, studied painting and printmaking at Gonzaga University and graduated from Art Center College of Design with a degree in graphics/packaging. He cut his teeth as a designer at Nike in Portland OR and ended up landing his dream job in Hollywood at Capitol Records. He got to work with bands like Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Paul McCartney as well as the notorious Butthole Surfers. He was SVP of Design at Deutsch Los Angeles, working with Mitsubishi Motors, Tesco, and DIRECTV. He also headed up Venu Interactive in LA, and spearheaded branding projects for Nike as well as computer giant Lenovo. He ran the global inhouse design department for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Los Angeles servicing 28 countries with over 1000 retail outlets. Ross now heads up DDW in San Francisco, a strategic branding and packaging firm with a stellar background and an A-list of clients including Anheuser-Busch, Campbell’s Soup and Sprint. Ross lives close to Napa and loves motorcycles, playing the drums, tasting wine and playing backyard bocce ball with friends and family.
WHERE OR HOW DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR DESIGN WORK?
I’m blown away with the things people do with Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and even Snapchat. I also love looking at the ever evolving retail scene. I love looking at store concepts. I can spend hours in Whole Foods or Target looking at products and displays.
HOW DOES WHERE YOU WERE BORN, GREW UP OR LIVE NOW AFFECT YOUR DESIGN SENSIBILITY OR STYLE?
I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta and even though we were landlocked, we travelled around the world. I was exposed to fine art, fashion and foreign culture at an early age. I was fascinated by European retail stores. It was all weird and cool to me. I’ve lived in Italy, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles and now San Francisco.
FAVORITE COLOR?
Orange Pantone 114C
FAVORITE TYPEFACE?
Avenir
FAVORITE TV SHOW?
Transparent
FAVORITE BOOKS?
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
FAVORITE MOVIES?
The 40 Year Old Virgin
FAVORITE MUSICIAN OR BAND?
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA?
Instagram
FAVORITE FINE ARTISTS?
Andy Warhol
GREATEST STRENGTH/WEAKNESS AS A DESIGNER?
I like to move quickly to solve a problem. I move too quickly.
TALENT YOU WISHED YOU POSSESSED?
Patience
ADVICE TO A YOUNG DESIGNER JUST STARTING OUT?
Have an opinion and stick to it.
IF NOT A DESIGNER, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
A rockstar
A MANTRA OR SAYING YOU LIVE BY?
Make it amazing!
