EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF CREATIVE
LEWIS COMMUNICATIONS, NASHVILLE TN
While Robert’s title is that of an executive, his role is sometimes still very much a working creative director. His days might include handling any number of creative roles for clients including design, art direction, writing or strategy as well as helping guide creative groups in 3 different offices.
His work has been recognized by most major industry publications and award shows including Communications Arts Design, Advertising and Typography annuals, Graphis Advertising and Design annuals, Archive, Art Directors Club, Type Directors Club, PRINT, HOW and over 250 local, regional, national ADDY Awards including numerous Best in Show and Judges Choice winners as well as being named AAF Nashville Art Director of the Year 4 times. He also has brand identity work included in the Library of Congress permanent design archives.
Robert has been an employee at Lewis for 30 years, working his way up from graphic designer through every role in the creative department. Before that he spent 6 years as a graphic designer in a small Nashville design firm – Image Design, that specialized in branding and identity design.
As we pivot into a post-pandemic era marked by societal challenge and change, are you optimistic about the future of Graphic Design to support and shape commerce, culture and causes? Why do you feel the way you do? Are you optimistic about the future of your own firm?
Specifically, good execution of graphic design is the thing that elevates the delivery of basic textual and visual information to something more. Something more creative, interesting, engaging, relevant, and even emotional. Thoughtful and purposeful graphic design contributes to every part of our lives whether we recognize it or not. Sometimes it’s visibly relevant and it prompts us to feel, to buy or to act. And sometimes good graphic design is recognised only by the benefit itself of thoughtful design like a great wayfinding system or good UX/UI. It will always be a catalyst for engagement, whether it be digital or physical space.
We are seeing an increased focus on Package Design to advance the brand, tell the story, amplify the experience, forge an emotional connection. Do you agree with this observation and, if so, what advantages does packaging have over other graphic communications?
Package design is just the most forward facing element of brand identity – the end of a long process of thoughtful strategy and creative development that stares customers in the face from the shelf (or, more often these days, from a virtual shopping cart). During my career at Lewis, we’ve had the opportunity to build new, comprehensive brand IDs for everything from beer and whiskey brands to campers and Global Music Labels. What’s so much fun about package design, specifically, is that it’s the part of those identities that lives in the real world – going out into people’s homes. It’s also the part that lives closest to the point of purchase, making it incredibly important for helping a brand to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
