A 2 hour process replayed in 2.5 minutes.
Tier10 Marketing’s Creative Director Scott Rodgers sees the world differently. Whether he’s looking at a print ad, an ad on the side of a passing truck or even the logo on a box of supplies, he’s always looking at the world with a designer’s eye. It’s no wonder, then, that he’s seen such success in the design world. Get a glimpse into the mind of a Creative Director of an international marketing agency as he discusses the design process, style, and what it means to be a designer in the following Q&A. Then, watch as he creates an ad, from the initial rough sketch to the finished product, in the time-lapse video below.
Describe your design process. What’s going on in the back of your mind as you create a piece?
It’s hard to describe. I look at a blank piece of paper, and, knowing the content, I start with a sketch – detailed or loose, depending on the subject matter. I’ll get one page of content, read it, digest it and process it. Then I sit down and develop the design until the aesthetic matches its concept. Inevitably, it’ll be different. Close, but different. For me, this visualization process is key. I see the bold items first, and everything else just falls into place.
I notice in the video you’re constantly tweaking to find the perfect size, font, etc. How and when do you decide to stop?
Time usually stops me. Attending to even the smallest detail of the layout makes all the difference in the world. I think most designers fall into this zone. Everything has to be balanced – the white space, the graphics.
How do you balance a client’s style with your own vision?
Early on in my career, clients dictated their style. Over time, I began to develop my own. To date, my style has become Tier10’s style, and clients like that style. It’s clean, “manufacturer-esque,” raising the bar in the way a traditional car dealer would present themself. I strive for the factory aesthetic – Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Toyota, Lexus, and the like. The manufacturer, itself, never means a variation in quality, just an adjustment for the appropriate audience.
How does the publication in which the ad appears affect the design process?
I started with newspaper ads. You learn a lot about yourself as a designer building newspaper ads. Every newspaper looks different – the colors, blacks, layouts, etc. There is a certain attention to detail that must be taken when dealing with print, in general, that translates to digital in a fundamental way.
How has your past experience affected your style?
I grew up in my dad’s dealership. He always laid out his own ads and taught me the fundamentals of marketing — things you need to focus on, text hierarchies, and emphasizing what really matters to people. I was ten years old.
What draws you to design?
It’s cool. I never get too tired. I work 10, 12 hours a day. For fifteen years now, I just have a passion for design. I’m constantly trying to improve. I watch TV differently, I read magazines differently; my mind has been trained to just look at things differently. Designing assets to market a product, that ultimately drive a sale, is a pretty special thing.
Would you say there’s a difference between an artist and a designer?
An artist, to me, is someone who can sit down with a brush and paint or draw. A designer creates marketing devices, using pictures and typography and layout. He uses visual mathematics. I don’t look at paintings the way I look at ads. I can’t see what a painter would see – the hair should be here, the shoulder here. When I look at a print ad, or a design on anything, I look at it differently. It has to be balanced… and work. The other day, there was a package that was delivered to our office; the first thing I noticed was that the logo on the box didn’t look centered. It was, technically, but it looked off-center because of the “TM” mark. Things that are not visually balanced trigger something in me I can’t really explain. It is right, or not.
I’m proud to say our design team here at Tier10 is the best in the industry.
What advice would you give to aspiring designers in regards to the design process?
Everyone has their own process. Some start from the bottom up. Some start from the top down. If you look at the ads I’ve done, you’ll see they’re all fundamentally the same style: clean, white space, contrast of colors. Find your style before you find your process. Find your look and what defines you, and you’ll find the process that works for you.
Agency: Tier10 Marketing
Client: Vespa of Boston (A Herb Chambers Company)
Graphics: Photoshop CS5
Editor: Joseph Olesh
Post: Final Cut Studio II
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