DESCRIPTION:
With a decade of professional experience under his belt, Todd Simmons, graduate of the Portfolio Center, Atlanta, has worked in a range of media—including identity, print, packaging, mixedmedia, and environmental installations—for clients such as Coca-Cola, IBM, Polo Ralph Lauren, Barneys New York, Gap, Chronicle Books, and Kiehl’s. Currently, Simmons divides his time as design director with Wol. Olins, New York, and as founder of his own small studio, State.

VOICE:
Simmons has little time for lofty ideals; he believes the most important gift a designer can bring to a project is intuition. “Design has an important and valuable role in society but, if we’re being honest, I get frustrated at the notion that ‘design can change the world’ any more than .nance or farming can.”

DISTINCTIVE MARKINGS:
A strange mathematic tic crept into Simmons’ work a few years ago. Across the board, in whatever he creates, every measurement, scale relationship, format, and typographic arrangement is divisible evenly by the number three. “Odd,” he says.

HABITAT:
Simmons finds himself bouncing between three places—his SoHo-based State studio, the Wolff Olins offices where he is design director, and—when possible—home.

SPOTTED BY:
Hank Richardson, Portfolio Center, Atlanta: “Todd is one of those rare people whose remarkable vision and insight are matched by his superlative craft and ethos. He’s as stellar a human being as he is a designer.”

CONTACT:
212.219.6459 | www.statestudio.com

Written by Tiffany Meyers