Missy Wilson did the package design for FRUITOPIA iced tea and SMARTWOOL

JOE DUFFY
Duffy spoke to us by cell phone from New York. He and his staff had come from Minneapolis for the AIGA Medalists Gala, where Joe and his work were recognized. They stayed over to tour trendsetting shops and boutiques. “We need the input. This trip will more than pay for itself in the inspiration it’ll generate,” he said.

SUCCESS STORIES
I have been fortunate to have had dozens of talented young people come through our doors over the years. I’m proud of all of them, but I’m proudest of the ones who had the guts to move into another discipline or expand their horizons, like Missy Wilson, Todd Waterbury, Genevieve Gorder, and Brian Collins.

Missy Wilson opened a gallery with an interior design boutique in New York. She’s pursuing an entrepreneurial venture in an entirely new discipline.

Todd Waterbury became creative director at Weiden + Kennedy in New York. He’s done incredible work for clients like Nike and ESPN in design, branding, and beyond, to master print and video advertising.

Genevieve Gorder has become known as a designer, as well as the star of the successful television series Trading Spaces on TLC. Her own show, The Town Haul, will be premiering soon.

I hired Brian Collins partly on the basis of his portfolio, and partly because he was willing to help us develop our business (it’s hard to find people who are sensitive to design to work on the business side). He went on to become an outstanding creative director —no easy transition. I now consider Brian and Ogilvy’s BIG (Brand Integration Group) team one of our toughest competitors.

TOP: Genevieve Gorder designed the logo for FAO SCHWARTZ; it was then incorporated into merchandising, such as these shopping bags. BOTTOM: Mark Waterbury created this moving announcement for DUFFY DESIGN GROUP.

You have to start with the right clients. In the first meeting, we ask hard questions to see if they’ve come to us for the right reasons, and will support good work. Then you have to do work you believe in, without compromising your principles. Our clients respect our work because we can tell them why we believe in it. We don’t guess: We use qualitative research. Although most people are uncomfortable with things they’ve never seen before, if you ask the right questions and analyze the responses properly, clients will see that a design is right precisely because it’s unique in its category. That makes it hard for them to say no. The original idea gets produced—and that puts us in front of new talent.

FINDING AND NURTURING THE RIGHT PEOPLE
When people see our work and decide that this is where they want to be, the hiring decision is based on two things: design and personality. First, they have to come up with great original ideas, and execute them exquisitely. I look for concepts that can be extended into every facet of a brand campaign. Too many portfolios don’t have them. They look cool, as though they’ve come straight out of an awards annual—and they probably have.

Then it’s about people as people. Will they fit in? Are they collaborative? Will they be fun to work with? Will they crack under pressure? This is crucial, because the people you work with every day are key to making work fun—and making great work.

HONESTY AND RECOGNITION
Young people’s work has to be judged in a way that is encouraging, as opposed to discouraging. If something isn’t right, it’s essential to explain why you honestly believe that. If you don’t educate them you’re not just going to fail them—you’re going to fail yourself.

Finally, it’s important that everyone who contributes to a design or campaign gets credit for the work they do. If six or seven people contribute, we list them all. Ideas obviously evolve from one person’s initial sketch, but they’re enhanced by other people’s ideas along the way. We let people know who was involved in the entire process.

LETTING GO
Eventually, people move on. More often than not they want to do work that we don’t do, move to a larger market, or start their own thing. We stay in touch, and look for opportunities to work together again. When you’re young you feel you have a long time to prove yourself. But as you get older, you realize that everything and everyone matters, and life is short. Go to it. You’ll learn your own lessons along the way, and discover in turn the rewards of helping others realize their own full potential.