L. RICHARD POULIN AND DOUGLAS MORRIS
POULIN + MORRIS INC., NEW YORK CITY
LENGTH OF RELATIONSHIP: 16 YEARS

L. Richard Poulin and Douglas Morris met in 1990 at a SEGD Annual Design Conference dinner at Cranbrook. “At the end of the meal, I knew I would be spending the rest of my life (professional and personal) with this man,” recalls Poulin. Back in New York, they designed an event together. “It was the most inspiring process I had ever been through. We knew immediately that we should do this always,” says Morris.

They are partners at Poulin + Morris, a multidisciplinary design consulting firm specializing in all areas of visual communications, including environmental graphics, exhibition design, interactive media, identity, promotional print, and publication design.

After 16 years, neither can distinguish between work and pleasure. “Design gives me the insights and means to enjoy life and to see life as one continuous, holistic experience,” says Poulin. Brainstorming and conceptualizing together, each has his own clients as well. They come together on every project, however, to get the other’s opinions. Always present are their two golden retrievers, Spencer and Parker. “I couldn’t imagine our lives or the office being the same without them,” Poulin says. Spencer and Parker live charmed lives, being doted upon and spending their “off time” at the couple’s country place.

“Our garden at our home upstate is our crown jewel,” Morris says. In this oasis, all four of them can relax and forget the demands of running the business. Housework and cooking are mutual pleasures, unless they’re entertaining, when Poulin takes over the cooking. His other love is teaching, which he’s done for 18 years. “I love seeing him after he is in school all day teaching his students,” says Morris. “He comes back charged and full of creative energy wanting to change the world. I believe he is the most creative person I have ever met.”

A picture of life lived beautifully, theirs is truly a match by design. Working and living together, says Poulin, has given the relationship a depth he never expected to experience with another human being.

www.poulinmorris.com