Tim Klauda
interactive director
ZAAZ
Portland, Ore.

CAN’T DO WITHOUT: DIET COKE
“My Diet Coke habits run deep,” Klauda says. “It has to be a fountain soda. It can’t be in a can or bottle. That doesn’t work for me.” His soda addiction dates back to college, when he started drinking Dr. Pepper and Mountain Dew during three-hour life-drawing classes. Now Diet Coke helps him relax at the keyboard and make it through late-night work sessions. While he doesn’t drink coffee, Klauda averages two or three Diet Cokes a day, picking up his first on the way to work. Personal Pref: giant sizes at Jack in the Box.

Deborah Adler
senior designer
Milton Glaser
New York City

CAN’T DO WITHOUT: BATHTUB
Before she goes to sleep each night, Adler spends 10 or 15 minutes relaxing in a hot bath. She’ll light a candle and add bubble bath or oils to enhance the experience. It’s a ritual she’s honored for the past 10 years, even making time to unwind with a quick soak when she gets home at 3 a.m. “I get some of my best ideas in the bath,” she says. “Things bubble up to the surface. I take it into the next day at work.”

Wil Arndt
creative director, principal
Mod7
Vancouver, British Columbia

CAN’T DO WITHOUT: SPREADSHEET
Arndt’s affinity for spreadsheets blossomed during his last year of design school. With high aspirations for his senior project, he started using charts to visualize his time and figure out how to get everything done. Today he applies that same time-management system to his client work. “At the beginning of every project we’ll map it out,” he says. For larger jobs, they use Microsoft Project to lay out the steps. Things never turn out quite as planned, but this method still keeps things on schedule and within budget. Arndt also relies on the paper in his Moleskine notebook to stay on track. “My memory is terrible,” he says. “The notebook goes with me wherever I am.”

Danielle Aubert
freelance designer (www.danielleaubert.com)
Detroit

CAN’T DO WITHOUT: FOUR SECONDHAND PRINTERS
“After graduate school, it was hard to adjust to being on my own,” Aubert says. “I got used to having access to printers.” To set up her freelance business on a budget, Aubert did some creative thrifting. Three of her printers— a black-and-white laser, 36-in. plotter and color laser—came from a local office furniture store. She also purchased a newer color laser on eBay with duplex and 11 x 17-in. printing capabilities. “It makes me feel like I have a real office,” she says. The specs: Ricoh Aficio 3800 C, HP DesignJet 755CM, HP Color LaserJet 5, HP LaserJet 8000N.

Jay Nungesser
graphic designer
Big Blur Design
Boston

CAN’T DO WITHOUT: SMALL DIGITAL CAMERA
Nungesser makes a point to carry his Canon PowerShot SD550 with him whenever he leaves the house. “I can just stick it in my pocket and take it everywhere,” he says, snapping pictures along the way. The images capture anything he wants to remember later, from a cool poster to an interesting pattern. Through these casual efforts, he’s built up a visual reference library 60– 70,000 images strong. While Nungesser rarely uses these photos in projects, he’ll pull them up in iPhoto to generate ideas for style, pattern, texture, color or mood. “It’s the best inspiration for me,” he says.