This morning I went looking on the internet for the woman who designed New City Media’s logo, Jennifer Goodreau (if you’re out there Jen, give us a shout). I made several attempts to design it myself, but if you’ve ever tried designing for yourself you know how hard that can be.
With just a few variations Jen nailed exactly the feel I was looking for. She’s got that special talent for reduction and symbolism that makes a great logo designer.
While looking for Jen I came across some links to her old design partner, Mark Nystrom. Jen and Mark started a firm called Plaid River Design back in the early 90’s.
My third real job was working as a graphic designer at Radford University. Mark left Plaid River and came to work at Radford while I was there. I had a degree in graphic design, Mark did not. Mark though is one of the most thoughtful and intuitive designers with whom I have ever worked. He’s a gifted photographer, and that allows him to integrate type, color and visual imagery as one unified concept. He would lay out a magazine spread, already envisioning the shot he would capture to bring it to perfection.
Mark was hired to work on publications for Radford’s planned College of Global Studies. His salary was paid through CGS funds. In early 1995, not long after I had designed RU’s first web site, the administration decided to pull the plug on the College of Global Studies. Most of its faculty would be folded into other programs. Mark, though, was going to lose his job. Radford would lose one of the best young designers in the field.
At that point I had been bitten by the web bug pretty hard. I wasn’t terribly happy in my job and wanted to pursue work with the internet. Not that I had any job prospects – people weren’t really hiring web designers back then.
I went to my boss and asked, “If I quit, can Mark have my job?” “Yes,” she said.
So I did.
I moved into a part time position for a few months at the RU Teaching Resource Center, helping teachers learn how to use technology in the classroom. Meanwhile I started freelancing doing web design. By the summer I knew I had to decide to either find a full-time job or work for myself, not half and half. I left RU and started New City Media in August 1995.
When I offered my job to Mark I wasn’t being completely selfless - I was following my own dreams and it was time to move on. But it was an important turning point for me, realizing that someone else was both a better designer and better suited to a particular role than I was.
Since starting New City Media I’ve had the opportunity to hire a number of people who are better than I am at a lot of things. It’s one of my greatest joys as a business owner - putting together teams, helping people find their strengths, watching them excel.
Over 12 years I’ve realized that’s one of the things I’m best at – knowing when to step aside for someone better.
More:
Jennifer Goodreau’s logo variations for NCM in 1997
Mark Nystrom’s web site (his email address doesn’t work)