10 questions for id29‘s Doug Bartow (CAA ‘95)

id29 is the design firm founded in 2003 by Partners Doug Bartow and Michael Fallone. They are based in Troy, NY and 8 people strong.

Arjen Noordeman got to ask partner Doug Bartow 10 questions for Cranbrookdesign.com and is proud to present this exclusive interview.

id29 believes that “that exceptional brand design is a powerful thing”, that “that memorable communications, and an engaging, well-articulated story are required.” and that “that traditional ad agencies aren’t the best choice for all clients.” (From id29.com)

1. Where were the partners in your respective careers, when you came together and decided to start a design firm?

Michael and I met at a large Albany, NY agency in the early 90’s. I was a freelance designer just out of my undergraduate BFA, Michael was an Account Executive on the way up. Over a couple of beers, we made plans to start our own agency—we had the basic skill sets: my formal design background and Michael’s experience in creative direction and strategy. We never pulled the trigger on that idea, however, and ended up going our separate ways, but kept in touch throughout the years. I ended up going to Cranbrook for my MFA in 2D Design in 1993, Michael moved to California and helped take Valley Media public, which grew to be one of the largest distributors for e-tailers like Amazon and CDNow (before the internet bubble burst in 2000.) We ended up back together in NY in the late 90’s. I took the job of Design Director at MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts) in North Adams, MA the week after I graduated from Cranbrook. Michael returned to the area as a VP at the same ad agency (where we met) after he and his wife Amy had his first child while living in California. In 2003, we revisited our decade-old business plan and found the timing to be perfect for both of us—we both quit our jobs, bought some Macs, and called everyone we knew in the business and asked them for work. This is the genesis of our studio’s name: the “2” is Michael and me, the “9” is the sum of us + our wives + our kids that we put into financial peril by quitting our good jobs and starting a design firm without any clients. Fortunately, a few old friends came through in a big way, and we were busy right out of the gate.

2. What do you each bring to the company and why do you think that matters?

I am a formally trained graphic designer, Michael is a Creative Director with a background in strategy and client relations. We had the basic parts needed to start a small agency, and have scaled over the past 5 years in those same areas.

3. Please introduce who works at id29 with a brief clue as to what makes them unique in the organization.

Doug Bartow
Principal + Design Director (MFA, Cranbrook Art Academy)

Michael Fallone
Principal + Creative Director (BS, Siena College)

Arte Levy
Account Director (BA, College of St. Rose)

Bryan Kahrs
Senior Designer (BFA, Ohio University)

Susan Merrick
Designer (BFA, Pratt Institute)

Kevin Luddy
Account Executive (BS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)

Jake Wright
Designer (BS, Virginia Tech University)

Elizabeth Solarek
Account Executive (BA, Syracuse University)

Amy Fallone
Business Manager (BA, University at Albany)

We have been very conservative about the growth of id29, and equally curatorial about adding creative talent to our team.

4. Do you aggressively manage the type of clients you take on? (Meaning for example, would you turn down a well paying client, because the nature of their business doesn’t fit into the idea what you want to be working on?)

Absolutely. I think some of the best business decisions we have made to date have been saying “No” to clients that we felt wouldn’t be a good creative fit for id29. One of the advantages of staying “smallish” is being able to be somewhat selective with the clients we work with. This allows us to work in a variety of business spaces, and keep a diverse eye on business development.

5. In what way does the unusual location of id29 affect your business?

We chose Troy (NY) because we love the 19th-century architecture in the downtown area. We spent our first year in an 1820 brownstone’s basement, before moving to our current space on the second and third floors of the old C&C Collar Factory on the Hudson River. We’re right next door to one of our first clients, Brown’s Brewing Co., and directly above Revolution Hall, a performing arts space. The live shows downstairs create an energy in the space that we seem to feed on. Having a brewery next door can be useful as well.

6. What was a turning point in the development of the studio?

When we got too busy—about 6 months after we opened, working 80-hour weeks—we hired Designer Susan Merrick. It’s a big shift once you start adding employees. We’ve had the good fortune to grow to 8 strong since then.

7. What do id29 designers do to stay inspired?

We’re always thinking about design, but not always designing. Our collective “hobbies” range from raising kids and home improvement to Call of Duty 4, soccer and skateboarding.

8. Does the studio have clear top down division of responsibilities, or is there a very horizontal structure?

We’re very horizontal currently. Being in the same large room allows us to simply turn our chairs and have impromptu meetings when needed. We all know what everyone is working on at any given time, and this helps foster the “crit-room” mentality that we identified early on as the direction we wanted to take the discourse in our studio.

9. Do you think it helps or confuses new clients that you define yourself as a general design firm, rather than a firm specializing in a specific medium, and why? (Like a lot of motion graphics and interactive design firms do).

Actually, it’s easier for us to describe ourselves as an agency focusing on great design and creative, but not “full-service,” in that we don’t have in-house PR or media buying departments. It would be inherently limiting for us to focus on a specific medium to work in.

10. Please show us 3-5 of id29‘s best, most interesting or most important projects.

(Please see the image links to the right.)

Thanks Doug!