brown johnson

Brown Johnson is executive creative director, Preschool TV-Nickelodeon. She describes the position succinctly as “big title - fun job.” Brown leads the efforts of Nickelodeon’s popular and critically-acclaimed preschool block, Nick Jr. She oversees the growth of Nick Jr., including development and production of original programming like Blue’s Clues, Dora the Explorer and the upcoming series LazyTown and The Backyardigans. In addition, she integrates Nick Jr. programming into Nickelodeon's consumer products and international businesses. Brown joined Nickelodeon in 1987 as executive in charge of production, where her first project was Kid’s Court, which won an Action for Children’s Television Award. As executive producer, Johnson was pivotal in creating Eureeka’s Castle, the cornerstone of the Nick Jr. programming block. In 1989, Johnson was promoted to vice president, production, for Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, overseeing all production, production management, talent and Nickelodeon Studios' production staff in Florida. Under her auspices, reknowned series such as Clarissa Explains It All, Roundhouse, Welcome Freshman, Nickelodeon GUTS, What Would You Do?, Hey Dude and Wild & Crazy Kids were produced. In 1993, she became vice president/executive producer of Nick Jr. Production and Development. Nickelodeon invested over $30 million in original preschool tv, and Brown was responsible for launching original daily series in the block, including Gullah Gullah Island, Allegra’s Window, Maurice Sendak’s Little Bear and The Busy World of Richard Scarry. Brown attended Hampshire College.

How has graphic design changed since you started?
I started in cable television when it was still the wild west — 25 years ago. The opportunities for young people with fresh ideas, and women in particular, were there for the taking. Moving work from cumbersome edit and effect systems to desktops has changed the work dramatically. On the positive side, design is accessible. On the negative side, everyone thinks he/she is a designer. Every show Nick Jr. makes evolves design and media one step further, from Maurice Sendak’s Little Bear in classic 2D animation in the 90’s, to The Backyardigans using 3D modeling and Alvin Ailey dancers in 2004.

How and where do you find inspiration?
Of course, little kids inspire me — think about it, they’ve never seen almost anything. So EVERYthing is interesting. At work, I look at websites, storyboards, background tests, art books, fabric, illustrations, toy designs and more. The view from my office window is Times Square, where colors flash and flicker and fizz and change constantly. How could I not be inspired? My friends in design inspire me — Noreen Morioka and Sean Adams have done amazing work for Nick. Stephen Doyle taught me how to judge a design show. And Jan Fleming, her ever-changing accessories alone are inspiration. We go shopping together, not buying much, but looking at everything. Traci Page Johnson, a creator of Blue’s Clues, talks about sharpening her creative saw by spending time away from the office so she can have room to create.

What are you currently listening to, watching or reading?
Sirius Radio. There is a channel for every interest. The Sirius Disorder channel, hosted by David Johansen, plays Maria Callas next to Tom Waits; every possible sports game is on every weekend; there’s even a channel that only plays vacation music – think Harry Belafonte. And Rufus Wainwright — the most beautiful lyrics and luscious orchestration. Love him.

cheryl watson

Cheryl Watson’s degree from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design bears a slightly different major than the work she does now. “I graduated as an illustrator, and got a job right out of school at a local illustration studio. It was very communal back then, and I was just one of several artists all doing similar things. But in those days, it seemed to be about versatility over personal style. You were drawing cartoons in the morning and microwave ovens in the afternoon. I wasn’t very good at that." She quickly made the transition to design and art direction, where she has built a 25-year career. After 10 years with the Dayton’s, Hudson’s and Marshall Fields department stores, as well as several small agencies, she opened Graphiculture in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis in 1992, or as a writer friend reminded her, “the year Jack Palance did one arm push-ups at the Oscars.” Over 12 years later, Graphiculture has been recognized by nearly every major design publication and organization. Retail design, fashion, lifestyle, identity and consumer branding is still the main emphasis, although their thoughtful approach to print design in general has attracted clients from diverse businesses. The staff has grown to eight people and an office cat. Says Watson, “I’ve had great people to work with over the years. I learn from them everyday. The potential of the business is not about me, but rather the whole range of talent and thought that we can offer our clients.”

Do you feel hopeful about 2005?
The ebb and flow of business in our industry is probably not hugely different from others. I try to remain optimistic — and flexible. And my hope for 2005, as with any year, is to see our industry continue to grow the respect it deserves

How has graphic design changed since you started?
When I started my business, I did not even have a computer for about five months. Now can anyone even remember those days? Technology has most definitely shaped our business, but I think it’s more of a bridge now than an obstacle standing between original thought and good design. There was definitely a time, though, when technology was in the driver’s seat. For years we would see designs based on software goofups that some designers clearly considered a cool effect. I’m glad that’s over! It’s changed the pace of our workday and the expectations of our clients, but there is no denying its honorable contributions.

What is your workday like?
Well, it’s never boring! It varies from days that are full of meetings and craziness to quieter days when I can spend time with our staff or play with the office cat. As the business has grown, and our staff along with it, my role has naturally shifted to more management, but we have a great group of talented people and a fun office atmosphere that I still very much enjoy being part of.

How and where do you find inspiration?
The name of my business is based on the reality that design is everywhere we are. It is part of our culture and impacts us everyday, for better or worse. For that reason, I can find inspiration almost anywhere, from the layers of peeling posters on college campus telephone poles, to outsider art and conversations overheard on the street.

What are you currently listening to, reading or watching?
I just finished reading Mongo: Adventures in Trash by Ted Botha, about “collectors” in a different sense of the word. It puts a new perspective on the things that we so casually dispose of and how they impact the next person who discovers them. I think that tv today is pretty over-hyped and disappointing, but I do like to see films.

david young

David Young started his professional career as a computer scientist, doing research in artificial intelligence and experimental psychology. But it was in graduate school, studying at the MIT Media Lab with Muriel Cooper in her Visible Language Workshop, that he caught the “new media” bug. In 1998 he founded Triplecode, an interactive media design firm. The studio’s work was a combination of code and design talents, merging disciplines in order to create unique work. Their projects approached interactive design as a way to empower users to explore and discover according to their own interests. Clients included BMW, Nokia, Capitol Records, the Getty Museum and MOCA. The studio received most major design awards, and was featured in a variety of books and magazines. In 2004, seeking to more fully integrate interactivity with overall design and branding assignments, Young became interactive creative director at Siegel & Gale. Here, he makes interactivity a key part of how clients brand and position themselves. An active member of the community, David was a faculty member at Art Center College of Design and director of their new media research group. He has been a board member of AIGA Los Angeles, the keynote speaker at the AIGA Seattle’s Activ8 New Media Conference and a judge at the Art Directors Club Awards.

Do you feel hopeful about 2005?
Absolutely. The past couple years have been tough, but they have also helped clear things up. The interactive design profession has matured. Clients better understand the need for “interactive” to be a core part of how they position themselves. And design firms and agencies are realizing that interactive needs to be a core part of their services — not a separate division, or outsourced to a web shop down the street. This new alignment opens the door for some amazing design opportunities. And with the near-ubiquity of digital devices, and high user acceptance of them, we can better implement ideas which will make a big impact, potentially changing how people interact with companies. Empowering everyone with better services, information and control. It's “just” up to us to design them.

How has graphic design changed since you started?
I can best address interactive design. If anything, that has done nothing but change. I started doing interactive design in the late 80s, before the web, when there was so much promise and excitement of the unknown. We were trying new things — exploring, experimenting — trying to develop new vocabularies for interactive and dynamic communication. There was the feeling we were inventing the future. A feeling reinforced by the academic environment, and by doing design on custom workstations and supercomputers. And then the web came along. At first it felt like a huge step backwards. And with the dotcom era, things got out of control. Now it feels like we're at a more sober, realistic stage. We can intelligently approach assignments, but with a renewed opportunity to innovate and make big changes. Perhaps it is the nature of the field — things are constantly changing. But that’s also the cool thing about it.

How and where do you find inspiration?
I haven’t found any guaranteed source. But I don’t think inspiration needs to be a mysterious, unexplainable thing. While it is true that it can happen unexpectedly — taking a shower, or on walk — it can also be managed. Simply sitting down with colleagues, or even a client, to discuss and brainstorm can lead to all sorts of unexpected and exciting ideas. It is not effortless, but it can yield good results, too. It is equally important to find a balance between “inspiration” and solving problems by “doing.” Sketching and designing and coding can all produce unexpected results and new ideas.