rob deluke

Over the 20 years he spent in East Coast design firms, Rob DeLuke set the precedent for how to shape corporate images and strategic visions in today's corporate climate. After attending the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, DeLuke launched his career at Forsyth & Connors, working his way up to the position of creative director. DeLuke also worked at H. Linn Cushing and Wolkcas Communications Group before founding his own creative consulting firm, DeLuke Design Group. In the mid 90s, Finch Paper recruited DeLuke to spearhead their surge into the fine paper and text and cover markets. DeLuke has remained at Finch, where he helps create all advertising and promotion for one of the most respected uncoated paper mills in North America.

Is graphic design a growth industry? Graphic design has changed dramatically since I first picked up an X-acto knife. With technologies that nearly allow us to design in real time, designers and clients expect immediate gratification. Still, there are wonderful opportunities in the design world. There are many more outlets for design than there were 20 years ago. If we can effectively communicate ideas through both mainstream and peripheral outlets, we can position ourselves as key partners to business. To be effective, designers must understand the subtle nuances of crossmedia promotion and how to attack something both traditionally and virally. It is versatility and knowledge that will create opportunities.

Do graphic designers have a special responsibility to promote a green society? Because the power of design is so strong, we cannot shrug our responsibility to the future. I work for a paper mill where environmental concerns are paramount. We constantly work to be better stewards of the environment, and we have aspired to achieve every major environmental accolade. We carry recycled products and products that are FSC and SFI certified, use clean green power and steward over 161,000 acres of land for the Nature Conservancy in the Adirondack Park. To help make our earth a greener place, designers must consider the carbon footprint of their vendors, the types of paper they specify and the size and distribution of the pieces they create. In today's world, environmentalism is good business, so take the time and effort to design a little greener.

ONE THING I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IS my wife and kids. They are what I live for.

FAVORITE MOVIES

Scarface
Toy Story I and II
To Live and Die in L.A. has the best typography and the best car chase

FAVORITE BOOKS

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Romanov Conspiracies by Michael Occleshaw
Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan

FAVORITE SONGS

"Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts
"Fly Like and Eagle" by Steve Miller Band (because my wife bought me the album in the eighth grade)
"Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton

FAVORITE FINE ARTISTS

Michelangelo
Picasso
da Vinci
Patrick Nagel

FAVORITE TV SHOWS

Lost in Space
Iron Chef
House

BOOKMARKED WEBSITES

ebay.com
esnipe.com
libraryspot.com