What Does Your Workspace Say About You?
We asked some of the very best creatives around to show us their desks.
ALEX CARLETON Chief Creative Officer, Filson
@AlexCarleton
Alex Carleton probably has more to do with how you are dressed than you know. Before signing on with Filson 5 years ago, he cut his teeth at Ralph Lauren, and led design for Abercrombie and L.L.Bean as well as founding his own clothing brand, Rogues Gallery. He seems to thrive in a controlled chaos type of workspace. Whatever he’s doing, it’s working.
ONE THING THAT YOU NEED TO GET THROUGH YOUR WORKDAY? A good run, fresh grounds, my phone, old stuff, new ideas, inspiring people, dog time (whenever I can find it), Hooverville, solid sleep.
GEORGE LOIS American Art Director
GeorgeLois.com
George Lois probably ran out of shelf space 20 or so years ago when the lifetime achievements and hall of fames started piling up. The Museum of Modern Art has 38 of his iconic Esquire covers—including Andy Warhol being swallowed by a soup can and Muhammad Ali as Saint Sebastian—in its permanent collection, and he’s one of the original Mad Men, responsible for groundbreaking advertising for everyone from Xerox in the 1960s to Cutty Sark in the 1970s, MTV in the 1980s and ESPN in the 1990s.
ONE THING THAT YOU NEED TO GET THROUGH YOUR WORKDAY? I desperately need the ability of my son Luke, who works with me on his computer as we reject con, and create icon. Our daily work is done in the company of the photograph of my father when he was a Greek Evzone, in 1928. And, possibly shocking to Whalebone Magazine, we have the company of a complete whalebone of the Haida Clan with a totemic relief of a killer whale.
PAULA SCHER Partner, Pentagram
Petagram.com
When someone cites nearly instantly iconic graphic design, more often than not, they are talking about something Paula Scher did. Through the 1970s and ’80s her eclectic approach to typography went beyond influential to oft-copied. When she joined Pentagram in 1991 she became the legendary design firm’s first female principal and has led identity work for the Public Theater, The New School, Citibank and Tiffany & Co.
ONE THING THAT YOU NEED TO GET THROUGH YOUR WORKDAY? My daily agenda.
BILL BOLAND Sr. Global Creative Director, Patagonia
@BillBoland
Patagonia is widely known for being a people’s brand and not a brand’s brand, pioneering an almost anti-marketing, anti-establishment approach, with authenticity and the customer at its core. Bill has championed this direction throughout his 26-year career in the Patagonia Creative dept. and has led all global creative for the past 4 years.
ONE THING THAT YOU NEED TO GET THROUGH YOUR WORKDAY? A sharp pencil.
ERWIN FEDERIZO Global Executive Creative Director, Vans
@ErwinFederizo
Erwin Federizo has some serious brand street cred, with work on such brands as Nike, ESPN, Bud Light and Spotify. To learn more about his personal style, we recommend giving the “about” section on his website a good read.
ONE THING THAT YOU NEED TO GET THROUGH YOUR WORKDAY? The sound of laughter – in the hustle and bustle of our office environment, laughter is synonymous to the sounds of birds chirping. It’s a good way to calibrate how the day is going as it lets me know that the folks around me are keeping it loose, enjoying their work.
JASON DEMARCO Senior Vice President & Creative Director, Adult Swim
@JasonDemarco
Jason DeMarco, cartoon demigod, is also one of the most unher alded A&R men in hip-hop (he put together Run The Jewels and his Adult Swim soundtracks are not to be trifled with). And it certainly makes us smile that he w as also the co-creator of Toonami, while probably fighting evil by moonlight.
ONE THING THAT YOU NEED TO GET THROUGH YOUR WORKDAY? Music.
STEFAN SAGMEISTER Art Director and Co-founder of New York’s Sagmeister & Walsh
@StefanSagmeister
Stefan Sagmeister could be considered out of the box, but that might be a little too in the box to say. His work has been featured all over the world. Certainly worth mentioning that he has worked with some of the best musicians in the world—creating cover art for the likes of The Rolling Stones and Jay Z.
ONE THING THAT YOU NEED TO GET THROUGH YOUR WORKDAY? Espresso.
