ALTPICK.COM

BC Design's big break came in 1999 when it was asked by Pyramid Breweries, Inc. to design a Belgian-style beer. "We developed the brand, came up with the name "Monx", designed the logo and wrote the copy," says partner David Bates. "The client obviously put a lot of trust in us. We were a start-up company and they allowed us to create everything from scratch."

A start-up maybe, but professionally this was well-tested turf for partners Bates and Michael Calkins. Bates had 12 years experience as a designer at Hornall Anderson Design Works, while Calkins had been an art director at Urban Outfitters. As BC Design got closer to becoming a reality, Calkins joined Bates at Hornall Anderson for a year. "I had a strong retail background and David had a broader design background. We felt like we had complementary backgrounds," says Calkins.

The Seattle firm's focus is exploring design relationships between all mediums. Their capacities include: corporate branding and strategy, package design, identity systems, illustration, annual reports, environment graphics, print collateral, Web design and motion graphics. "Having that variety keeps you more creative," says Bates. "If we don't know how to do something we'll learn it. That's what we've done with clients." As a result, BC Design has been recognized by publications such as Communication Arts, Typographics, Print, How, Step-By-Step, Graphis, and the Society of Publication Designers.

With a staff of six that includes two full-time designers, general manager and a full-time intern, BC Design continues to strive for smart, timeless design that is true to whatever it pertains to. Altpick spoke to proprietors David Bates and Michael Calkins about their work.

Tell me about starting your own company?
Mike: I thought it would be easy based on the caliber of work coming out of relatively successful shops in Seattle and all over the country. I sort of equated that with the amount of work that was available. I know better now, it's not easy. It's a battle.

Dave: We were comfortable. We talked about it for about five to seven years. Having confidence in your design ability is one thing. But knowing where your clients are coming from is another. How to run the whole thing was a little intimidating at first.

And now?
Dave: I experience much more freedom now. One of my frustrations of working for a larger firm was the ability to foresee what a project could be. But you wound up getting compromised to the point where the pureness of the idea was gone by the time you got to the client.

Mike: The biggest reward about being in business for your self is that the roadblocks are gone.

Who are some of your other clients?
Adidas, Blue Q, Burgerville, Hasbro, MTV Networks, Nordstrom, Starbucks, Ride Snow Boards.

How is the artwork split between the two of you?
Mike: When we get a new client or new project we want everyone working on the first round of concepts. We have two full-time designers, Ryan and Pat. Depending on workload, or if they are running with a project idea that is in line with the direction of the client, it just becomes their project. We are not very formal about that and it tends to work itself out. Both Dave and I work on our own projects, depending on the client.

How would you describe your working environment?
Dave: I come from an ultra-disciplined environment where you kept track of your time in half-hour increments. I have seen the result of how that works on the creative side of things. Mike came from a different kind of background. He experienced the discipline as well but not for an extended amount of time. From a creative perspective, to not have a schedule where you say, okay, at two o'clock we are going to look at work and at two o'clock tomorrow we are going to look at work again. We let people have their time to work on things. And if they need a little more time then they get a little more time.

When did you know you wanted to be a designer?
Dave: I love fine art but my interest was to find something that I could also make a living at.

Mike: I started out illustrating and grew to feel that it was too limiting. I wanted control over a lot of other aspects of the commercial process.

Whose work do you admire?
Lester Beal, Lazloff Sutner, Saul Bass, Bradbury Thompson, Art Chantry, Alvin Lustig.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Right here. Maybe a little bigger, but we never want to get so big that we have to take on any job just to support the head count. Hopefully in five years we can still look at ourselves as being on top of our game, regardless of our size.

- Contributed by Mary-Beth Holland