ALTPICK.COM

Don't assume that designer Erik Olsen's affinity for the clean and graphic has solely to do with the architecture degree he received from Cal Berkeley. Don't mistake this for his signature style. Take, for example, the work Olsen produced for the Spinal Diagnostics and Treatment Center, which was recognized in The Type Directors Club Annual. "We didn't automatically assume certain design parameters that we thought appropriate for the client, based on what is generally recognized as the industry standard look and feel," says Olsen. Clients looking through Olsen's portfolio may be surprised to see such a set of collateral materials for a doctor's office. "We make a conscious effort to step back," Olsen says, "to rethink the entire approach and dedicate the time to make the project special by pursuing alternative design concepts and solutions."

After receiving a Masters in Communication Design from Pratt, and after having put himself through school by working full-time for Landor Associates, Olsen moved back to San Francisco. "It was not only that I wanted to work more directly with clients and avoid as many levels of marketing as possible, but that working for myself is some fundamental part of my temperament." The firm has developed a client roster that includes PC World, Levi Strauss, Precis Vodka, The San Francisco Art Dealers Association, TBWA/Chiat/Day and Banana Republic, and has recently expanded its client base to Milan. Olsen spoke to altpick.com from his office, located in a remodeled 1920's brick carriage house.

When did you realize you wanted to be a designer?
In college I had a vague interest in design but was unfamiliar with it as a paying industry. I equated being a designer with a starving painter in a studio somewhere. My parents encouraged me to get an engineering degree, as both my father and grandfather are engineers. I ended up in the only design-related program offered at Berkeley at that time, which was Architecture. I enjoyed the program as it was relatively conceptual and my parents were satisfied due to the technical and engineering aspects of architecture.

My introduction to the field of graphic design came when the design director of Cal Performances at Berkeley saw some work I was doing and offered me an internship.

How have these experiences affected your career?
I am glad that my career path has taken the arch that it has, and to have worked at a larger commercial packaging and identity firm such as Landor at one point. I started off working in production and I worked my way up to dealing directly with large clients. It was a great time in my life and I learned a lot.

It also reaffirmed that some day I would be working for myself. There was a lot of unnecessary frustration at times. For example, when the design director came back from a focus group where an individual mentioned that they didn't like the color blue. So we were forbidden to use any shade of the color. More importantly, there was no effort made to educate the client or any rational thinking in regards to dismissing this one person's opinion. And we are talking about a major brand here, whose marketing people were influenced by a single person in a focus group.

How has your architectural background influenced your design work?
I think the predominant effect is that maybe it has given me a slightly different approach or perspective. Overall my work tends to be clean and graphic. I have an affinity for color, architectural forms and composition. Am I drawn to those things because of my training as an architect? It's hard to say, it's kind of a catch twenty-two thing. The amount of TV I was allowed to watch growing up was very restricted, and now I really like watching the tube and going to the movies etc. Do I love it because I was denied it or do I love it just because I would have loved it anyway?

What made you move back to San Francisco?
It was two-fold. I grew up in the suburbs of San Francisco, and while I loved my time in New York, it reaffirmed that I wanted to move back to San Francisco. In addition, my perception at the time, whether it was accurate or not, was that the industry in San Francisco would support a boutique design firm more than New York would. To me New York seemed to be comprised of big corporate business; maybe it was just my awareness at the time.

What is the hardest thing about working for yourself?
I think it is a trade-off. In the beginning there is always the risk factor. You are responsible for everything, and are not pulling a regular salary every two weeks, and can rack up incredible debt one month and pay it off the next. It's up and down. It is not always a steady cycle and has to be managed. That being said, I love being in control. I promised myself at the outset that no job would go out of the studio that wasn't done to the best of our ability, even if that meant eating the budget to finish the job right. I think that is the opportunity and responsibility that comes with opening my own studio.

Have you reached the place you want to be?
Yes and no. I have learned a lot over the past few years about what does and doesn't work for me and for the office. I now realize I do not want my business to grow more than six to ten people. When the office grows to that point it will be divided up in such a manner so that there are independent teams. So I am not constantly on the phone, travelling, in meetings or working solely on the mechanics of the business. I don't want to be just a manager or business owner, and I want to have the time to be involved in the design process of every project coming through the office. I have yet to reach the point where I don't want to spend the majority of my time designing and I don't think I will.

- Contributed by Mary-Beth Holland