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[ March 15, 2004 ]
Making up the heart of Riordon Design, Ric and Shirley Riordon and Dan Wheaton have taken as their mandate some pretty challenging words penned by Aristotle: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit."
Their portfolio offers a diverse palette of projects for clients like: The Canadian Opera Company, Corus Entertainment, The Academy of Country Music, IBM, EMI, Mazda and Hewlett Packard, to name a few. The studio motto is further exemplified by the continuous recognition from client and industry awards and acknowledgements, and the over 60 design books that feature their work worldwide. A few questions answered about Riordon Design from Ric Riordon, Corporate Director:
It was the proverbial basement business. It evolved from a passion for beautiful design and compelling communication. We started in our home working for a number agencies, record labels in Nashville, and a few different corporate clients. We incorporated in 1989 and Dan joined us a couple of years later. Our mutual background in design and illustration, and our shared values, made for a strong foundation. In 1995 we built our own Georgian style studio space in historic Oakville, a western suburb of the greater Toronto area. What are your creative influences? We're inspired by many sources, for example; Cirque du Soleil, The Holy Bible, European films [i.e. "Amelie"], music artists like Jann Arden, Annie Lennox and Charlie Peacock, directors like Ridley Scott, Tim Burton and Scott Hicks, photographers like Ron Fehling and Dominique Malaterre, illustrators such as Brad Holland and Rene Milot, designers like Charles Anderson, Qube, Hambley and Wooley. How would you define your style? I'm quite eclectic in my personal style tastes, although I do tend to lean to classic minimalism. However, our studio is made up of 10 very uniquely creative individuals that represent a wide spectrum of style sensibilities. Ultimately, we believe style should always be subjugated to the cultural context you are communicating within. It must be relevant to the specific market. Do you see any quality of your work as being influenced by living in Ontario? I'm sure our work has been influenced by living in Ontario, but even more so, living in this part of Ontario. Toronto is a very cosmopolitan and multicultural city. Canada also plays a part in this, with its strong ties to Britain and France giving us a more European influence in our cultural and political experience. This obviously impacts how we express ourselves. American clients have often noted this affinity with European design.
1. Technology- This is probably the most obvious. By embracing the technology, creative has a greater autonomy; the variety and sophistication of the tools allows for fantastic exploration; and the net has created information communities that encourage others to wade in. Of course, the expectations have risen along with this, but that is to be expected. 2. Strategy - The way we approach a creative challenge. We have just undertaken a rigorous branding exercise for Riordon internally. In so doing we have examined our process and our unique value opportunity in the market. In our business essentially doing "good art" is only good when it helps people solve a communication problem. No matter how beautiful the final execution, if it's not meeting the client's objective or relating to the target audience, we get an "F" for failure. 3. Legality- More and more, our societies seem to demand controls in place to protect our efforts, and create a healthy respect for "artists" as we are a significant part of the business face and strategy. Looking back what are you surprised to have discovered in the business?I don't think I realized at the onset of starting our business how integral success in a creative career is to human psychology. Understanding and managing people, and their expectations, is often equal to the demand of the actual task at hand. That applies to our team as much as towards our clients. It's all about human relationships, no matter what business you're in. - Contributed by Mary-Beth Holland >> See more work from Riordon Design >> See other member spotlights on the member spotlight index >> Find out more on how to become an altpick.com member |
