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Mark + Lisa answer client’s FAQ’s

• When was Interrobang formed?
  • Interrobang was founded in 1997.
• Who are the people behind Interrobang?
  • We, Mark and Lisa Sylvester [see right], are the co-owners of Interrobang. We have been practicing design professionals for 24+ years, and have been married almost as long. The AIGA considers us ‘design veterans’…
• Married and working together? How’s THAT work?

  • Lisa:  Mark and I got to know each other and design simultaneously, so working together is normal for us. We met in 1983, our freshman year at the Philadelphia College of Art [now the University of the Arts], in a graphic design elective class. We started dating soon after. We went through the graphic design program at PCA and graduated together in 1987. A year after graduating we were married. In 1990 we were both accepted into the MFA Design program at Cranbrook Academy of Art where we obtained our master’s degrees. We’ve worked together most of our careers... and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

    Mark:  The short answer is that it isn’t ‘work’. We enjoy and respect each other, and love what we do. We’re both interested in solving problems for our clients, and pushing our own knowledge and skills, and working with someone you trust and who understands you allows that to happen on a daily basis. And anyone who’s met and worked with us knows that I married up…

• Why are you designers?

  • Lisa:  I grew up in a mill town in Massachusetts and used to spend time in the mill stores, drawn to the colors and textures of the yarns and woolens they sold. I wanted to be an artist and was always drawing, painting and creating patterns. I remember being aware of how things were designed and noticed how design helped things work (like the awesome color-coded reading program we had in second grade!) In high school, I worked for a sign carver where a love of typography was fostered. I studied type and color in detail as I created layouts for signs and painted and gilded them after they were carved. My high school art teacher pointed me towards design as a career path and my first design class in college sealed the deal. 

    Mark:  My father was a commercial artist who worked for newspapers and then private companies… think Mad Men… I grew up around drawing tables, T-squares, markers, rubber cement and x-acto knives… I saw him make things with words and pictures. I wanted to make things with words and pictures, too. My mother and Aunt were English teachers and writers. They influenced what I read growing up, and how I learned to write creatively. Role those influences together and you lay the foundation for checking the ‘Graphic Design’ major box in college.

• What do you love about what you do?

  • The variety of companies and organizations we work with, learning about how other people do business, helping them realize their goals and building upon that success over a long collaboration. Very few professions allow you to learn so much about so many different businesses, markets or technologies. This gives us a great backpack of experiences and knowledge that we apply to other projects as needed.

• What does Interrobang specialize in?

  • We are branding specialists, developing and identifying strategies in collaboration with each client’s brand needs and goals. We develop targeted identity systems that allow for consistent application throughout the client’s brand communications.

• What kind of businesses do you work with?

  • We work with a broad range of company types [small start-ups, large corporations, nonprofits, B2B, B2C and more] across many business industries [technology, food, apparel, health + beauty, toy, travel, finance, arts, fair trade, and more.] 

• What kinds of projects do you work on?

  • We do brand consulting, helping clients define their brand strategy and direction, as well as brand related projects that fall in the identity, packaging, print and web communications categories – but let’s not restrict things… Need something off the beaten path? Let us know… We’ve also designed apparel trim, interfaces, jewelry, workstations and interiors for a number of clients.

• What kind of clients do you like to work with?

  • 1. We like working with clients who are excited about their products and services; i.e. they aren’t coming to us because it’s a task they’ve been assigned by their boss. They come to us because they have a goal, a need, or are facing a challenge and are eager to create the tools they need to move forward.

    2. We like working with people who are excited about the prospect of working with a designer. Whether they have experience buying design or not, they know the value design can bring and are excited about the process. 

    3. We like to work with businesses and organizations that have a great mission. Whether it’s social, environmental or industry related, we like supporting businesses that want to make a difference.

    4. We like working with businesses and organizations that have ongoing design needs. They need a trusted partner that they can pass projects off to and know they’ll be done right, the first time. 

• Do you offer packages?

  • No. We don’t believe in jargon, meaning, we’re not going to package our services and think up fancy terms for them. We prefer to keep it simple and clear, call a spade a spade. Tell us what your need, goal or challenge is and we’ll go from there.

    Each client’s needs and problems are as different as their businesses. Our work for you is developed specifically for your business’s needs.

• Small studio = small clients/small projects?

  • Here’s a story… Interrobang was one of four independent design firms that collaborated to handle all aspects of the design and marketing work for the North American division of TDK Electronics Corporation [now owned by Imation.] We provided design and marketing consultation, brand evolution, product management, packaging design, advertising, trade show graphics, and lifestyle and product photography art direction for TDK Electronics’ full range of analog and digital media products. We completed or participated in an average of 275 projects a year for this client.

• I was surprised to see the range of design directions you showed us. How do you create such diverse options for each client?

  • First let’s start with why we create such diverse options... Showing a wide range of design directions [A, M, Z; not 1a, 1b, 1c] helps us take a pulse to see what’s right for your needs and goals, and what isn’t. You may have no idea what your design work should look like, or there may be directions you’re not thinking about. Our job is to develop a broad range of options for you to respond to. 

    There’s no formula to how we do that, just a solid process. We take what we learn from you, and the research we do, and pair it with our knowledge of design and marketing. We sketch, make things, print them out, and put them up on the wall. We talk about the work, critique it, and revise and revise until it's right for your needs and goals. We don’t present anything that isn’t a viable solution, or that we wouldn’t be proud to have chosen.

    Sometimes one design solution we present nails it on the head. Sometimes elements from various solutions resonate and are brought together, creating something new. The result is a custom, targeted, and functional solution.

• Do rejected designs ever get repurposed for new clients?

  • No. We present at least three design options for most projects we work on. That means the world hasn’t seen two thirds of our work. We’re saving them for a special project down the road.

• Who does what in the studio? 

  • We each handle all aspects of the projects we work on. That means if you have questions about estimates, design, production, schedule, bills, etc… you talk to one person.

• Who will I work with?

  • This is a great question to ask and you should ask it of any design firm you are considering. Many firms will farm out work to freelancers or interns. Some firms give little or no access to client’s who want to speak directly with their designers. Our clients work directly with one or both of us. Who that will be depends on your project needs and our individual availability. 

• How can two people be a ‘collaborative’?

  • When we started Interrobang we decided we didn’t want to have employees. We weren’t interested in becoming a big studio, managing people, carrying overhead. We like working directly with clients. We like being involved in our projects from start to finish.

    Just as importantly, we didn’t want to be everything to everyone. We like and know a lot about printing but that doesn’t mean we want to own a printing press. The same goes for programming, PR, video production, etc. We focus on our expertise [brand strategy, identity, packaging, print and web communications] and bring in other professionals who are experts in their fields when needed, as well as working with your internal personnel… hence, a collaborative.

    This is good news for you. You get experts working on your project [no freelancers in the mid-west doing your design work while an intern coordinates your printing] and fair pricing [you’re not paying for a programmer whose salary factors into your estimate regardless of whether or not you need the service they provide.]

• What if my project requires a larger team?

  • If you have a project that requires a larger team, we custom assemble that team to bring you the best service possible. It might be that both of us work on your project. It might mean that we partner with other professionals [copywriters, illustrators, programmers, media specialists, PR people, etc.] We lead the team and run the project the same way we run all our projects.

• How can you promise your work will be on target, on time and on budget? What happens if it isn’t?

  • We are comfortable promising that our work for you will be on target, on time and on budget because it is consistently our client’s experience. We’ve been doing this a long time. We know what questions to ask. We’ve developed effective processes to enable projects to run smoothly. We see around corners raising concerns, preventing issues before they arise, hearing differing opinions while keeping the project focused.

    We won’t take on a project if we feel we won’t be able to keep this promise. 

• Seriously, what happens if it isn’t?

  • Seriously, we’ve found that if we’ve worked out a timeline, been given accurate answers to our questions, and identified the content developers and decision makers at the beginning of a project, we can all enjoy a targeted, timely and cost-effective process. This leads to a successful final product. Variations may occur, but in full light of the whole team, so we all see them coming and can make decisions together to stay focused. 

• I’ve had a bad experience with a designer. How do I know I’ll get what I need working with you?

  • Having design work done should be an exciting process, not headache or ulcer inducing… for you… or us. One of the reasons we ask so many questions before we start working on a new project is so we’re clear on your challenges, immediate and long-term needs, and goals. Our process is designed to yield results and our track record shows it does. We’re glad to provide recommendations and you can see what our clients have to say here.

• I don’t see work for my business industry in your portfolio.

  • We believe your business is different from other businesses, even ones in your own industry, because it's defined by more than just your products or services. Your mission, people, experience, education, history, location, etc., all play a part in defining who you are as a company. Though you may share certain attributes with other businesses in your industry, your business is unique with it's own needs, challenges and goals.  

    We create custom solutions that are based on this information. We assume nothing and learn as much as we can about you. The result is creative that fits who you are [and who you want to be], effectively communicates your message and engages your audience.

    So no, you may not see work for your industry in our portfolio. What you will see is a level of quality, experience, expertise and creativity that will be applied to your project. If the work you see appeals to you, resonates with you, then we may be a fit for your design needs. It’s as simple as that. 

• Your work is beautiful. Expensive, right?

  • We believe good design should be available to all. We won’t turn you away if you’re not grossing a million in sales like some firms will. We love working with start-ups, nonprofits or other businesses that might not have bottomless budgets for design. Our pricing is very competitive, both locally and nationally, and we are willing to work within budgetary restrictions when possible. Otherwise we’ll recommend other resources for you to get what you need.

• What is Evolution/Revolution?

  • Sometimes established brands are in need of Evolution, smartly evolving their identity and mission to incorporate new products and services, or differentiate themselves from newer competitors. Sometimes it takes a Revolution… a renaming, a new logo, a new mission that carries established equity forward with a new energy.

• What is an interrobang?

  • An Interrobang is an obscure punctuation mark (designed in 1962) that combines a question mark and an exclamation point. It was designed for use at the end of an exclamatory rhetorical question. It also describes what we do.... 
    interro [ ? ] listen/question  |  bang [ ! ] excite/ignite 
    Go here for more on why Interrobang is our name.

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