The A-List Podcast with Bobby C. Martin Jr.
On this week’s episode of The A-List Podcast, host and DiMassimo Goldstein CCO Tom Christmann is joined by Bobby C. Martin Jr., founding partner of Original Champions of Design, a design and branding agency that builds better brands through informed and strategic identity system design.
In 2017, FastCompany named Martin Jr. one of the Most Creative People in Business. At OCD, Martin Jr. has led design projects for a wide range of clients such as the Girl Scouts of the USA, MTV, The New York Times, the National Basketball Association and the Studio Museum in Harlem to ensure their growth and creative goals.
Martin Jr. is one of the first pure designers to join The A-List Podcast, and offers a unique perspective having worked both in-house at brands and for external agencies. Tune in below!
Show Notes:
- [0:00 – 0:54] Intro
- [0:55 – 5:53] Growing up in Virginia to parents who were both educators, and how he still applies what of much he learned in his childhood to his career today
- [5:54 – 9:59] Falling in love with design in High School, and learning how to express himself visually
- [10:00 – 11:10] What he learned from design legend Paula Scher and “painting with type”
- [11:11 – 18:30] Martin Jr. talks about his early career and the job that introduced him to graphic design
- [18:31 – 20:40] How to manage young talent, the importance of being patient, and giving people the freedom to make mistakes
- [20:41 – 24:16] How to push clients to be bold while still being respectful
- [24:17 – 27:45] Why agencies and design firms need to be more integrated, and how the best campaigns have a seamlessness between advertising and design
- [27:46 – 33:34] Moving to New York City to work for Gear Magazine, and how that experience taught him relentless work ethic
- [33:35 – 38:35] Going back to graduate school, why he chose The School of Visual Arts, and the importance of osmosis learning
- [38:36 – 40:40] Martin Jr. dives into the research tactics that inform design
- [40:41 – 47:03] His experience as design director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center, and how he sold his ideas to Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis
- [47:04 – 50:10] Launching Original Champions of Design, and the philosophy of the agency
- [50:11 – 53:26] The pros and cons of both external and in-house agencies
- [53:27 – 56:31] How to help people understand design work, and why the designer needs to be involved at every step of the process
- [56:32 – 1:05:16] Rebranding the NBA logo for the first time in 48 years
- [1:05:17 – 1:06:12] Outro
“The A-List” is a podcast produced by DiMassimo Goldstein, an inspiring action agency, recorded at the Gramercy Post, and sponsored by the Adhouse Advertising School, New York’s newest, smallest, and hippest ad school. You can subscribe and rate the show on iTunes or listen along on SoundCloud. For updates on upcoming episodes and guests, be sure to like the A-List Podcast on Facebook and follow host Tom Christmann on Twitter.