And just for fun, here is a small sampling of other projects this growing design firm has undertaken. You’ll see that each project has its own “look” reflecting the product or service or client. Given its ability to adapt to clients’ demands, you might ask if there is a distinctive HADW style? HADW’s design can be described as illustrative, sensuous or luxurious, finely wrought with painstaking details, and type sensitive… However, if there is one telling feature for each of these projects, it’s that the ensuing identity emotionally resonates with the project. Each project is different. Each captures the essence of the business and projects its ambiance visually.
Unsurprisingly, whenever I’ve checked in with Jack Anderson (co-founder with John Hornall) he is ready for the next big thing — another factor in HADW’s success. Jack and John recruit great talent and recently expanded the HADW management team in what Jack calls “a succession program.” However, Jack emphasizes that in no way is this a traditional management pyramid because each HADW team attached to a client forms its own relationship. The new management lineup includes Hornall and Anderson; marketing maven Jeff Baker; creative director Lisa Ceverny, who Jack calls a “design diva” formerly of Pentagram; and now the two online media directors Chris Sallquist and John Anicker.
These last two junior partners have been life-long friends and made the trek to Seattle from Portland four-and-a half years ago, choosing HADW for its creative clout (the offices have walls of awards) and its covetable clients. Sallquist and Anicker’s goal has been to contribute a formidable online media dimension to HADW. They wanted to parlay HADW’s integrated branding to a whole new dimension — a Web presence or a multimedia package — which aesthetically parallels the total identity programs that HADW has always done so effectively, including logos, packaging, retail design, environmental graphics, brochures, annual reports, and catalogs. As Chris Sallquist says, “We want the online personality of the client to be the same as what you find on the client’s retail shelf.”
Sallquist and Anicker’s influence has transformed HADW, changed the studio’s culture and led to the expansion of the department. And yes, existing clients of HADW have added Web sites to their image mix, but now new companies come for a Web identity — and then stay for all the graphic reinforcement for their brand. A case in point is Bogart Golf, which is looking to expand its franchise of strip-mall golf academies where golfers are coached via video lessons with expert analysis and advice or through online lessons.
There’s so much more to cover. Next time I’ll look at HADW’s range of Web clients and delve deeper into its design strategy.
Warm regards,
This article was last modified on January 8, 2023
This article was first published on June 11, 2001
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