There and Back Again, Craig Ward Discusses Joining A Large Agency After Years of Successful Solo Practice

Craig Ward (@MrCraigWard) is a designer, art director, typographic artist, and author currently living in Brooklyn, NY. A UK native, he came to New York in 2009 shortly after being selected as an ADC Young Gun.

As a solo act, Craig created projects for Adobe, Squarespace, Calvin Klein, Google, Nike, and host of other large brands across entertainment, fashion, media, and consumer products. Lately, he’s rejoined the agency world.

In this conversation, we discuss the culture clash between a large company and a solo practice, the economics behind design (large and small), and where agencies can still innovate in spite of their size.

Catch up with Craig on his personal website, Words Are Pictures.

Cover photo by Jonathan Pilkington.

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• Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 99 (MP3, 47:06, 22.8 MB)
• Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 99 (OGG, 47:06, 24.9 MB)

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Show Notes & Links

• Prescott and Craig have been pals for several years due to the NYC design scene
• Joaquin Cotler, a guest on The Busy Creator episode 41 and composer of the theme music
• Craig is ok being called a “designer & art director”; he’s also directed music videos and earn other titles by action
• Solo practitioners are a “one-man army” due to their multiple facets
• The US O-1B Visa, for people, like Craig, “who possesses extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or who has a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement … and has been recognized nationally or internationally for those achievements …” 
• How a Bill Becomes Law
  

   

"Solo practice is very liberating, but brings its own problems."

—Craig Ward

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"When you work for someone else, you can spend almost 100% of time working on projects. For yourself, it’s maybe 50%."

—Prescott Perez-Fox

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"When freelance work became my full-time job I suddenly had free time."

—Craig Ward

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