Chris Do is the founder/executive creative director of Blind, Inc., a multidisciplinary motion graphics design studio with offices in Santa Monica and New York City.
Prior to forming Blind in 1995, Chris worked briefly as an art director at Seattle ad agency, Cole & Weber, and as a designer at punk rock music label Epitaph Records. But it wasn't until he formed Blind that he was able to fully utilize his Art Center training and combine his passion for design, typography, illustration and animation. Soon, he was working on feature film titles such as Eraser, Celtic Pride and The Island of Dr. Moreau, as well as a variety of commercials and broadcast identities.
His work has been nationally and internationally recognized and he's lectured for a number of creative institutions; in addition to running the company, he's also an adjunct instructor at the Art Center College of Design and Otis College of Design.
12.10.08
Stay curious. Be passionate. Work hard.
If you have a degree in what field is it? A BFA in graphic design from the Art Center College of Design Pasadena. I graduated in the summer of ’95.
Which designer (or design studio), other than yours, do you most admire? Stefan Sagmeister.
What’s the strangest request you’ve received from a client? One of our clients asked us to buy pot for them during a shoot.
If you weren't working as a designer what would you be doing? I’d probably be an architect or interior designer; there are many similarities between the disciplines. And, although I’m not good enough, in another life I would’ve been a penciler for comic books.
What well-known identity is most desperately in need of a redesign? I try to erase bad branding from my memory.
From where do your best ideas originate? From my dreams, in the shower or on my drive to work. It’s usually when I’m not actively thinking about a problem that something will hit me.
How do you overcome a creative block? Go to sleep. See above.
What’s your dream project (not client, but project)? To create my own animated short.
Do you have creative outlets other than graphic design? I enjoy sketching—drawing things like buildings, furniture and comic book characters. I also really enjoy teaching.
What’s your approach to balancing work and life? What balance? In all seriousness, my wife and two boys keep me pretty balanced; they remind me about what’s important.
What product/gadget can you not live without? My iPhone.
What’s your favorite quote? “I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” —Pablo Picasso
Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? Stay curious. Be passionate. Work hard.
What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started your career? I wish I’d known more about business and management skills before becoming a business owner and manager.