Mackey Saturday: Designer
Design Inc. Spotlight
Mackey Saturday is one of the most talented brand designers and typographers out there, who used to run his own studio and has created logos for highly identifiable brands such as Instagram, Oculus and Luxe but he is not stopping there. He currently moved to New York and joined as a Principle Designer at Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv where he will help impact the design world for years to come.
Lets do some fun questions first and then dive in. Any tattoos? What’s your favorite? No? what would you get?
Just scars. They tell better stories most of the time.
Can you share one of the stories behind your scars?
When I was pretty young, like 8 or 9, my Dad had built a big back yard fort, complete with a slide, swings, and an awesome tower to overlook it all. It was awesome. Being built by him, and not some toy manufacturer, it didn’t have rubber padding wrapping things, the swings we’re on chains, you got splinters on the wood slide, all the good stuff. One day after school I was out back swinging, just like any other warm California evening, and I heard the garage door open which meant my Dad was home. I jumped from the swing, obviously from the highest point possible to see how far I could fly, then after crashing into the gravel and rolling out of my landing I proceeded to run to the front of the house. I ran to my father, with the normal youthful “Daaaaaad” yell, only to be responded to with a white eyed scream of “What happened?” I looked around confused, fearing I was in trouble, and I quietly replied, “What? Nothing?…” A short pause was then followed by a “what did you do to your arm?” I looked down only to find my right sleeve drenched in blood. In a moment of truth, I responded “I don’t know,” which I’m sure he didn’t believe in the least, but he loving took me inside, bandaged up my wound, and then we slowly put the story together as to how I had managed to do so much damage without noticing a thing. Apparently, while leaping from the swing the chain had caught the inside of my bicep, slicing it clean open, and thus covering me in blood and terrifying my father. I’m now permanently marked from my right elbow to mid bicep, because it’s always irresistible to see how far you can fly.
What did you want to do growing up?
I always assumed I’d be an architect because I loved art but didn’t think I could make a living with it. So I guess that means I wanted to be an artist, but realistically I never really had a strong singular position in mind, I just knew I always wanted to do what I was passionate about, I just didn’t know how that could be a job.
Do have a favorite cuss word?
Comic Sans
What is your preferred drink of choice?
Green Tea.
How does skating influence your design aesthetic and choices?
Skateboarding, very similarly to design, is something that is always progressing, morphing, and only getting better by how individuals interpret and express themselves through it. It’s a place where tricks can be very complex and admirable for technical mastery, yet the simplest tricks, when executed with style and grace, can be the most impactful and memorable. On a very literal level, the skateboard industry has always been fueled by powerful graphics and iconic figures, and that style has become an ingrained part of me.
Favorite logo you’ve designed and why?
Whatever the last one I designed is. Each one is rewarding in its own way, and I’m proud of every client I get the chance to work with.
What are your principles for a great logo?
It must be appropriate in form and concept to the client. It should be simple enough to be easily recognized, reproduced, and remembered. Lastly, it has to be distinctive, it needs something that makes it unique, and able to persist in the mind.
How do you begin your process when you’re making a logo? Pencil first? Go on a long walk to Barnes & Noble?
The first step for me is always research. This usually begins by interviewing key decision makers followed by brainstorming and really focusing on coming up with an idea or direction. Logos must be simple, and executed well, but the foundation must be a good idea, how you render it is insignificant.
As a follow up question to how you begin your process for a logo, was your approach the same when working with brands such as Instagram and Oculus or was it different?
The initial process has changed a little, but that comes more from the scale of the companies than an alteration to the process itself. There tend to be more people involved in the process now and thus there is more time put into the interview portion. The quest for the appropriate solution built on the right idea and strategy, has stayed largely the same. The follow through here is what is really different. Once the ideas begin to come out, there are 3 other peers to put those ideas in front of, 3 different sets of ideas for me to be looking at, and four minds that must collectively come to an agreement on which ideas have real merit. That’s a lot of the magic of this place.
When should a company use a standalone wordmark vs. a wordmark and an icon? Do you have a preference?
This is an interesting question, and one we ask every project, because there’s not an absolute answer one way or there other. Symbols are usually reserved for longer names and companies with big budgets to invest in building the recognition of that mark globally. Symbols can also be used to provide distinction to a generic name, so even if it is short like Chase or Apple, a symbol can provide that memorability needed for an effective identity. Wordmarks are generally preferable because they build recognition for the brand much quicker, but they are usually reserved for shorter names simply due to implementation restraints because long logos don’t work well at small sizes, or in squares, and so forth. However, just like the case with symbols, this isn’t always the case. Some longer names can be iconic in how they’re rendered, like Coca Cola, and when used consistently and especially in very controlled circumstances where horizontal space is not limited, can be just as effective as a logo.
You were running your own studio, what was the easiest and most difficult part of leaving it behind to join CGH?
The easiest thing to leave behind was the weight of single handedly running a design business and all the pressure internally and externally that puts on you. The most challenging thing was leaving the employees and clients I had grown to love working with.
How is the design culture at CGH compared to what you have experienced before?
It’s a more focused culture here than anywhere else I’ve experienced. We’re very dedicated to the work, the implications of our decisions, and maintaining the integrity of our clients and the design we produce. The studio is 60 years old this year, Tom and Ivan have the longest partnership in the industry, so the experience is truly unmatched leads to operating in a confident manner that’s tested and very effective yet balanced by a constant pursuit of progression and creativity.
Where do you go for inspiration?
Tom’s office. Life, design, art, whatever, he’s incredibly inspiring.
What advice would you give to a new designer?
I always tend to give the same advice which is to focus your skills and diversify your time. This time I’ll add a couple others.
- Find a mentor, and shoot for the moon when you’re looking for one.
- Make it simpler. Make it iconic.
You can follow and see more of Mackeys work all over the internet, he goes by the handle @Saturday:
On Dribbble
On Instagram
On Twitter
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