Just Design It

On the outside, Darrin Crescenzi seems simply like a very lucky designer, one who found himself working on projects young designers only dream about. But in reality? He worked for it. His success didn’t come without hard work, curiosity and a little bit of intuition. He had to make a name for himself in the design world in order to get this lucky.

His path, though, might not work for every one. There’s “no one way or right way to find a path in advertising,” he said, but nevertheless, he shared that journey from Nike intern to independent designer and one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business with a recognizable portfolio, with a crowd of creatives and designers at an event hosted by the Dallas Society of Visual Communications.

I was one of those young designers in the audience. And I think it’s safe to say we’ll all apply some piece of his advice to our own design journey, big or small. I feel privileged, in a way, to meet and listen to Darrin’s story, and soak up some of that creative energy.

Darrin started as a college-aged intern at Nike, where he took his first risk — on the first project he was assigned. The ask was simple: Create a place-card template to display shoe names inside the Nike i.D. Studio. But he took it further. He created about 30 metal cardholders instead of the expected paper card and placed it on his boss’ desk.

She thought he was a crazy for dropping all these metal contraptions on her desk, but she also saw the confident, curious risk-taker in front of her, and gave him more design jobs. That confidence and curiosity, paired with real talent, led to his first job out of college. At Nike…seriously, who does this happen to?

It happens to someone who is fearless. It’s as simple as identifying “the people and projects you want to work with and just ask if you can help. No one is going to turn down your help.” Of course.

The innovation continued with the Nike Fuel band, when wearables were still just starting to gain some steam. Darrin saw opportunity in this unknown space, something he would start to do a lot.

His team created brand experiences at SXSW and Niketown to help people understand how much of a game-changer this product was going to be in the future. It worked.

Early on in his career, Darrin realized the value in the unknown. There was opportunity there; you just have to go for it. Darrin always had his eye on other projects, and making the right connections and getting a little risky would get his hands on those.

I mean, that’s how he got into the redesign of Lebron James’ logo when he went to the Miami Heat. No one could foresee that he was going to change his number, so when he wasn’t number 23 anymore, his original logo for his Nike line wasn’t going to work.

No offense to the Nike team, but Lebron’s original logo is atrocious, and what Darrin helped rebrand is genius. Now they have a mark that will last a lifetime. It’s a play on his initials, the crown (because some claim he is the King, but #MFFL so I ain’t a fan), AND they have the keys in the negative space that you don’t notice until second glance.

Other projects that everyone recognizes that Darrin worked on include two USA Olympic Basketball uniforms. He thought this design was just going to be filler in the client presentation, but the executives saw it and had other plans. Darrin’s team went on to design every other sports’ uniforms and even a dynamic typeface.

After six years at Nike, it was time for a test. A personal test. Darrin left the brand to test himself because, he admitted, he couldn’t tell if his success was stemming from his own creativity or because of the iconic swoosh attached to all of that work. I think you can guess the answer. But Darrin trudged on. He found himself brand consulting in New York with Interbrand.

One of the most significant design projects was the AT&T rebrand. Although today’s logo did not change much from the 2005 version, the simplicity made a huge impact.

Darrin refined the lines to make the mark more approachable and stable because this is a company that the consumer needs to trust. This new mark has become known around the world and it can now stand in the company of other iconic marks such as, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Target and, yep, Nike.

Darrin’s journey left us with more than he probably realized. What it seems to come down to in his design world is learning to understand people so that you can deliver the best solutions for your client.

Seeking things out that you want to be a part of whether that means moonlighting under someone in another department or straight up asking if you can help. And lastly, sketching relentlessly. You never know who may come knocking on your own door for help… Maybe Netflix?

Celeste Randall, greenlight jr. art director