018: “What if...” (part 1) with Frank Grubich
For today’s pod - I’m thrilled to bring you part 1 of my interview with Frank Grubich. He’s had a 35 year career that’s still going. He’s a creative juggernaut who owned a successful design agency for years called Laughing Dog—years before I designed with him. And he's worked on everything you can think of in the creative and design industry.
Yet, the qualities I appreciate most about Frank are his insane curiosity and his passion to differentiate, all balanced with a surprising humor and down to earth ease. Plus he’s got this intense focus on striving for the why of everything, while exploring the future always asking "What if..." which we discuss in detail.
I’ve never met another person like Frank. He’s one of a kind. I cherish the years designing on his team—they were like taking multiple design master classes. I learned so much from him both as a designer and a person and I’m grateful that he is a mentor of mine.
~ Noel
From Frank
I Believe
Everybody wants change, but nobody wants to change.
Without trust, nothing is possible.
All jokes lead to the truth.
Parameters make creative better.
If we aren’t making our clients nervous, we aren’t doing our job.
Clients succeed when we connect people to people — not to stuff.
Design is a process, not a thing.
The problem with customer experience is never with the customer.
An agency should be more passionate about the client’s business than the client.
You can’t truly think outside the box until you respect the box.
Successful brands are not born in boardrooms (or in Zoom meetings).
If you’re billing creativity by the hour, you’re doing it wrong. (a.k.a. the path to efficiency leads to obsolescence.)
Ideas are a dime a dozen. Real value is in the artful execution and implementation of ideas.
True innovation is a messy, ugly, exhausting process. If someone is telling you it's easy— they're lying.
It’s more important to have a sense of purpose than it is to have a sense of place.
Creativity is an agency's leading point of difference. Treat it like your business depends on it (because it does).
My team should be better than me.
There are no boring clients, only lazy agencies.
Nobody—and I mean NOBODY—wakes up and thinks, “oh goodie, more data!”
I believe there is nothing more wasteful than doing nothing.
If a client thinks their nephew can do that, don't waste another minute on that client.
I believe I have the second coolest job in the world.
House was right — everybody lies.