David Mayes, AIGA/LA's treasurer, attends nearly every AIGA event, taking copious notes. We thought there had to be something good in those stacks of scrawls--it turns out we were right. Here are some of Mayes' Musings about designer Gael Towey's work for Martha Stewart, from our recent event, "A Question of Balance."

I did not have too many expectations going to see Gael Towey and Stephen Doyle. I am not into crafty things or cooking, have never read Martha Stewart Living and knew very little about the company. Tonight, I saw a great example of the potential for design to create value and energize a business. There is inspiration in what we are hearing from the AIGA community.

Gael Towey began with telling a story about how Martha Stewart wanted to expand into television and Time Warner didn’t want them doing TV. Martha bought her way out from under the corporate umbrella--it was the best thing they could have done. The magazine drove the content for the TV show, and her subsequent success came from the fact that the magazine informed and fed the TV, then the TV nurtured and built business for the magazine. The magazine has become a creative empire!

“We try to work in worlds where we don’t know what we are doing,� said Towey. “Creativity is fueled by the world of art.�

Martha always saw this big company in her mind’s eye. “We are a ‘how to’ company,� said Towey--how to improve the home, how to make things more comfortable and beautiful. “We have been successful in building a culture of teamwork.� It's a social business, too, encompassing publishing, TV, cable, magazines, internet...there are so many vines on the Martha tree. Towey showed beautiful illustrations of the enterprise. It's a tree of life and creativity that has survived a forest fire. It took a toll on them, but they weathered the storm with creativity and teamwork. Now they are back, stronger than ever.

As for Martha herself, Towey said she considers herself a graphic opportunist. "Being observant is a big part of being successful."

In order to be a designer at Martha Stewart Living you have to love designing cupcakes, said Towey, alluding to the crafty experimentation that yields innovation. They designed 256 colors of paint from scratch for Kmart, not by tinting down other colors, but by searching out the pigments and making up their own colors. Then they gave them all these goofy cool names! This lead to doing 416 colors for Sherwin Williams. “Product development has come out of the sensibility of what we have done at Kmart,� said Towey. “Martha really does stand up for quality and beautiful things.� She has raised the bar at the store, changing the face of one of the nation’s largest retailers.

Photography is also a key communication tool for Martha Stewart. “Our reader wanted to be visually sophisticated,� said Towey. Their photographers see a big block of chocolate as a graphic opportunity; they see heroism in quotidian moments. She gave much credit to the many photographers they work with, rattling off names. One photographer who attended the event shot Mick [Hodgson, AIGA/LA president] and Gill’s wedding umpteen years ago!

Think of design as a means of creating value, said Towey. Martha Stewart is internationally recognized as a creative company, something that contributes to their success. The enterprise is driven by a sound design sensibility that respects and promotes design. Plus, Towey said, the creative team is given a lot of freedom: “Creativity gives differentiation to a brand in this commoditized world.� They are up for five ASME awards this year.

Finally, Martha Stewart relies on its storytelling to create a connection to the customer and reader. “The ability to be flexible keeps us vital,� she said, but they are tightly focused on the category of the home. By adapting and evolving they are nimble and sure in the work. They are now building houses with KB Homes--a real opportunity to bring all of their design sensibilities together. Be an idea company, she said. This is the way to grow.

By being tenacious, they (and we all) get there.

Towey's words to design by.
Quality
Proportion and scale
Classic authentic
Eclectic mix
Unexpected color
Distinctive materials
Thoughtful and functional
Comfortable and casual
Affordable value

According to Towey, what keeps creativity alive?
Observation
Passion
Curiosity
Collaboration
Adaptation

David Mayes is VP of Finance for AIGA Los Angeles.

Our next event brings Terry Marks to town for an evening of "Instant Karma: Design +Non-profits". April 26 at MOCA.

If you'd like to review events for the AIGA/LA site, or have an idea for a feature, send an email to Alissa Walker.