Communication Design faculty, Patrick Iadanza is a graphic designer based in New York City. He teaches Brand Concepts at Parsons and recently joined the design studio at Chobani as a brand design lead.
Before joining Chobani, he was a brand designer at the e-commerce website Tictail—establishing the look and feel for their platform as well as launching their international pop-up shop campaigns. Patrick has also worked as a digital designer and art director at Huge, collaborating on digitally-focused projects with clients such as Google, American Express and Apple. Illustration has always been part of his design process and personal aesthetic, as he continues to weave that into his daily work and freelance projects.
Hej Hej Magazine—a quarterly showcasing the stories behind independent brands in art and design.
How did you get into design? Was there a defining point in your career, and if so, how did it shape you as a designer?
In part, studying design was my way to break away from the business degrees my friends were getting. I wouldn’t of lasted there anyways. After a year at school, I knew a creative career sounded most appetizing. I really didn’t even know what graphic design was but declaring painting as my major was a conversation I wasn’t ready to have with my parents. Thankfully graphic design was as flexible of a term as I’d hoped. I got my fill of studio courses while studying design and was lucky enough to find work as an illustrator and brand designer at an agency after graduation.
TEDxMidwest—rebrand and event collateral design.
I’ve taken jobs in digital agencies, start-ups, and yogurt companies. It’s most always uncomfortable and disorienting. Those are my pivotal moments—this string of moments when looking back. It certainly defines what I want to be, and more importantly, don’t want to be as a creative person and professional. I rarely look back and regret a decision to try something new.
Tictail Pop-up shop Campaign—concept, design, and launch in Paris, Stockholm and NYC.
Outside of other design and illustration, what sorts of things inspire and influence your work?
New York has given me the most creative energy. There’s a sense of freedom in knowing you’ll never be the best, the worst, or the weirdest. Being around the best creative people in the industry opens your eyes to your own tastes and it’s hard to find an excuse to not go for it—whatever “it” is. I’m from the midwest and I still feel like a baby bird here. I hope I never lose that feeling.
Tictail Spring/Summer Lookbook— art direction and design.
What tips would you give to anybody who is looking to get started in design?
Don’t be too big to take an internship after graduation. It’ll give you a chance to comfortably ask the inevitable “dumb questions” and reflect on what you really want outside of school. And like I said before, studying design is a flexible space, full of opportunity to find your own place. If you think you’re even mildly interested, I’d tell you to explore it. It may lead to a job or project you never expected.
