Today we’d like to introduce you to Russell Lord.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The story of Option L started around 2004. During the day, I was working for well-known Chicago photographer, Doug Fogelson and taking on occasional freelance assignments. At night, I was designing posters and flyers for parties and club nights. I was still spinning records a lot at the time. It exposed me to an immense range of different design styles. On one side, there was clean, modern design – balanced and restrained. On the other, there was high-impact graphical work that was gritty and didn’t seem to follow any rules. I got glimpses of the ways other designers were working and paid a lot of attention to process, hoping to learn everything I could from everyone I met.
It was immediately clear that the tools and software each person used determined a lot about what their finished work looked like. Option L was the product a realization that if I used the same tools and techniques as everyone else, my work would look like everyone else’s too. If I wanted to do work that was new and different, I’d need to build my own process. I started combining techniques in novel ways and building my own paths where there weren’t any. Option L was sort of a personal banner for process innovation. Later it became a personal brand and eventually a company.
Has it been a smooth road?
Oh my gosh – a smooth road? Never. If there was, I didn’t notice. I guess I was always more concerned with taking the high road than the smooth one. I probably quit more jobs because I wasn’t challenged or didn’t agree with the work being done than because I wasn’t making money. An approach like that doesn’t lead you to green pastures. It takes you way out into the wilderness – usually alone. On a more literal level, it landed me in freelance territory a lot more often than I really wanted. I got accustomed to just dropping straight into really messed up projects and completely reworking what was broken days or even hours before deliverables were due.
On the positive side, recruiters started to look at me as kind of a one-man Navy Seal team for creative crisis scenarios. That opened a lot of doors, even if some led to places I’d never go back to.
Tell us about your business/company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
At this point, the answer is simply “creative.” One client may hire me to design a 400 page technical report. Another will hire me to do ads or a custom typeface.
Is there one thing I’m known for? I guess for taking on really tough projects and reframing the challenge in uncanny ways. I tend to destroy process and rebuild it. I get hired when “normal” ways of thinking aren’t producing the desired results.
Proud isn’t a word I usually associate with. I’d say thankful. I’m thankful for my partners, the clients who put faith in me. I’m really thankful I can be myself and still put dinner on the table. Now that I have an employee, that’s twice as important. I’m thankful I found my calling pretty early in life too. Not a lot of people look forward to work. That’s huge to me.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely. Chicago has an outstanding creative community. I can think of other places with a tremendous amount of talent and hustle, but maybe not the same opportunities to access quality of life. In that sense, there’s a social and emotional balance to life here that’s important to people at any point in their career – starting out or established.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1821 W. Hubbard St.
- Website: OptionL.net
- Instagram: russelllord818
Image Credit:
Headshot by Saverio Truglia
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