Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Cassis.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Wanting to be a designer must have been on my mind at an early age – maybe 11 or 12. I spent hours creating precise and actual scale pencil drawings of cars and cameras. Not the ones in existence, but ones from my imagination or from a want to improve the products that already existed.
In high school my drawing took a turn into more abstract and conceptual fine art. I attended Cranbrook School in Michigan and was constantly surrounded by the works of Saarinen, Eames, Nelson and many other fine designers, architects and fine artists.
I took my love for design to the University of Michigan School of Art. There I honed my skills and added typography and information design to them – graduated with a degree in Graphic Design and a minor in Photography.
I moved to Chicago in 1987 straight out of college looking for my big break as a graphic designer.
Flash forward way too many years and I have found myself employing all the experience and experiences I’ve collected along the way in my now 30 years in this great town. I cut my teeth on real estate development communications, collaborations with architects and interior designers, plus rewarding work for a wide array of non-profit organizations. This mix of work has now informed my latest foray into what many call Placemaking. A melding of brand, wayfinding and signage, landscape plus environmental and experiential design, this amalgam has proven to be a natural progression in my career. More importantly it’s allowed me and my work to truly make a difference in community, region, state and country – and someday the world.
While I continue and grow in this new endeavor, I look forward to what is next.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say there have been quite a few turns – some hairpins. Mostly it’s been a road I’ve enjoyed traveling on with unexpected vistas to take in. Owning my own business since 1991 has presented many challenges and trying times. I’ve grown from these experiences as well as the rewarding ones. I suppose at the time some of these challenges were seen as struggles, but now they are growing and learning experiences.
The first year in business is always a struggle between taking on work that is rewarding versus work that just keeps the lights or offset that souped up Mac computer rig that, back in the day, set me back $15,000. I remember working with Ross Shafer of Salsa Cycles and trading my services for a couple of tricked out handmade mountain bikes.
But I also remember winning a large campaign that allowed me to hire my first employee.
A few more years down the road and sparc was growing into a design firm. Bringing on designers meant letting go of daily hours of creative and taking on a leadership and managerial role. There is always the struggle between being a creative and a manager.
In the mid to late 90’s, sparc grew to just under a dozen people and we were creating award winning work that still holds up today. And just as we were really turning up the heat, my wife and I decided to start a family. This left me with another struggle – staying at work all hours of the day versus being home with my new family – a very difficult decision.
It became clear to me that I needed to work my way back to an independent designer taking on work that I loved and making more time for my family. I’m glad I went in that direction. Since 2001, I have paring down almost everything around me – staff, space, furnishings, computers, stuff!
And now I find myself collaborating with some of the most talented folks in the business. We all feed of each other’s talents, skills, personalities and minds. It’s the best scenario for me now. Of course, there are still struggles. One in particular is the struggle with whether to stay independent and enjoy the collaborative process or start growing the firm again. Related to this is the struggle of wanting to be around lots of creative minds while still wanting to be independent.
I suppose, in the end, one of the best fuels for stoking creative passion is THE STRUGGLE.
sparc – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
sparc specializes in and is currently known for effective brand and communication design for cities, towns, districts, the arts, non-profit orgs. and entrepreneurial businesses from fashion to foodservice.
I am most proud of the work we do and how it benefits our clients.
I’d like to think that our sensibility and creative thinking is what our clients hire us for.
They tell us they can’t explain it but we just “get them.”
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I thought about the awards, accolades and business successes. But as I really think it through and look inside, I find myself most proud of celebrating 25 years of business! I did think, for a moment, of getting one of those cheesy adhesive die-cut foil seal stickers exclaiming “celebrating 25 years.”
I’m glad I didn’t. It was a low-key moment of self-satisfaction – and maybe sharing it with a few long-standing clients!
Contact Info:
- Address: 824 Humboldt Avenue,
Winnetka, IL 60093 - Website: www.sparcinc.com
- Phone: 847-784-3100
- Email: rcassis@sparcinc.com
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