#WeAreRHODY #BIGpicture #Interview with #DAVIDFRANK #GLOBAL #NIKE #BASKETBALL #RI #Beaverton...

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BIG PICTURE INTERVIEWSPRESENTS

BIG PICTURE INTERVIEWS

@MADINK401 #ILLUSTRATION #ART #CULTURE #INNOVATION #STUDIO #RHODEISLAND #02874@MADINK401 #ILLUSTRATION #ART #CULTURE #INNOVATION #STUDIO #RHODEISLAND #02874

DAVID FRANK OF GLOBAL NIKE BASKETBALL

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Ok, #RHODY wants to know how you came from the smallest state in the #Union to #Global #Brand #Design at #Nike - one of the world’s premier #active #lifestyle brands!

I think a lot of it was just timing, really. I'm originally from New York/New Jersey, but moved to Rhode Island around middle school age. Growing up, it was great to have the experiences and lessons learned from the grit and edge of New York, but then to also have the beach/ocean/coastal lifestyle of Narragansett.

Following college (#Syracuse) I came back to RI to take some courses at #RISD and also try and �gure out what exactly I wanted to do. After a couple of smaller jobs, I was approached

by PUMA in Boston, who were trying to grow their internal brand design team. Timing wise, it was perfect, since there was really an opportunity to grow with the brand and experience LOTS of trial by �re.

I was with PUMA for about 4 years, and as much fun as I was having in that role, I felt like I needed to switch it up. It was was a point in my life that I was either going to take another job and probably stay in the northeast my entire life, or move somewhere that

I hadn't experienced before. Once the opportunity at Nike came up, all the pieces really just came together and it was a tough one to turn down. 6+ years later, it's been one of

the best decisions of my life and given me opportunities that I never imagined I'd have.


It's tough for me, because I think the romance and imagination associated with athletes like Michael, is shaped di�erently nowadays. I could probably go online right now and through a Tweet or Instagram or whatever, �nd out what your favorite athlete ate for breakfast. We know so much about these guys/girls that the folklore associated with their accolades is just viewed through a completely di�erent lens then it was during the early MJ/Nike days.

#WeAreRHODY heard you know Jordan? Nike has always collaborated with the worlds most elite athletes. #MichaelJordan defined the #JustDoIt" brand during his legendary career in the #NBA. Times always... change - #JustSelfie! Who would you imagine to be a #RoleModel for the next generation?

Part of that role model mentality, I think was created by us individually and was very fantasy driven and personal. It becomes a little bit di�erent when so many of those blanks are �lled in for us, so looking forward to next generation, it's really interesting to watch how the abundance of information available shapes role models di�erently now than it did 30 years ago (yes…MJ's rookie year was that long ago…).

When Michael dunked from the free throw line, you may have heard about it at school or at work, or if you were lucky enough, saw it live…but then that was it. There wasn't a 24 hour sports channel, youtube, DVR, twitter, Instagram, etc., to watch, replay, and obsess. You had to go days, weeks, in some cases months, just processing that single moment through your imagination, which really gave you the opportunity to build guys like Michael up to whatever YOU wanted them to be.


#Innovation is the #BUZZ word making #waves in the #OceanState and all over the #Twittershpere. What does innovation mean to you as a designer? How does the #chase for innovation inspire the #Nike Brand #Story projects?

To me, innovation in communication design is really about trying new techniques and experimenting within mediums as a way to express ideas. Dimensionalizing dialogue so that we're able to story tell beyond just images, but really taking advantage of all the other various mediums (digital; social: retail; etc) in unexpected ways. I love seeing someone's work re-contextualized via that particular channel (as opposed to just pushing the same content you made for print, retail, digital, etc) and as a result giving you a completely di�erent impression of how they are delivering their work.

Like, for example, when I see something in the social media space where someone completely rethinks and rede�nes the way they are using this tool to communicate an idea…kind of blows my mind. It's super inspiring to see individuals or groups explore way beyond what these medium's are "supposed" to be used for, and create a new way of sharing ideas, that almost reshapes the users experience.


#Nike #FuelbandSE is like wearing your own personal life coach on your wrist! #Social #technology has changed the way we interact with leading consumer products. How does technology (bio-metrics-bro!) influences the next generation product design and consumer experience?

Speaking as a consumer myself, I think leveraging technology to �ll in a lot of blanks that existed before, is an amazingly impactful thing. Messaging and brand communications have moved from a place of "let us tell you how this will make you better at _____" to "let us show you how this will make you better at ______". I think a lot of us now have the opportunity to really see what a product does, what the innovation does, and how it can bene�t us directly, without having to take someone's word for it.

On the social front, currently there is more access to the consumer voice than ever before. So many di�erent channels of social engagement, where people are sharing their opinions on brands and products without even being solicited. The challenge becomes how do you metabolize that data and allow to impact design and decisions without getting overwhelmed by the sheer volume.


You know we like to run in #Narragansett, especially the #BlessingOfTheFleet. How does moving your feet and living a active lifestyle fuel the imagination? What do you do outside of the office to keep the your personal creativity rolling free?

The more irregular my schedule has become, the tougher it's been for me to �nd thatregimented "thing" that I can consistently do to stay active. No matter where I'm traveling, no matter what the weather, and no matter what the time of day, going for a run is the one thing I know I can just go out and do without needing a gym, a court, a class, etc. It's pretty liberating to just be able to grab my headphones, my shoes, a shirt and shorts and take o�.

Travel inspires my creativity and indirectly, running has helped fuel that passion as an amazing vehicle for me to absorb and connect with some of the locations that I've been fortunate enough to visit. Finding that obscure running route and getting lost down some of the side streets, really gives me an opportunity to experience more than just the parts of the city that it's easy to see on the surface level. It's become an excuse to wander into some super interesting parts of the cities that I've been too.


I think it depends upon what you want to get out of it.

When you're designing in the commercial space you're ultimately designing for a client, so regardless of how much of your personal expression you sprinkle into it, there are still certain guardrails that you have to apply to your work. In so many ways, those guardrails can present unique creative challenges, but you should be aware going in that in a lot of cases you may need to yield a little bit of your creative license to the overall communication objective. There will be times when you'll do absolutely killer work, but it misses on part of the messaging statement and as a result has to change, which can be a bitter pill to swallow.

To me, regardless of whether you design for yourself or for a corporation, the most important thing you can have is a strong point of view. Having a focused style, aesthetic and voice is what de�nes your work, so once you have that, really determining how or where you want to use it should be the easy part.

What #advice would you give #students interested in entering the commercial design industry versus racing to develop their own paths by developing their own #personal brands?

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