ThussFarrell: Balance Points

The 'About' page at ThussFarrell will tell you many things: Rebecca Thuss, during her decade-long tenure at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia held seven titles, was a key player in the development of the company's creative vision, and before leaving would collect a myriad of awards for her work. Patrick Farrell founded Branch Design Office in New York City,
and is as comfortable using a table saw as he is building websites for EMG Pickups and Yale University. Together, they are ThussFarrell, a multidisciplinary team specializing in both designing visual communications for print and interactive media, and all elements of photography from inception to realization. What it won't tell you is the key to a happy marriage or working with your spouse without killing them, which is something they seem to have down to a science.

Successful partnerships require a delicate balance of many different factors, and as a team Thuss and Farrell complement each other beautifully. "With two of us, we have a system of checks and balances in place. We can steer one another back on course if needed, as well as encourage each other to drive off course to experiment. With our design projects, we always begin with research, research, research. We try to forget everything we think we know about what we have learned and try to react emotionally to the information. Many times, we feel our way there. When creating brands we ask the client a lot of questions, we have them complete our branding interview, we examine their competition and all of their previous brand materials, we conduct our own meetings and interviews to round out the process."

Disagreement is inevitable within any organization, but a mutual admiration keeps them on track and ultimately benefits a project's outcome. "Two heads are better than one. We each have strong ideas about process and about the execution of a concept.  We certainly don’t always agree, but we have a great respect and admiration for each others talents. This respect allows us to define the give and take and then discover a solution that is beyond what either of us might create as individuals."

The pair are perfectionists of the best kind - ones who are aware such a trait can be a double-edged sword. "Perfectionism is an ever evolving struggle. We feel it is a blessing and a curse, a trait that helps as well as hinders. It makes us strive for the best possible outcome, the best possible solution, to leave no stone unturned. It makes us believe there is always a better idea around the corner, perhaps something more 'true.' The downside of viewing things so critically, is the frustration that comes from feeling that projects are not really finished. It is always about striking that delicate balance of being able to decide and agree that something is done and it is time to move on to the next thing, or we should keep working."

If there is one point where their viewpoints differ dramatically, it's on the subject of inspiration. "Inspiration is the most crucial element to my creative energy," explains Rebecca. "I have always needed and appreciated the role that inspiration plays in my daily life. Although my dream is to be more of a minimalist, sadly, this will probably never come true, because I am a pack rat when it comes to stuff, and in turn this is the inspiration that fuels me. I need to be surrounded by objects that inspire me. I have too many books, pieces of ephemera, labels, trash, scraps, swatches, 6 giant file cabinet drawers full of tear sheets.. I have too many collections to count. You name it, I save it for inspiration. This amount of stuff drives Patrick insane. I can look at a dress in Vogue and develop a packaging idea, I can see a piece of candy from France and develop a textile pattern. For me looking is not about copying, it is about letting something before my eyes spark something within me that comes to fruition as a unique idea that is new and true to myself."

Patrick, on the other hand, prefers to digest his stimulus in a more spontaneous fashion. "I have trouble with the idea of 'inspiration.' In general, I tend to be more reactionary to the task at hand and prefer to respond emotionally to whatever I’m looking at, as opposed to digging for an idea. Sometimes that works for me, other times it just makes me feel that there are no 'original' ideas left and then the process shuts down. Design solutions, from my view, are really about the relationships of whatever elements are required by the boundaries of the design - either imposed by the client or yourself. If I start with those things on a page, they will start to speak, and based on the research done for the project, a solution will start to emerge that’s balanced and appropriate."

The larger picture, though, is their work itself. Despite differing processes, their vision in unified and ultimately that benefits their clients - and themselves. "We strive for purity and the simplest most elegant solutions, no matter what the project is. To create things that are beautiful, clean, and special is our goal. We are always asking ourselves if the elements we are working with are contributing to the whole.  We always put extreme care and energy into everything we produce no matter how small or how large the project may be - whether it is for a client or for ourselves. Because we are both classically trained artists, we feel that each project deserves our best efforts, with attention paid to every single detail. It is very important for us to choose clients that we feel will allow us to be ourselves and whose personalities or businesses inspire us. We often turn down work if we do not feel a connection to the project. We know from experience, our best work comes from feeling challenged, inspired and interested - this is the source of our motivation.  We need to feel passion for what we are creating, in order to create with integrity."

If nothing else, their portfolio illustrates both the beauty and importance of collaboration. "We have been together for 16 years and are equal partners in both life and business. We inspire one another and drive each other crazy too. In this push-pull, when we strike a balance - find that sweet spot - we are motivated to revisit that “place” as often as we can. This is a life long process that is ever changing. In addition, we do believe that great ideas can come from anywhere and anyone and that sometimes the most obvious or far out thought can become a brilliant moment. It is always about the execution and the details."