Ro & Co. Inside The Studio

I always find looking at 'inside the studio' articles really helpful, and Ro & Co. are an agency that have always intrigued me, where they approach their work in unusual and innovative ways, and they are for me the most innovative studio out there at the moment in my opinion. The Dieline interviewed them and I have chosen to display some of the useful parts of the interview where their answers are influential. I originally wanted to only post parts of the article that were helpful for me to read, however lots of the article was helpful, so it is now a long post.

The Dieline article.

'Diane: Speaking about employees, how do you keep your employees and designers inspired? Tell me about your creative process.

Roanne: We work as a very collaborative studio and I truly believe that my designers are inspired by what we've all created together. I hire self-motivated individuals who constantly push themselves and each other to create high quality work that exceeds clients’ expectations. They are motivated by challenging projects and inspired through finding solutions, rather than being discouraged. 

Diane: Speaking about hiring, can you share with our readers what do you look for when you are hiring designers? 

Roanne: Talent, great style and passion are, of course, a given. But I also look for enthusiasm and good “people skills”— the questions I ask myself are, how will they work with the rest of the team and our clients? Will they be a team player? Our team is small, we're like a family, and we want to surround ourselves with people who want to be apart of the family and grow with us.

Diane: What is the RoAndCo design philosophy?

Roanne: Clients are involved, clients are listened to, clients are inspiration.
Challenging and moving beyond what’s already been done is just the beginning.
Different for different’s sake: Wrong. Uncommon ideas that are intuitive and exciting: Right.
Old meets new. Masculine meets feminine. Capturing the balance is what brings out branding to life.

The consumer is as important as the client. We consider how the message is delivered on paper, over the web, and into your smartphone from here to Tanzania.

Diane: What are your favorite kinds of projects to work on? If you have a dream project, what would it be?

Roanne: The most exciting projects involve working with clients whom we are truly inspired by and who trust us with their brand while still pushing us creatively. I love working with clients who see us as their creative partner and value our involvement in all aspects of their growth, from strategy to content creation. These collaborations tend to be the most successful and inspiring, and often result in our strongest portfolio pieces.

A dream project, for me, would be to art direct a campaign for a client like Céline, Chloé, or Balenciaga—a brand at the top of the fashion game—that is already artful, highly curated, and aspirational. Alternatively, I’d also love to guest art direct a fashion magazine that draws the most talented writers, photographers and the like. To work with the best of the best in the fashion industry has always been my dream.

Diane: Tell me about RoAndCo's package design projects. What makes you different?

Roanne: We approach packaging projects the same way we do with branding. Our goal is to tailor a full experience for our client's, with no detail left unconsidered. When designing packaging, be it a single item or an entire packaging system, we take a comprehensive look at the brand’s core values to determine how to best translate their standards into a visual and sensory experience. We also love to incorporate surprise elements into designs, be it a color, material or even smell that creates a deeper and more meaningful connection.'