Today we are talking with Leighton Hubbell, a designer-illustrator based in Orange, California. He has a portfolio spanning multiple industries including automotive, entertainment, retail, technology and travel-tourism. Among his many clients you’ll find names such as Toyota, Warner Brothers, Starbucks, PepsiCo, Sprint and Hilton Hotels. Let’s find out what he’s been up to, and where he feels he’s headed.

Hile Design: Hi, Leighton. Many designers found 2008 challenging, due to the uncertain economy. You have a diverse client base and a wide range of creative services, which is helpful in an economic downturn. How’s it going for you and your clients?

Leighton Hubbell: Well, it hasn’t been easy. I have definitely seen a decline in the number of projects that have come my way. There have been a lot of submitted proposals, but unfortunately a good percentage have either been scaled back or put on hold. At the very least, they’re still calling.

It’s situations like these that make me glad I can participate in many different types of projects. When logo design is slow, then illustration might take its place for a while—and so on. It helps pay the bills.

Since everyone is really watching their pennies these days, clients and marketers have to be extra-savvy about how they spend their ad dollars. In my situation, I can help direct a client into an appropriate type of medium and still keep the work in-house.

HD: You’ve been in business 20 years. Back when you started your career, only a few creatives were using computers (the Mac Classic was released in 1984). Did you begin with a T-Square and parallel rule? And since we’re talking about your history, can you share the three biggest highlights of your career so far?

LH: I started out in the traditional sense, T-square and triangles, ink and illustration boards. Can you say “Haber rule”?

My first full-time job was a great introduction to that world. I was one of four art directors working in an in-house art department at a bicycle manufacturer.

Back then, you had a lot of different people you had to work with and trust to get the results you were envisioning. You had photographers, retouchers, typesetters, color separators and even proofreaders. You had to have a lot of good hand skills to communicate your ideas and make things happen. Rough layouts really were rough sketches. It truly was like opening a Christmas package when the work was printed. The client (owner) really had to make a leap of faith that the piece would turn out like the marker comp. Now, everything is very complete and refined before it ever gets to the printer.

I started using a Macintosh SE (with 3MB of RAM) in 1988, when my employer made the investment of three workstations. Businesses back then really thought they could get a Mac and start replacing designers with all the “productivity” the computer would provide them. Now of course, everyone realizes it’s just a very versatile tool.

I’d have to say that my biggest highlights would have more to do with my growth as a designer and business person, than anything else.

My first highlight would have to be seeing my first produced, 4-color print ad in a national magazine—an ad that I had created. I was beaming and really felt like I had finally arrived. I remember working out the headlines and concepts, then toiling over colors, working with the photographer and doing all the paste-up myself. It was a pretty cool feeling.

Someone once told me early on, that you haven’t really been in advertising until you’ve been laid off at least once. The first time I got laid off sticks in my mind as one of the lowest and most depressing moments of my then-career. You feel like you’ve just been dumped by your girlfriend. The fortunate, bright side comes from the word getting around town that you’re available, and the phone starts ringing! I had solid work two weeks after leaving the agency. That felt pretty good.

The last highlight that sticks in my memory is landing my first big client contract. I remember meeting with the client for the first time and being pretty nervous. We had been introduced by a former client of the agency I had recently left. She was now working as a marketing consultant and spoke very highly of my work to this new prospect. The company was in a category that I had very limited experience with, so I thought I didn’t have much of a chance.

Well, they were impressed and asked me to submit an estimate. So, I went back to my studio and put together some numbers. I thought I had a pretty fair and buttoned-up proposal. The marketing consultant took a look at it during our lunch meeting the next day. Then she said something I’ll never forget, “Double it, and we’ve got a deal.” I was in shock. Really?

When the deposit check showed up, it all of a sudden became reality. Here’s where the rubber hits the road. Don’t screw this up!

As it turned out, the work was some of my strongest at the time and produced several design awards. I thank them for giving me the opportunity. Read the rest of this entry »