Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published October 18, 2018.

Where are you originally from? How did you end up in Rochester at this time in your life?

Anne: I’m from Iowa.

Mitch: I’m from Rhode Island. We ended up in Rochester because I was offered a teaching job at RIT. Anne and I met as undergrads at RISD. We started dating and opened a studio together in Provincetown.

Anne: I always thought Upstate New York sounded picture-perfect. We visited for half a day and basically only saw the RIT campus, but that was enough.

Mitch: Now I’m Professor of Graphic Design in the School of Design at the College of Art and Design.

What is your favorite part of living in Rochester?

Mitch: Quite a bit. The cost of housing.

Anne: We love our house, and we couldn’t have become homeowners anywhere else.

Mitch: The cultural stuff, the arts, the industry, the smart people. It’s not New York City, though, and that’s a good thing.

Anne: I love that you can drive to a farm stand and buy food like you’re in the country. And having all four seasons is awesome.

Mitch: I like the proximity to stuff but not being deep in the woods. Our house backs up on the woods, and it’s very appealing. We look out at the trees.

What are some of your favorite/secret Rochester spots? 

Anne: Durand Eastman Park at 9:30am on Sundays. There’s a secret dog meetup, and the dogs swim in the stream, get covered in mud, and have a lot of fun!

Mitch: I like the Elton St. location of Glen Edith. Everything is calm. The Little Theatre is cool too.

Anne: Molly Branch Acupuncture is an amazing place and I always look forward to going there.

What are some of your favorite nonprofits to support? 

Anne: U.S. Masters Swimming; I’m part of the Genesee Valley Chapter. It’s a national nonprofit swimming team for adults that has regional and local chapters. They raise money to bring lessons to kids who couldn’t afford it otherwise, or for adult lessons. I swim with them 5 days a week in the early mornings.

Mitch: I’ve been involved with AIGA for a long time, the American Institute of Graphic Artists. I’ve been part of the organization for about 12 years. I’ve been on the board, have done some talks, organize portfolio reviews for students in the region, and offer mentorship.

If you had $100, how would you spend the money in Rochester? 

Anne: I’d go to Pittsford Dairy and order everything I wanted.

Mitch: And then we’d go to the MAG.

Anne: Afterwards, we’d fill up the gas take and go for a long drive. It would be an October day. Maybe we’d go check out the Main St. Arts Gallery in Clifton Springs. Then we’d go to Abbott’s, followed by dinner at the Del Monte, Owl House, or Rocco’s.

What is your personal coping mechanism for cold/gray weather? 

Anne: We hunker down and embrace the weather.

Mitch: I feel smarter and more motivated during the winter months.

What is your favorite Rochester memory? 

Mitch: The first snow every year, and that moment of “YES” you experience. Buying a house was a big one too.

Anne: Meeting Robert Bringhurst when he came to RIT (he wrote The Elements of Typographic Style). We also love getting to have dinner with visiting designers.

What makes Rochester unique? 

Anne: It feels like a small town.

Mitch: There’s still lots of great stuff going on, though.

Anne: But we love the pace, the people, and the relaxed nature of it.

Mitch: Providence was very dense. Rochester is enough.

What do you think could be improved? 

Mitch: Downtown could use a revitalization—though I feel like I’m not the right person to be saying that, since I don’t go downtown. It’s cool, and nice, but it just needs more stuff.

If Rochester was an animal, what would it be? 

Anne: The most adorable, sweetest, adventurous labrador retriever that loves hiking in fall leaves. It can be ferocious and take care of itself, but it can also be friendly and playful.

Tell me a little bit about your business. 

Anne: We are sole proprietors and independent graphic designers working together. Mostly on print projects, and primarily on book covers. We started in 2007, and have gradually cut back and narrowed our focus so we can do more of what we like. I’m full-time on it at our home studio; Mitch works on the business part-time. The more you do of a certain type of work, the more of a specialized spot you get into. We’ve become more focused on book covers over time.

What are your favorite fonts? 

Anne: Futura, medium, all caps, tracked out a lot, 100 points or more.

Mitch: Whichever is the right font for the project. Or, to take another angle on it: Comic Sans. It’s the point of entry for most people. My dad made a Comic Sans joke once! That’s how people start to get what goes into design work.

Anne: Mine is chosen purely based on aesthetic. I just love that delicate gossamer thread.

Growing up, what were your favorite books and/or book covers? In retrospect, what do those favorites say about the roots of your current aesthetic sensibilities?

Anne: I wasn’t obsessed with book covers as a kid; I don’t think I was conscious of them until college. Two exceptional examples come to mind, though:

• Dry by Augusten Burroughs. The cover was designed by Chip Kidd. He printed the word “dry” with an inkjet printer and poured water onto it. It was so simple and so perfect for the book. It was innovative.
• Obsession by Lennard J. Davis. The cover was designed by Isaac Tobin for the University of Chicago press. Designers pricked the word “obsession” with a pin into a piece of paper. The message is infused into the form, and there’s this syncing and layering of meaning and of the visual and verbal.

I wish we designed both of those!

What advice would you give to self-taught designers? 

Anne: Don’t try to make your work look like anyone else’s. Find what you do that’s eccentric and weird and go full throttle on that. I love when designers embrace their interests.

Mitch: You don’t have the baggage of a formal education, so be confident in where you’re coming from and don’t let it hold you back.

Any advice for designers in general? 

Anne: Work hard and be proud. Be yourself.

Mitch: It’s competitive, but it’s not a competition. Just be you.

Anne: Be nice and work hard.

Final thoughts? 

Anne: Eric Wilder (an I Heart ROC alumnus) is awesome. He’s great, he’s been our connection to everyone since we moved here.