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Work space: Art emerges tenfold |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Thursday, 01 March 2007 |
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 Josh Emrich and Christopher McLaughlin work in a visual world. They see things in shapes, lines, colors and pictures.
The pair opened a new design firm called The Tenfold Collective in Loveland two months ago.
“The key reason we are doing this is we want to do really great work, meet great people and become a part of their success,” Emrich said.
From their overly cozy office at 231 W. 4th St. in downtown Loveland, the creative wheels are spinning.
The goal is to produce high-end designs for clients on a local and national level without the pretension.
“We want to visually help other people tell their stories and not be so focused on telling our stories,” Emrich said.
Emrich, 26, and McLaughlin, 32, heard about each other through a mutual friend before actually meeting. By fluke, they ended up working at the same publishing firm. They realized they shared a similar focus and perspective.
“We really want to make work a family-friendly place for ourselves,” Emrich said. “A lot of times designers get so burned out and lose their empathy skills and inspiration because all they are doing is working.”
The two have done a wide range of projects and have won several awards. They recently launched a brand for a church conference in Longmont, which was a pretty big project for just coming out of the gate. McLaughlin said it went really well and that more projects continue to funnel through the pipeline.
Both Emrich and McLaughlin are artistic by nature.
“For me, I had always designed posters when I was growing up,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin grew up in Fort Collins and attended Savannah College of Art & Design. Emrich studied design at the University of Indianapolis.
“I always wanted to be an artist and saw design as a way to make money making art,” Emrich said. “There is a perception that art is set apart in museum which almost disengaged from normal culture. Our art gets to be involved in people’s lives.”
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VITAL STATS
Name: Josh Emrich, 26, and Christopher McLaughlin, 32
Company: The Tenfold Collective
Title: Partners
How long have you worked there? Two months
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1. What is it about this job that makes it challenging? Makes you get out of bed in the morning?
Emrich: I love design because it’s about solving problems in a transcendently beautiful way. I get out of bed in the morning because the alarm goes off. I like getting to meet new people each day and find different ways our stories intersect. It’s fun to learn so many different things about people like where they are going and what their goals are.
McLaughlin: Design is great because designers are always trying to wed the technical with the aesthetically beautiful. More generally, owning a business is really rewarding because it shows you how everything is intertwined with everything else. If I make this one decision in how we do operations, it has these effects on our marketing, which effects my non-work life in this way, etc. Everything is intertwined. Running the bus is what gets me out of bed.
2. Things that impress you? Things that don’t.
Emrich: I’m impressed by authenticity and passion. I’m not impressed by money or celebrity.
McLaughlin: Bruce Mau is impressive. Innovative green building materials are impressive. Massive historic preservation projects like MASS Moca in Massachusetts are impressive. Community efforts with limited resources like Blue Sky Church’s homeless shelter in downtown Loveland are impressive. Paris Hilton is not impressive.
3. How do young/new employees get ahead?
Emrich: They need to respond well to criticism and have a growth mindset of intelligence. Talent helps too.
McLaughlin: Ditto.
4. Did you ever think in a million years you’d work here?
Emrich: In a way, yes. I have always wanted create art for a living. I also come from a long line of stubborn entrepreneurs.
McLaughlin: Yes. I kind of always knew I would end up here. I love small businesses and being the one that gets to steer the ship is a lot of fun.
5. If you weren’t doing this, what would you do?
Emrich: I would write and illustrate children’s picture books.
McLaughlin: I would explore photography. It’s an incredible medium.
6. What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done while at work? Smartest?
Emrich: The stupidest thing I have ever done is let someone else control my creative environment— you can’t let others bring you down. And the smartest? That would have to be choosing the right partner and surrounding myself with people that compliment my strengths and weaknesses.
7. What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever done to make money?
Emrich: I worked as a caricature artist and face painter at corporate picnics.
McLaughlin: I roasted clams over an open fire (which made my eyes water and my clothes smell like smoke and fish) and then served wine at upscale backyard parties in Savannah, Ga.
8. Any interesting anecdotes?
Emrich: Yes, tons of them. At least I think they are interesting. There’s probably not enough space for this article. I’m not good at short anecdotes. But here’s an interesting random fact: Did you know that Mark Twain didn’t learn to ride a bike until he was 55? Just goes to show you that you are never too old to learn something new.
9. What’s the one thing you wish you could do on the job that you can’t right now?
Emrich: I wish I could go on sabbatical for a few years, visit Europe and fill my sketchbook full of great ideas.
McLaughlin: I wish we could have our design heroes come and work with us as advisors.
10. What do you do during your breaks?
Emrich: We have a mobile office, so sometimes I’m able to play with my daughter. I like visiting antique stores to look at old packaging, magazines and knick-knacks.
McLaughlin: I drive around in an old BMW and wonder how much longer it is going to run.
11. What’s one thing about your job you would do, even if you weren’t paid to do it?
McLaughlin: We do a lot of work with non-profit organizations. I’d keep doing that work.
Emrich: So much of what we do we don’t get paid for because there are projects we really care about and want to see clients succeed. We are willing to work extra late and put in extra hours. We are more about the solution rather than the end result of getting paid. I’d do the same thing I do now for free if there were a way my family could survive.
12. Name one thing in your life that really prepared you for your job.
Emrich: Listen to others in order to empathize with them. If I can understand their vision, desires, wants and needs, then I can design something that exceeds their expectations.
McLaughlin: I cleaned my room— it taught me how to organize our operations.
13. What’s the biggest payoff in your job?
Emrich: When I design something that makes a process, product, or idea easier to understand and use— and make it beautiful and emotionally compelling at the same time— then I feel like I have achieved something of value.
McLaughlin: I love watching clients get excited about our processes and the work that we can produce for them. When they get excited about how we have depicted their brand, they get excited about their business. It is fun to be a part of that process.
14. Are you the boss? Do you think you should be?
Emrich: Nope. In the end, we have two bosses: Our clients and our wives. Our clients decide what we work do and when and our wives decide how much we charge.
15. What do you do when you’re not at work?
Emrich: Work never stops— I am always thinking about concepts and ideas. Inspiration comes from spending time with my family, hiking, volunteering at my church, traveling, etc.
McLaughlin: My wife is the head of Novo Restoration Inc., which is a non-profit organization working to restore the historic Feed and Grain building in downtown Loveland. Pretty much any time not spent with our children goes into this effort.
16. Pets? Family?
Emrich: I’m happily married and have a daughter. We don’t have any pets because we just don’t have the energy.
McLaughlin: I am married with two children; Ruby 3, and Jonathan, 1. We also have a dog named Moo. She looks like a cow.
17. Favorite TV shows. Movies. Books.
Emrich: I don’t watch too much TV, unless I am doing research. My wife and I make it a point to read together almost every day. I am a child at heart, so I still love reading children’s books. As movies go, I’m addicted to old Hollywood: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne…
McLaughlin: Right now I am reading and really enjoying Don Quixote. I get a good chuckle with every chapter and I am embarrassed to see Don Quixote’s characteristics in myself. I think humans are all pretty ridiculous in our own ways. My favorite movie is Babette’s Feast. It is great to be reminded that generosity contributes to community.
18. What Web sites do you have bookmarked?
Emrich: theimaginaryworld.com, www.bobstaake.com/artists/maryblair, www.psyop.tv, www.timbiskup.com, www.mrfrench.com, www.alvinlustig.com and www.eamesoffice.com
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