This is Cabell Harris, his company is WORK Labs. I’ve been familiar with his work for upwards of 25 years but I don’t know him. I’ve worked in the same town at some of the same places around the same time but I don’t recall ever having even met him.
Wish I had.
He is, to me, the quintessential creative. Someone who is not only a creative person in his own right, but someone—remember this part—who clearly knows how to bring creative people together to produce a great product. That’s the magic part.
You see it in the WORK Labs portfolio—a consistent, high-level energy across all of the work—and though you might not be able to figure out who designed or wrote what, you see the obvious signature.
What I think really sets the work apart is the diversity of approaches—they are producing work that establishes and promotes the identity of each client, in a particular place, at a particular time, for a specific reason. In other words, they didn’t just get good at something and repeat it for everyone—that’s the other magic part.
In any case, this is simply an introduction. Below you’ll find some links to Harris’ work, some biographical information, and a couple of articles and video’s. Hope you might reap some of what he has sowed.
From richmondbizsense.com: Cabell Harris redefines “Work”…
From over30under30.com: Harris’ thoughts on aging in the business…
(Hint: “It’s not your age, it’s the age of your portfolio.”)
From heywhipple.com: Richmond 1985: Life at a small agency and a really small agency…
Cabell Harris at CreativeMornings Richmond, November of 2018…
Just for fun. Harris taught at the VCU Brand Center for 14 years and he produced this video to promote it…
Images used with permission.
Posted in OCTOBER 2019 / Chuck Green is the principal of Logic Arts, a design and marketing firm, a contributor to numerous magazines and websites, and the author of books published by Random House, Peachpit Press, and Rockport Publishers. All rights reserved. Copyright 2007-2019 Chuck Green/Logic Arts Corporation. Contact.
Thoughts?