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CAHAN & ASSOCIATES hires strong
designers with a range and variety of wor By requiring their designers to serve oppos masters, art and business, with equal devo tension is born. By testing their client’s toler es for risk, they create tension in relationsh with clients. They ask the clients to trust the trust Cahan & Associates to figure out thei companies issues and be able to create a intelligent approach to solve their problem process and “craziness” of the work environ is never over; Cahan creates additional te byquestioning the efficacy of each and eve product created.
TENSION, THE OFFSPRING OF CONFLICT AND CONTRAST, IS THE PRIMARY TOOL FOR CREATING ARTISTIC DRAMA.
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rk. sing otionranchips em; ir fresh, m. The nment ension ery
CAHAN & ASSOCIATES
hire strong designers with a range and variety of work. By requiring their designers to serve opposing masters, art and business, with equal devotion- tension is born. By testing their client’s tolerances for risk, they create tension in relationships with clients. They ask the clients to trust them. Trust Cahan & Associates to figure out their companies issues and be able to create a fresh, intelligent approach to solve their problem. The process and “craziness” of the work environment is never over; Cahan creates additional tension by questioning the efficacy of each and every product created. THEY ARE DESIGNERS
who work to find the truth in the client’s company and their message. Through this method, they deliver quality solutions to suit their client’s needs.
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“I AM A CATALYST. I INSPIRE PEOPLE TO DO THEIR BEST WORK.” 004
“It’s not about business, it’s personal.” BILL CAHAN started off in the architecture business. After he re-branded the company he worked for, he figured out he had a passion for design. His lack of formal education was anything but a hindrance, for it allowed him to experiment without boundaries. His background in architecture taught him to build on solid foundations. Cahan & Associates is known for creating design work for “un-interesting” companies, such as the bio-medical industry. Cahan & Associates’ designs of annual reports for said companies are innovating; they create reports to easily communicate the information in a compelling way. The designers want to uncover the issue and dig deep to to find the story that will make the viewers want to care about the company and their product. Cahan & Associates want to penetrate the minds of the viewers and leave them emotionally affected. They are not just handed the information they need for projects; They work hard for weeks to understand the client, the information, and their message. Once the designers understand the issue, it creates the real opportunities.
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03 01 See Magazine for Herman Miller; 02 Logo design for Creative Labs, Mission Towers, and InQuizit, respectfully; 03 Ad for the merge of Gray Cary and DLA Piper; 04 Collateral Therapeutics 1998 annual report;05 Maxygen annual report;
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“WE LIKE OUR CLIENTS TO HAVE SWEATY PALMS.”
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“Companies often have a lot to say, but don’t necessarily know how to say it. As a result, they’re not looking for a designer. They’re looking for someone to uncover their story and communicate it.”
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05 01 Branding for Boisset USA Apollo; 02 Advertising for Informatica; 03 Adaptec annual report; 04 Cahan & Associates Posters for Bill Cahan’s lectures; 05 Branding for Pottery Barn; 06 See Magazine for Herman Miller;
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“CLIENTS OFTEN GET WORRIED THAT WHEN THEY LOOK AT OUR PORTFOLIO, THAT THE WORK IS SCHIZOPHRENIC; THAT EVERY THING LOOKS DIFFERENT.
WELL IT DOES. AND SHOULD. IT’S REFLECTING EACH CLIENT’S SPECIFIC ISSUES AND CULTURE.”
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02 01 Annual report for Adaptec; 02 Annual report for Business Objects; 03 Annual report for Gartner; 04 Annual report for Identix;
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“CLIENTS HAVE NO TROUBLE PAYING $5,800 FOR AN HOUR IN A GULFSTREAM CORPORATE JET OR $425 FOR A MONTH OF PARKING. BUT GOD FORBID THEY SPEND $3 PER PAGE ON A GLOSSY ANNUAL REPORT.”
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“THEIR WORK HITS AN EMOTIONAL NERVE THAT MAKES PEOPLE CARE.” 012
CAHAN & ASSOCIATES
promised themselves and their clients that they would work to educate themselves to find out every single fact about a client. They promised to look for innovative approaches to convey the message and story the client wants to show. Cahan & Associates were able to conquer a market that never existed before and continued to conquer the market through the creation of tension and hope in risk-taking. Their work method is nerve-wracking: - Opposing designers - Questioning every single step taken - Testing client’s tolerance for risk This does not bother Cahan & Associates. Bill Cahan believes in an environment in which people disagree and let go of their securities is one where interesting things happen. The world is over-run with work that is mediocre; these designers wish to change the world of communication and design for the better.
Cahan & Associates’ work proves this.
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BY N ICOL E
BIBLIOGRAPHY Cahan, Bill, and Bob Dinetz. I am almost always hungry. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999. TYPEFACE Geosans Light
HOLMES
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