Dan Walter

I’ve always been a designer. I went to school for it. I’ve worked at marquee agencies with world-class reputations, and I’ve helped make small struggling shops thrive. I’ve helped bring design to a massive corporation. I’ve been the creative doer, the creative leader, and I’ve been the client. I’ve had the incredible privilege of learning from and working with the most talented people in design today. I’ve been part of hundreds of projects with all types of client relationships. After 20 years in this business, I made the decision to edit out all of the unnecessary distractions and get back to what I love: Designing brands. I started Dan Walter Design Co. in July of 2017, and have never looked back.

Most people are familiar with the children’s game called (at least in the United States) “telephone” where children line up and a simple phrase is whispered in the ear of the first child. They then turn and whisper the message to the next person, and so on, down the line. What the last child reports back is rarely the original phrase. Depending on how many times the message is passed, it may not share any similarity. The same is true for design. When the distance between client and designer grows, few projects live up to their full creative potential. My clients are in ultimate control over their brands and I work directly with them. I get to know them and their businesses. We trust one another and work together. No line of children to confuse the message. Some people talk about their relationship with an agency. The best relationships are always between people.

Using design to communicate meaning– and the underlying puzzle you need to figure out to do that well– is what I love to do. It is a right brain activity that cannot be accomplished without the left brain. Some call this design thinking, but design has always been about thinking. I use this to make brands sharper and more poignant. More loved and hated. More relevant. I love solving the puzzles my clients bring me. I love a good challenge. I’m a designer.