Vision/Philosophy/History

Don is a design/advertising studio. Don helps brands reimagine and redefine their industry while leading consumers to new experiences. Don collaborates with businesses of all types and sizes to create adaptable solutions of lasting value.

Relationships with a client, team, and partners are paramount to success. Key to that success is mutual respect, commitment to attention, and the shared goal to strive for excellence.

Creating clear, concise, personal communication with meticulous attention to detail in everything from the design, and development of the strategy to the telling of the brand story is the primary goal.

Brand stories come alive by drawing on influences from diverse influences in art, writing, architecture, music, and film — to create work that’s layered, intriguing, relevant, and cuts through to the consumer. Brand stories create behavior.  Internally these stories are more important than external communications. Employees need to know they play a role in the brand story.

Visual identity is incredibly important. It’s what all users see first – before they’ve read a word about it, seen any products, or listened to a sales pitch.  An optimal visual identity creates instant credibility, signals your personality, and begins the work of shaping a positive perception. Scan Don’s book of work. You will notice no two visual identities look alike. Each was intentionally distinct and grown from the unique personality of each brand.

Access to research can be provided. What is not often said is research goes beyond implementing strategy it also provides comfort. Take for example the partners of a law firm knowing creative has been tested and proven to resonate with current and prospective clients with no hidden problems arising in the future. A quantitative and qualitative audit that assesses brand strengths and weaknesses is many times paramount to get past bias and preconceptions. Such would be the case for understanding investors, employees, and influencers on social media, attractiveness to the brand messages, and where to make improvements.

Principle/Don Easdon

Don has worked in Boston, New York, Santa Monica, San Francisco, Dallas, Tokyo, and London as an executive creative director, partner, freelancer, and principal of advertising and graphic design businesses.

If awards are important, The globally prestigious Gran Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity was awarded for the rebranding of John Hancock Financial Services. Other awards included Clio, ADDY, and American Advertising, as well as being included in Communication Arts Annuals and awarded Webbies for digital and internet marketing.

The New York Times in three separate lead articles in the business section wrote about Don campaigns: John Hancock (“one of the top 10 campaigns of all time”), Wang Laboratories, and the Nissan Infiniti launch of a new line of luxury cars (“the most talked about campaign of the decade”). His work has been included in several books. Harvard Business Publications have case studies written on the brand stories of the international law firm Bingham, and two on the rebranding of John Hancock.

Early on at Young & Rubicam, New York, he helped pioneer The Whole Egg integrated marketing platform. And as Executive Creative Director of Backer Spielvogel Bates worldwide he created the very first digital studio for an advertising agency.

Quotes:

 “Don develops powerful campaign ideas that are strategic, creative, and always original. He has the range to work with a top law firm one day, a high-tech startup the next, and the Harvard Lampoon the next.

 From my experience, Don combines a number of talents in a unique and valuable manner. He is an art director but he’s also an excellent graphic designer and smart tv/video content developer. He’s highly creative but he's also strategic and very thorough. Finally, he has high standards but he’s also fast. I sometimes think of Don as “a complete creative agency in a box.” He is certainly one of the best creative directors I have ever worked with.”

Francis J. Kelly II,

President & CEO, Arnold Worldwide

“Don is an innovator and forward-looking creative director who brought me to New York to build the first digital studio at a large advertising agency. Don took a novelty and made it common practice on a scale that changed the way agencies operate by integrating digital, design, advertising, and production. Just like his creative thought process, Don has the ability to sense a trend, expand on it and create something never done before.”

Michael Tardif

CEO, Sourcetop

 Let’s work together.