Design Q&A with PDC

LK Weiss founded Portland Design Co in 2010 while studying at Maine College of Art & Design. In 2018, LK partnered with Abby Towne, a Kennebunk native and MECA graduate, to strengthen Portland Design Co’s fast moving, high quality agency-like momentum with a boutique and personal feel.

Twelve years later, PDC has worked with hundreds of brands on unique logo and identity systems, illustrative projects, web design, print collateral, and much more. Together, our experience consists of a diverse range of clients from small local businesses to national and corporate companies, as well as government and nonprofit sectors.

As a small, collaborative, woman-owned team—we thought it would be fun to ask each other some creative Q’s on this month’s blog post. Learn about our favorite projects, how we gather inspiration, what fuels our creative process, and more.

LK Weiss

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Owner & Creative Director

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LK Weiss // Owner & Creative Director //

What’s your design origin story?

In the mid-2000’s, I began designing show posters for a local Drag King group, of which I was also a performer. It sparked something in me that made it clear I had a knack for design and could make a career out of it, and what a journey its been! I would not ever want anyone to see those posters now!

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on?

Illustrations for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. 33 mammals and 21 fish species, all anatomically accurate. The drawings have been made into identification posters and playing cards. The best part was visiting a 1st grade classroom at Falmouth Elementary to talk about the project and teach the little ones how to draw a horse and bear.

What’s your favorite type of design problem to solve?

Finding the balance between two opposing things a client is requesting. For instance, they’d like a logo that is both vintage and modern. Or an illustration that is abstract but also realistic. We rarely say no, and it’s an exciting process to figure out how to unlock these puzzles.

Favorite snack while working?

Anything related to dark chocolate. There are about 5-6 half eaten varieties of chocolate in the top drawer of our filing cabinet at the studio. Out of sight but never out of mind.

What’s it like to see your finished design out in the world?

Incredible. Its humbling and so rewarding. I love that thousands of people are seeing it, but no one knows who did it - I love the anonymity of design.

Abby Towne

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Senior Designer

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Abby Towne // Senior Designer //

Tell me about your favorite part of the creative process.

Creating custom brand marks and hand-wrought logos, (but that feels like the reward that only comes after the challenge of finding the brand’s voice, which I also enjoy). Distilling all of the information the client gave us to date, researching, outlining themes, problems and goals to understand the best way to connect with the brand’s audience.

What are your favorite ways to gather inspiration before a project?

It depends on the type of project. If I’m feeling stuck on an editorial or long-form layout, I’ll look through books and magazines to think about new ways to activate the space. For branding, the discovery process when you’re searching for that unique, light bulb moment — I love diving down those creative tunnels to source inspiration and create a unique aesthetic voice. I collect matchbooks, print samples, packaging and have a trove of online resources to pull from. I like searching the Letterform Archive to gather inspiration when I’m crafting custom type inspired by specific time periods.

Favorite type of music/podcast/etc. to listen to when working?

If I’m emailing or need to focus on writing, I prefer instrumental-based or very chill music (Monster Rally, Solange, SAULT, and Big Thief lately).

What is an important lesson you learned in your design career?

Contracts and deposits are critical. 


Favorite design tools?

Definitely a pencil, pad of paper, and scanner. MacBook, Adobe Illustrator, a Wacom Cintiq tablet for a hand drawn touch. And a Pantone book for sure :)

Thanks for reading & happy holidays!

Photography by Taylor Gonzalez