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fig (fig) n. [sym.] - 1. peace  2. wisdom  3. prosperity

Julie Flahiff - founder + chief creative officer

Julie is an award-winning creative director and product development specialist, co-founder and chief creative officer at Big Fig, and a sought-after product design, research and development expert. She is also known for her ground-breaking work at Starbucks Coffee Company as Creative Director for Global Merchandise where she helped lead the team’s product development, including many locally-sourced, globally marketed promotions and led the creative development for Holiday ‘07 merchandise, which featured the wildly successful Holiday Advent Calendar, a design influenced by Julie’s memory of the painted Advent calendar her mother made in the 1970s.

Julie formerly served as creative manager at Disney Consumer Products on the team that helped shape the newly acquired ABC property. She also created the look and feel for the Disney Cuties property which is now a multi-million dollar global business, featured in both specialty as well as mass market retailers.

Julie is committed to bringing together the best and brightest product and graphic designers, illustrators, trend hunters, marketing experts and strategic thinkers from around the world. She believes that by bringing together a team of people with diverse backgrounds Big Fig is able to create a more holistic approach to today’s business environment. This approach also allows Big Fig Design to work with a broader group of colleagues and tackle a wider range of projects.

Flahiff began her career in advertising, working at Cole & Weber Seattle where she worked on the Beverly Center and Boeing accounts and, then moved to Wong Doody Los Angeles working on the Virgin Megastore launch.

Along with her work in private industry, Flahiff has been an advocate in the non-profit sector. She has served as an advisor for at-risk girls in Tacoma and currently volunteers her time and talent to help enhance the educational opportunities of children in her local community.

She lives with her husband, Daniel, and their two sons in Bellevue, Washington. Julie is a fearless mountain biker who is always in search of a muddy trail with a good view.  She has also recently discovered a new love–playing soccer–in a strictly recreational league. Julie also loves to travel and bring back new ideas to cook up for her family and friends.

[Julie] “is an ace at creative development. She is a joy to work with. She is an asset whether you need quick turn development for design or longer term brand id and product development. She's always my first call.”—Janet Parks, Principal, Janet Scherr Parks

“Daniel...has a knack for 'getting' what the client wants and delivers the goods above and beyond expectations. His professional process and approach make life easy for everyone with whom he works. My only regret is that I don't get to work with him more.”—Trish Cerrone, Producer / Writer, Walt Disney Imagineering

”Very nice…Love the quality of your work-keep it up!”—trendhuntress

”Obama for your Mama, And me too. Thanks for putting some cool into the election.”—Obama for your Mama

”I love my sweatshirt Daddy!”—Oliver, age 6 [OK, he’s my son;-)

”chuckling!”—reflekshins

“Love the constitution design. Really clever...great job!”

—democrattotheend

“Great stuff! Love your Obama t-shirts!!!”

—greenbaby

Daniel Flahiff - owner + designer

Daniel is a results-driven executive manager with over a dozen years of experience designing, building and promoting innovative design solutions for the US, EU and Asian markets. Daniel’s work in media production, product development, team recruitment and management and brand development  has built his reputation as a widely respected and enthusiastic industry leader.

Daniel has an affinity for identifying and solving problems; reversing negative sales trends, cutting costs, increasing productivity and margins. He has worked with Microsoft, Starbucks Coffee, Walt Disney Imagineering, The Home Shopping Network, International Documentary Association, Walt Disney Consumer Products, Universal Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, HBO, ABC, Walt Disney Studios, MGM, SGA, Mattel Toys, Intel Play, and many more.

After joining Mattel Toys in 1997 as a perma-lance animator, he helped Mattel integrate digital technologies into their video and sizzle pipeline. In 1999 he moved to Mattel’s Creative Advertising Services where he directed spots for Intel ‘Play’, Hot Wheels and Barbie.

In 2002 Daniel left Mattel to co-found Big Fig Design, LLC. In 2006 he took over Big Fig’s branding, motion graphic and web/interactive development, working ‘cheek-by-jowel’ with clients, staff and end users. He has served as owner, designer and chief bottle washer of Big Fig for the past 7 years.

Daniel has received numerous awards for his work. Recently Daniel’s blog project, (incli)NATION, was named a top 20 design blog by the East Coast Architecture Review, and a top 25 architecture blog by Eikonographia [for about 48 hours]. He currently contributes to several online and print publications  and is a regular contributor to Inhabitat.com. Daniel is a member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, the American Institute of Architects and the AIGA.

Daniel was born in Los Angeles, CA. His films, videos and installations have been seen on three continents, most recently in Stockholm, Sweden at Röda Sten. He is a passionate fly-fisherman, somewhat competent skipper, and may enjoy cigars from nations under trade embargoes…perhaps.

Phase 1: Research

Looking, listening and learning: In Phase 1, we meet with our client, get the brief during which we identify the target audience, the positioning of the brand, and the competitive landscape. We then immerse ourselves in market research, their business strategy and market trend data. Knowledge of key competitor’s strategies adds another layer of insight. And understanding how similar challenges have been approached in other industries adds yet another.

Phase 2: Design

Exploration: hard work, late nights and a little magic. In Phase 2 we employ a number of different approaches; drafting, prototyping, sketching, brainstorming, staying up far to late and drinking too much coffee. The best ideas are massaged into elegant solutions and presented to our client. This meeting is often the most important of the process, as it is the first time we get to see the creative together, develop a common language, and work together to create a winning concept for the project.

Phase 3: Refine

‘It takes time to create something memorable’ as a mentor of ours used to say. In Phase 3 we craft a design solution that  builds on the information gathered in the previous phases and elegantly solves the challenge at hand. Every detail counts. We create the perfect fusion of ideas, words and images. When we're finished, we present the best of the best to our client. Once finalized, the design will contain the the core concept that will be found in every final deliverable.

Phase 4: Execute

Tweak, polish and deliver. Drawing upon diverse backgrounds, our team has decades of combined experience in turning ideas into form. At Big Fig Design Group, we think every detail of a project is crucial; from the precise curve of a letter form to the texture of the paper it will be printed on. Using the best of our internal and external resources, we produce world class solutions for every project we undertake because we really do believe that Design Changes Everything.

WE MADE THESE TOO

Obama for America - Tees, Mugs, Totes and more...

Sparkler - High-end housewares for the modern, green home...

Mighty House - Small, DIY, off-grid housing...

Brass Ale - R&D for the 21st century...

(incli)NATION - art, ideas, travelogues, manifestoes, myths, magic...

CPAP Society - a resource for OSA patients and their families

For the Love of F. carica

The criteria: memorable, easier to understand over the phone than ‘Flahiff Studios’, fun, and symbolic. We landed on the fig because of its universal appeal, its rich history and, lets face it, we love them!

Of course, it wasn’t all that simple. Business names can me tricky things. Ever try naming a baby? The first rule of thumb; never tell anyone the name you’ve chosen, because they will either hate it, or steal it. Naming a company can be just as difficult, if not more so because you have to involve a lot of people, that’s the very nature of the exercise.

What sounds great to me, you may hate. And what I love today, I may hate tomorrow, and vice versa. In the end, there are usually more than a couple good choices, and you just have to take the plunge. That’s what we did with Big Fig.

Some fig facts that led us to claim it as our name and mark:

1. 1.The fig is likely the first cultivated crop starting around 11,400 years ago.
   

2. 2.The Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama is believed to have achieved enlightenment under a fig tree.
   

3. 3.Hindu texts refer to the fig tree as having its roots in heaven and hold it as the place the gods hold council.
   

4. 4.The fig tree is often used in the Torah and is often equated with it.
   

5. 5.And of course there’s the fig leaf in the Garden of Eden, which is nice, but not exactly a fig.
   

6. 6. As near as we can tell, generally, fig trees symbolize peace, wisdom and prosperity.
   

7. 7.And let’s not forget our childhood favorite, Fig Newtons!
   

So as you can see, there really was no choice. The fig was, well, meant for us. And of course its big. A big fig, or rather Big Fig!

Share the Love!

Hey, we made a new team tee! Simple and elegant just like us;-) Charcoal print on American Apparel, sweat-shop-free tee. Soft as a baby’s bottom and sooo comfortable.

Gotta love Zazzle! Get yours here...

How We Do What We Do

Our People

The Big Fig Point of View

Big Fig is an interdisciplinary design group based in Seattle, WA. When we’re not working on the side-projects contained here, we provide environmental, interactive, industrial and graphic design services to a variety of clients and industries; from entertainment to IT consulting, shoestring-start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations.

We believe two elements must be present for your message to rise above the din of the ordinary to the rarified air of the truly great. The first is a compelling story; the second is memorable design. At Big Fig we work with you to tease-out your unique story and then bring it to life with world-class design. Check us out, we think you'll like what you find.

SELECTED CLIENTS

[as represented by their logos, some of which we designed!]

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