Bob Calvano (@BobCalvano) runs the digital media & design studio for A+E Networks, and oversees the development of mobile apps, websites, interfaces, and a variety of other design elements for A+E’s brands.
This conversation discusses his origins in digital and traditional design work, how he manages a diverse team of designers and programmers, and the challenges of working in the always-changing business of television and entertainment.
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Show Notes & Links
- TV is the first screen; computers are the second screen; mobile is the third screen
- Bob describes himself thoroughly as a husband, father, son, brother, drummer, speaker, friend, designer … at different times
- “Proudly hyphenated”
- A+E, Lifetime, History, FYI — television networks under the A+E umbrella
- Basement storage racks
- Bob started as a fine artist & illustrator, later worked as an in-house designer for Panasonic
- An early business found Bob and his partner painting & airbrushing motorcycles, boats, etc.
- Oxygen Network
- R/GA, digital agency
- To move from creative agencies like media to less-creative agencies like pharma, banking, etc.
- The Narcissism of Minor Differences
- Bob’s team focuses on “digital execution” of many different projects
- “mobile-first” mentality for the websites
- “watch” apps for Android and iOS (for watching, not timepieces)
- XBOX 360
- Roku
- AppleTV
- Amazon Fire TV
- “media agnostic” — problem-solving is more important than a particular execution
- “integrated branding” or “360 campaigns”, putting all the pieces together
- Erica Heinz, previous guest on The Busy Creator Podcast (episode 10)
- A+E’s studio is packed with “Product Designers”
“It's a designer-slash-developer world.”
—Bob Calvano
- Waterfall method, sort of outdated but still in use in many agencies/teams
“A show idea could come from anywhere.”
—Bob Calvano
- Duck Dynasty, not-so-accidental smash hit
- Netflix Original Programming
- Amazon Original Programming
- Vimeo Original Programming
- A+E Studios, upcoming original content producers
- Forthcoming Apple Watch
- Responsive design vs. breakpoints
- Microsoft changes rendering engine for Outlook
- Vikings, on The History Channel
- The History Channel app for iOS
- No traffic department
- We did an entire episode about Project Management Application & Collaboration Software
- Vessel
- “T-Shaped People“, originally an IDEO term
img of t-shape
“The Static Photoshop Comp is slowly becoming extinct.”
—Bob Calvano
“Photoshop is a ‘mullet-shaped’ tool; 90% of the users only use 10% of the features.”
—Prescott Perez-Fox
- Vijay Mathews was a previous guest on The Busy Creator Podcast (episode 32)
- Designers should have a background in Calculus (jeez, what a cranky bastard)
- Google Ventures design sprints
- Lifetime app for iOS
- Oxygen app for iOS
- A&E app for iOS
- All the networks have social media followings (too many to list, in fact)
Tools
- Blank paper (for sketching during conversations)
- “watch” apps
- History Here app for iOS
- Jira by Atlassian
- Freedcamp (a free version of Basecamp)
- Trello
- Sketch
Techniques
- Use Agile framework for your design+development projects
- Use Scrum framework to keep teams together
- Kanban board to manage project stages
- Mine your own data
- Set up “teams of three”, where Art Directors work closely with a UX/UI designer and a developer
- Turn your Project Managers into Scrum Masters on a Product Team (same thing but on a different model)
- Use an all-digital workflow
- Hire T-Shaped People and encourage them to grow
- Present clickable prototypes rather than flat comps — it yields better results, even if it takes slightly longer
- Use transit time to prepare for, and recover from, the working day. Meditate or at least mentally plan.
Habits
- Sketch during conversations; think out loud
- Capture and measure all possible statistics; use data & metrics to inform decisions
- Don’t base everything off data & metrics; trust your gut as designers
- Keep your finger on the pulse of design & digital media by going to conferences, taking classes, subscribing to magazines, take field trips
- Wake up at 5:45
- Eliminate Gluten & Dairy
- Take the stairs! If you’re a commuter, they’re always right there.
- On weekends, sleep as late as kids & dogs will allow
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