Issue link: https://nbm.uberflip.com/i/1482193
1 0 G R A P H I C S P R O • N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2 G R A P H I C S - P R O. C O M W ith a master's degree in industrial design, Andrew Watson, founder and creative director at Andrew Watson Design in Squamish, British Columbia, could have done a lot of things. He chose to pursue a career of creating unique awards and recognition. "e mix of design, manufacturing pos- sibilities, and creativity involved in cre- ating awards and recognition was very appealing to me. I like being able to focus on highly detailed processes that yield a high-quality outcome," he says. Watson shares how he launched his company, what production tricks he has learned along the way, and how his shop became the "go-to" source for awards and recognition output for companies like Disney, Apple, Nike, and Google. How and where did you get your start? AW: We started in 2012 in Vancouver. Back then, it was just me and my lap- top. e business grew very quickly and we have since moved twice, each time to larger locations. We are currently a team of 10 people, which feels like just the right size. We want to remain a small, boutique opera- tion to allow us to continue to provide the best service and quality for our clients. Please tell me about your clientele. Who were some of your first clients? We have been fortunate to work with high-end clients from the very begin- ning. Some of our first clients include Indian Motorcycle, Disney, Gap, Wilson Sporting Goods, and the United Nations. Since then, we have worked with Apple, Awards and Recognition ANDREW WATSON DESIGN REINVENTS Going from a startup to a supplier for national brands B Y G I N N Y M U M M All images courtesy Andrew Watson Design