What came next? Besides getting married, I had few concrete plans. Before coming to RISD, I had a relatively successful career as a freelance designer. Leaving RISD, I had developed a creative practice and discovered there was a market for it. But instead of seeking out positions in creative coding, I decided to strike out on my own to see if I could rekindle my business and turn it into something bigger.
Organizations
Why run one company when you can run four? I decided to start a studio called No Replica, which would primarily create websites and generative brand identities. I named it after my undergraduate thesis in theatrical sound design because my work connected technology and experience, which felt like theater to me. I figured the studio would be my one business that made money, and then the other three could serve as personal passions. GD with GD (Graphic Design with Gabriel Drozdov) would host my teaching projects, Too Much Type my fonts, and Barco Loudly my music (a passion I hoped to pick back up!). If nothing else, these “companies” helped me to organize my life since I was entering a world without the structures I had relied on for three years.
