“Design is more than creating visuals. It’s about true relationships.”
At Point To Point, our core values reflect who we strive to be within our walls and as partners to our clients. We hire “Pointers” because they fit our culture first. Not because they simply cover a job description.
A DEI program, team training, hybrid work model, surveys and individualized growth planning are all part of our culture. Another is recognition.
Each year, a team member is chosen who exemplifies all four of our core values; be determined, truly care, value relationships, and be curious.
Voted on completely by his peers, the 2021 Pointer of the Year is Jordan Stewart, one of our talented designers. Jordan works on projects for clients like Sherwin-Williams, OSI and LIXIL.
The Interview
Our CEO, Megan Kacvinsky sat down with Jordan to get his take on winning the award and his approach to working with clients.
MK: We announced the recipient of the “2021 Pointer of the Year” at our 2022 agency kickoff event. Were you surprised to hear your name? What was your initial reaction to receiving this honor?
JS: I was both surprised and honored that so many of my teammates genuinely enjoy working with me. I’m grateful that my peers went out of their way to nominate me, and in many ways affirm my place at Point To Point.
MK: One of the things called out by your peers when nominating you was how you maintain and value relationships with them. How do you approach working with people from various levels and different roles?
JS: Every role has its importance in the bigger picture and trying to understand those roles helps forge better relationships. A bit of appreciation and admiration for your teammates goes a long way. Much of what we do here at Point To Point happens behind the scenes and can be easy to overlook. You could build the most beautiful house, but very seldom would someone notice the poor construction of the foundation at first glance. From leadership, to account, to project management and media, behind every great creative execution there is a tirelessly working team of individuals building a strong foundation. I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge and appreciate them the best I can.
MK: What is your favorite aspect of working with your fellow Pointers?
JS: My favorite aspect by far has been the friends and mentors I’ve met along the way. When I was seeking a job at PTP one thing I made clear was I wanted mentorship and that’s exactly what I got. Point To Point is the first agency I’ve worked at and to have been taken under the wing of so many great people is comforting. I’ve been fortunate enough to have coworkers that also truly care about me. Work is more rewarding when you’re doing it with people who also care about it.
MK: Another agency value attached to you is that you truly care about the work. How does this apply when working with clients?
JS: As someone who’s worked in-house before, I understand it can be challenging to develop trust with an agency partner. To build that trust my goal is always to give our clients the same amount of care and consideration that someone within their organization’s walls would. When our clients come to Point To Point they’re laying a lot of responsibility onto us to make their organization better. I wholeheartedly believe there should always be a “leave it better than you found it” mentality at the forefront of whatever we do.
MK: We need to be comfortable being uncomfortable at times. Is there an approach that you take when discussing with clients a vision of the work that they may not have thought of before?
JS: Do you remember swimming as a kid, how scared you were to go in the deep end of the pool? “But what if I drown” you might have said. Then, you get in the water to realize the water distorted your view and you can touch the bottom of the pool. That’s how I imagine our clients a lot of the time. We have the privilege of sometimes helping our clients realize they’ve outgrown the shallow end and are ready to take the next step.
Each client has a unique set of circumstances attached so there’s no magic formula. However, our talented team of Pointers can help ease the uncertainty backed by research and years of expertise.
MK: What would you like aspiring designers to know about working with people and how they should approach getting buy in on what they create?
JS: While I’m still relatively early in my career and have plenty of room to grow, my best advice is to look for good mentors. Having checks and balances is important to the work. The more you talk about the work with your peers, the more confident you can be that it’ll stand on its own.
MK: What approach do you take to begin your work day?
JS: Most days start with a check-in with the rest of the creative team and a cup of coffee. Beyond that, almost every day is different and that’s how I like it!
MK: What do you like or follow in your personal life that inspires you to deliver on the workfront?
JS: Professionally I listen to a lot of creative podcasts and admire the work of tons of talented designers and creators on Instagram. Though, personally some of my best work comes when I’m not thinking about work at all. I do a lot of cycling, and more recently fly fishing, and there’ve been times I’ve had to stop what I’m doing to write stuff down.
MK: You are known around the agency as having an uncanny ability to deliver quick witticisms. Do you dream them up? LOL.
JS: One-liners are just an art I’ve perfected over the years. Quite honestly I’m surprised I haven’t gotten booed off stage and they gave me this award.
If you’d like to learn more about Point To Point and current opportunities to be part of our team, visit our career’s page.