Herb Lubalin

It's about ciel atir an,
nvironmen tna washes
ver ra hthan er
omeftmng t at
like to be a big-picture kind of person; I like to have all the
information:' Hori, on the other hand, takes an opposite
tack. He explains: "In asking questions, the more parame-
ters you set. The more questions are answered, the more
restrictive it becomes:'
These differences make them well suited for their jobs.
While Bates thrives within the corporate group dynamic,
Hori prefers to work from their peaceful Chelsea apart-
ment, accompanied only by two cats, named Myth and
Book. But this balance came about slowly. Before open-
ing the company, Hori worked for several years as an
art director with Bates at Atlantic, where office conflicts
would often carry over after-hours at home. Bates con-
cedes that relative solitude provides Hori his ideal work
environment. "The same things that give Allen his indi-
viduality and make his designs good are the same things
that make him not conform to the group:' he says.
When beginning projects, Bates and Hori concep-
tualize together and then decide who will flesh it out.
("Someone has to take the lead, because it's not physi-
cally possible to share the work:' says Bates.) Once the
project is underway, the partners continue to exchange
opinions and suggestions. Because he is away during the
workday, Bates realizes he has to temper his criticisms.
"We are equal partners in everything, so if it appears that
I whisk in and make comments, I know it's upsetting
because Allen may feel he's working for me:' he says. "I
have to take the tone of my voice down; the dynamic
has to change:'
HEADLINE: ITC CONDUIT BOLD PULLQUOTES: ITC LENNOX BOOK, ITC CONDUIT BOLD ITAUC
TEXT/CAPTIONS: ITC GOLDEN COCKEREL ROMAN, ITAUC BYUNE/BIO: ITC FLORINDA
What Bates and Hori share is a cerebral approach to design, where a message is
complex and multifaceted and involves a certain amount of interpretation and inter-
action on the part of the reader. At the same time, Bates credits Hori for making
that experience calm and poetic, rather than manic "It's about creating an environ-
ment that washes over you, rather than something that screams at you:' says Bates.
This philosophy reveals their roots at Cranbrook, which each attended, but at differ-
ent times. Hori, a native of Hawaii, was at Cranbrook during the mid-198os before
working at design firms in the Netherlands, including Hard Werken in Rotterdam.
Bates was a student following a stint as an art director at Whittle Communications
in his native Tennessee. The two met when Hori returned to the Bloomfield Hills
campus for a visit. "The whole [philosophy] is based on intelligence; to not drag
a project out of stupidity:' says Hori. "There is a certain amount of respect on the
designer's part—the design has to work for the designer's sense of self first:' Bates
adds: "I don't think either of us is interested in coddling the lowest common denom-
inator. We're not interested in giving a message out easily, like a newspaper headline:'
Since forming in 1993, the Bates Hori studio has been selective about clients,
choosing those who will allow the team to adhere to their vision. Projects include
exploratory paper promotions for Potlatch and Mohawk, two Absolut ads aimed
at designers for I.D. Magazine, print pieces for the fashion firm Westcott Design
Group and campaigns for LifeBeat, an AIDS organization. Often the work involves
a surreal overlapping of images and type, creating seamless shapes that meld mes-
sage and form. Despite having a range of experiences to draw from and a variety of
tools to use, the Bates Hori studio style is rooted in restraint. "A large part of being
a designer is the editing skill:' says Hori. "If you take responsibility for some kind
of authorship, then you have to learn how to edit, to know what to leave out and to
know when to stop."
JOYCE ROTTEN KAYE IS MANAGING EDITOR Of
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