We were lucky to catch up with Paul Tuorto recently and have shared our conversation below.

Paul, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

The largest and best risk I’ve ever taken was leaving a job I loved for a better work-life balance when we started our family. I worked at a small ad agency for directors and mentors I adored, with colleagues who became best long lasting friends, and work that was inspiring and exciting. Regardless, the advertising lifestyle and that of a new small family are not the easiest to weave together – coupled with an eagerness to find work that I was personally more passionate about led to my exit. Leaving a job with good pay and better benefits months after having your first child is not ideal but burning the candle on both ends was not working and there were new opportunities I felt could keep me afloat, at least until our son was a bit older. Almost 8 years later and with another child I’ve never been happier for taking that jump and risking it all to find a better balance of work I love and hours not missed with our family.

Paul, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a designer and art director focused on identity design and packaging for businesses large and small. I focus a lot of my work on hospitality concepts and products such as restaurants, hotels, small businesses, retail and food products. Prior to being a designer I always worked in restaurants and love to cook. My family is also full of entrepreneurs so this combination of passions for hospitality and helping someone bring their business or product to life is my favorite style of work. I also love to work illustration, photography, and some light copywriting into my work as well as naming and strategy for new businesses.

Since going freelance in 2016 I’ve built up a wide variety of case studies and gain most of my work via word of mouth. The most productive projects are when I’m approached as the Creative Director of the project, leading the process of visualizing and directing the overall look and feel of a project by someone who values a creative’s unique perspective and ability to bring a business plan to life in a exciting way. The most rewarding start with a concept which I help the client strategize, name, design and launch – the full process from idea to real life.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I try to split my intentions down the middle: as an artist my goal is using personal time and interests to create just for creations sake. As a designer, when I’m hired onto a project as a partner, it’s quite different: my goal is to help this business communicate it’s intentions correctly, build an atmosphere around the brand and set them up for success. There’s overlap sometimes, the ability to be loose and care-free with creative solutions but ideally it still drives towards the business goals and needs of the client. No guardrails can be stifling as a designer so solving a specific visual puzzle is always a fun challenge and breeds a level of creativity that’s hard to find with a blank sheet of paper.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Hands down the most rewarding part of my work is seeing the client and community enjoy the fruits of our labor. I focus on hospitality and small business clients primarily because you get to live in the creative in real time. From designing the identity which leads to the facade and signage of a building all the way to the menus, merchandise and packaging – it’s a collection of artifacts that I love getting to experience personally and even more watch a community enjoy and champion. Seeing people in your shirts, recommending places and spaces you’ve helped bring to life, gifting products you’ve designed and becoming a small fiber of the visual fabric of a community is very rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://paultuorto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paultuorto/