Dan O'Brien, co-founder and creative director. Dan manages our Palo Alto office. His work as a designer, art director, and creative director has received awards from ADDY, American Corporate Identity, Black Book's AR100, Communication Arts (CA), Creativity Books, Graphic Design usa (GDUSA), Graphis, Mead Annual Report Show, New York Art Directors, PRINT, Potlatch Annual Report Show, San Francisco Advertising Association, The West Coast Show, and a bunch more. Dan teaches advanced design at his alma mater, San José State University, and is a member of AIGA and Western Art Directors. He's a past board member of Ronald McDonald House at Stanford and currently chairs its Communications Committee. Dan is a world champion domino player (in his dreams), collects motorcycles, and is an avid tennis player. Oh, and he went skydiving once--why push it?

Dick McIntosh, senior design director. Dick leads our clients through the complex processes of creating, building, and refining brand identity programs. His 20 years of experience bring a strategic perspective and demonstrated knowledge of the process required to resolve any branding challenge. And he writes great copy, too. In his spare time (yeah, right), he practices existential futility by continually attempting to grow tomatoes in the San Francisco fog. Prior to joining our firm, he held positions at Visigy and at Ideas for Advertising and Design. Dick studied history and English at the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a member of AIGA and Western Art Directors.

Eko Tjoek, senior designer. Eko is the lead designer at our Palo Alto office and a multiple recipient of the nation's most coveted design awards. As a member of our firm, Eko has received recognition from American Corporate Identity, AR100, CA, CA Exhibit Online, Creativity Books, GDUSA, Graphis, HOW magazine, Potlatch Annual Report Show, Rosey Awards, SAPPI Annual Report Show, and The West Coast Show--we'll send a complete list to interested parties. Prior to joining our firm, Eko was a designer at Berman, Gomez & Partners San Francisco. Eko received a BF degree from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and a BS degree from the School of Business, California State University, San Bernardino. He's a member of AIGA and Western Art Directors, and his interests include wondering if his mother sold the stamp collection of his youth to fund her recent cruise and collecting the midcentury modern furniture of Charles and Ray Eames, Harry Bertoia, and Norman Cherner.

Ann Elliot Artz, senior designer. Ann's illustrious design career has spanned 20 years. When Ann joined our firm, she brought tremendous experience through her various positions with Larsen Design (Minneapolis and San Francisco) and Landor (San Francisco). Her education includes a BA degree in studio art from Oberlin College and design studies in the New York Arts Program; L'Institut de Touraine, France; and the Yale Summer Program, Switzerland. She is a member of AIGA and Western Art Directors. The fifth-grade American history textbook she designed, America Will Be, was featured in the 1990 AIGA Book Award Show, and each year she adds to our long list of awards. She's an avid oil painter of rural life, has sung with the Stanford Gospel Choir, and is happiest at the beach on a gray day.

Lauren Gesell, designer. Lauren is a talented young designer-a recent graduate we grabbed from the very active Palo Alto freelance design community. She's a member of AIGA and Logo Lounge. We rely on Lauren to keep us up-to-date with pop culture, what's hot, and what's not. In her off time, she's a card-carrying member of the Palo Alto Lawn Bowls Club. She also proves she's a good environmental steward each day as she rides her bright blue bike to work-weather permitting. Lauren received a BA degree in studio art from the University of Redlands and also studied art and graphic design in Florence, Rome, and Paris.

Duane "Doo" Maidens, co-founder and creative director. Doo manages our Portland office. He and co-founder Dan O'Brien launched Michael Patrick Partners in 1979. (Michael Patrick is a combination of their middle names.) As an art director, creative director, and designer, Doo has received awards from ADDY, American Corporate Identity, AR100, CA, Creativity Books, GDUSA, Graphis, New York Art Directors, PRINT, Rosey Awards, San Francisco Adverting Association, Simpson Paper Company, and The West Coast Show, among others. He's a member of AIGA, Portland Advertising Federation, and Western Art Directors. He is on the Easter Seals Oregon Board of Directors and is a former lecturer at his alma mater, San José State University. He and his wife own two crazy Weimaraners named Homer and Grace, and Doo wants to be Wayne Thiebaud when he grows up. He also has the largest collection of Elvis ashtrays in North America.

Eric Vivian, senior designer. Eric leads design assignments at our Portland office.
His skill set includes branding programs, marketing literature systems, interactive design, and environmental graphics. His career has included design positions at the internationally renowned WD Partners in Columbus, Ohio, and he also studied visualization, user interaction, and motion graphics design in Germany. Eric received a BS degree in design from Ohio State University. He is a member of AIGA and Portland Advertising Federation. His design awards are accumulating and include American CASE, Corporate Identity, PRINT, and Rosey Awards. The 2008 viewbook he created for University of Portland was recently selected by Domtar to be reprinted and featured as a national sales and marketing tool. He also plays some down and lonely blues on his Fender Telecaster, worships weekends at the Church of Jimi Hendrix, and rides his bike (Eric's not Jimi's) to work on dry sunny days (that's not a lot of days in Portland).

Erica Reininger, designer. Erica is a talented young designer who rides her bike to work every day. She is the proud owner of three pet rats named Lily, Lila, and Lorabel. She won a Portland State University graphic design award and scholarship, which included a term of tuition plus an internship with the Portland Trail Blazers marketing department. She has amassed an amazing 50,000+ frequent flyer miles from travels to Australia and Europe, was a runway model but can't walk in high heels, and skydives with her mom. Erica draws, paints, makes multimedia collages, and is participating in the Portland "Run Like Hell" marathon in September 2008. She received a BF degree from Portland State University and is a member of AIGA.