Meeting Up With A Dynamic Design Duo

Despite there being just two of them, almost all of Triboro’s work for clients such as Google, Nike and MoMA is done in-house. Tom May finds out just how the heck they manage it…

- Tom May

Based in Brooklyn, New York, Triboro is the design partnership of David Heasty, originally from Texas, and Stefanie Weigler, who hails from Germany. They also happen to be married to each other.

Creating design solutions for clients across publishing, art, fashion, music, lifestyle, as well as for cultural institutions, the duo rarely collaborate with others or use freelancers. instead, 99 per cent of their work is done in-house, from developing strategies to final execution, including the crafting of custom typefaces.

We chatted with them to learn the secrets of their success, what most inspires them, their latest projects, and more.

How did you guys meet?

David Heasty: We met in 2004 through our mutual mentor, designer alexander Gelman, while working at his studio. We started dating right away and were married within a year and a half. I never imagined us becoming business partners, but since we were both disillusioned with our full-time positions, starting a company together seemed a natural escape.

Triboro became official in January 2008, just in time for the impending economic crisis. We began with only one client, but after working really hard and through some personal connections, we secured enough projects to support us through that first year. the following 10 have been very busy. We haven’t had much rest.

How’s the company evolved since then?

Stefanie Weigler: What’s changed is that we can now focus on the projects that are most exciting to us. also, we’ve learned to embrace the value of intuition in our creative process.