Dave Henry Allwine

Working from home isn’t a new concept for me. My father started a family business when I was 10, handcrafting vintage car mats in our garage and basement (Cocomats.com). Working across the hall from my basement bedroom, my job was to cut, glue, and trim the material. I went to Pratt Institute as an undergrad and graduated with a BFA in Digital Arts. Post-school, I returned to work for the family business while accepting freelance gigs in my spare time. During this period, I uncovered the joy of design. Wanting to hone my skills, I returned to Pratt for my Graduate Degree in Communication Design.

Living in a family business taught me how a company is about the relationships with the customer, communication inside the work environment, at some points wearing many hats, seeing a destination and how to troubleshoot problems to stay true to a timeline.

For my personal design and art, I enjoy a messy-clean style. All projects are different, though, and each has a life of its own waiting to be discovered. It is the designer as an archeologist to discover the design through on-the-ground research, word maps, mood boards, ideation, many whiteboard smudges, and sticky notes. Each project is troubleshooting to find a core solution.

My spare time is spent finding new places during long runs while listening to a funny podcast — Watching Mets, Jets, and Arsenal Games with my dog, Camino — and listening to Wire – Pink Flag or The Dead – Cornell 77 while making black bean tacos.

Q. Where are you from?

A. Born in the valley, uprooted to New England, traversed the 95, with a foot in Brooklyn.