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Doug Bartow

Experienced design director and design team leader with proven track record in brand design across various media for businesses and organizations


More about me

Platform Coordinator, NYS Design System | Human-Centered Design Team, NYS Office of Information Technology Services, Albany, NY (October 2024–)
We’re building an open-source component and pattern library with NYS brand guidelines and best practices for all of New York State’s web properties and applications.


Freelance Design Director (May 2024–September 2024)
Worked on brand & identity design projects, signage and environmental design, and web design


Design Director at Overit in Albany, NY  (January 2022–May 2024)
Overit is a full-service agency of 40+ creatives working across a number of business spaces both regionally and nationally. I worked with and managed a team of 6 brand designers who focus on print, web, and rich media. Some notable accounts I've worked on: Downtown Albany BID, Hudson Valley Community College, CDTA, The Arts Center of the Capital Region, Columbia-Greene Community College, Freihofer's Run for Women, First Presbyterian Church of Albany, Cedar Knoll Log Homes. Most recently, I rearticulated the Overit visual brand, for both internal and external communications across the agency. 


Principal and Design Director at id29 in Troy, NY  (2003–December 2022)
I co-founded id29 in Troy, NY in 2003 and was responsible for the design direction of a small to mid-level design and marketing firm with regional, national and international clients. I managed and art directed our award-winning design team of 12 during that time, building our reputation regionally and nationally for creative excellence based upon research and sound business strategy. We had the good fortune to help build brands, campaigns and marketing strategies for clients such as: Cobra PUMA Golf, Pitney Bowes, Firefly Bicycles, The Steve Case Foundation, Union College, BestPass, The Travel Channel and NY State Parks. id29 was the agency behind Scholastic’s national campaign for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007, which sold 8.3M copies in the first day. Some of that design work is viewable here. Alas, id29 closed its doors at the end of 2021.


Director of Design at MASS MoCA  (1995–2003)
I joined the MASS MoCA project as its second employee and established the MASS MoCA Design Department in 1995—four years before our public opening in May 1999. During that time, I helped put the country’s largest arts center on the world’s cultural map by designing the museum’s identity system, wayfinding and gallery signage, roof sign, print collateral, exhibition catalogs, merchandise and web presence. A bit more about my role there and some of that design work is viewable here.


A graduate of the design programs at SUNY New Paltz & Cranbrook Academy of Art
I earned a BFA in graphic design from SUNY New Paltz in 1992 and an MFA in 2D design from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in 1995. I studied under Muneera Umedaly Spence and Katherine McCoy, respectively.


A design leader & design community advocate
I frequently lecture on design, and have written for design publications such as Speak Up and HOW Magazine. I'm a long-time member of AIGA Upstate New York—the Professional Association for Design—whose mission is to build and promote the Upstate New York design community and advance design as a vital cultural force. I've been programming AIGA UPSTNY events in the Capital District since 2008, including our wildly popular annual Student Portfolio Review. In 2016, I served a 2-year term as President of AIGA Upstate NY, helping grow the organization's member base and outreach to new levels. 

In 2010, I was named by Graphic Design USA as one of the top 50 People to Watch. In fact, my name is right next to Saul Bass on that list. It's alphabetical ;)

Some of my design work can be found in:

Some links:


A husband and father, dog owner, fisherman and soccer enthusiast
I live in Brunswick, Upstate NY with my family and enjoy fishing in the Adirondacks, playing in the local over 40s soccer league, and yelling at the television when Liverpool FC or the US National Teams are on. 

I'm a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, having recently discovered my great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Morris Barto (sic), fought for 6+ years in the Continental Army at the Battles of Saratoga and Monmouth, among others. Here's a pic of his discharge papers, signed by George Washington himself. Genealogy ftw!


DB resume 300 

   View my résumé (.pdf)


My skills

Brand Design

Crafting a brand's identity by creating a unified design system of elements with typography, color, illustration, and imagery across all media

Creative Direction

Begining with an idea and developing a message, overall strategy, brand story, art direction, and design in any media

Identity Design

Developing brand identities that speak the truth and are simple, distinctive and memorable based upon research, ideation and simple hard work

Art Direction

Reviewing and providing feedback on the work of other designers and artists, and ensuring that the elements are memorable and communicate effectively

Custom Typography

Developing original identities often requires drawing custom glyphs for logotypes to ensure a brand's unique presence in the marketplace

Web & UI Design

Developing a design system and user interface for a site or product's appearance, interactivity, usability, behavior, and overall visual feel

Exhibition & Wayfinding Design

Crafting comprehensive environmental design solutions using research and cross-disciplinary design development

Design Team Management

Managing teams of designers at an agency level, providing scheduled reviews and art & creative direction

Packaging Design

Developing and articulating a visual brand language of typography, color and imagery for 3-dimensional forms in retail settings

Expertise in

Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, Figma, html, CSS, color theory, time management, motion graphics, photography, illustration, design thinking, designing for print