Competition and Quality of Work

We happen to be in an industry where everyone’s work is highly visible. It is very easy to see what is going on in the industry. All of us on the creative side spend time with our noses in the annuals to see what is winning awards. It is a constant effort to evaluate our work versus the work of other agencies, and there are a number of opportunities to see that work.

The only important thing, though, is the work. If the work is good, it is good. If you put up the work of half a dozen agencies, you can clearly see the differences. Agencies are always evaluated by their best work. I think it would be better for them to be evaluated based on their worst work, because some agencies do their best work for three to four percent of their clients and at the other end of the spectrum is a vast body of stupid work.

To be successful, the work has to be intelligent; there is no reward for stupidity. Second, the work has to be endearing: People must like it for it to be successful; endearing work must be crafted with great care and attention to detail. The work’s intelligence, endearing qualities, and craftsmanship are the most important.

If you are a creative person, you need to focus 100 percent on the work. Don’t let anything interfere with the work itself and be passionate about making that work as good as it can be. Be willing to quit a job or resign a client if the work is not up to your standards. You need to develop a sensitive stomach, so that when the work is not what it should be you solve the problem rather than deal with the stomachache.

Stan Richards founded The Richards Group as a freelance practice after graduating from Pratt Institute in New York. Over the next 26 years, it became one of the nation’s premier creative resources. In 1976, it became a full-service advertising agency.

Richards’ work has received awards in virtually every major competition in the world. In 1976, he was chosen by the Dallas Society of Visual Communications as “the single individual who, over his career, has made the most significant contribution to the advancement of creative standards in the Southwestern United States.” In 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1985, Richards was named by ADWEEK as “The Top Creative” in the Southwest. In 1985, The Richards Group was named Agency of the Year. That same year, Richards was honored by Pratt Institute as a Distinguished Alumnus. In 1986, he was honored with an Advertising Age cover story. In 1987, ADWEEK named him “Executive of the Year,” and he was included in The Wall Street Journal’s “Giants of Our Time.” In 1988, 1990 and 1994, the firm was again named Agency of the Year. In 1995, Richards was named an Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. magazine.

The University of Texas named Richards the 1996 recipient of the Reddick Award for leadership in communication. Previous honorees include Walter Cronkite, Ted Turner and Bill Moyers. More recently, SMU announced the Stan Richards Creative Chair.

Also in 1996, Richards was the recipient of the AIGA Gold Medal, the award for career achievement in design. In 1997, Graphis magazine named The Richards Group one of the 10 best agencies in the world, and the American Association of Advertising Agencies honored the firm with its A+ Award, given annually to America’s best agency.

In 1999, Richards received the highest honor available to a creative with his election to the Art Directors Hall of Fame, joining such luminaries as Walt Disney, Norman Rockwell and Andy Warhol.

Apart from business, Richards’ interests include skiing in Utah and fly-fishing the backwaters of Laguna Madre. He is an avid runner, having logged 39,000 miles.

In addition, Richards serves, or has served, as a director of The Salvation Army, Episcopal School of Dallas, YMCA, Cooper Aerobics Enterprises, Dallas Symphony Association, United Way, and the Creative Committee of the AAAA.