Meet Margot Harrington
Margot is the owner of graphic design studio Pitch Design Union based out of Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago. They make publications, logos & branding, packaging, textiles, and websites. Typical clients are cultural organizations, non-profits, academic and civic institutions, and small businesses nationwide.
Q+A
What don’t people know about you?
I’m half Canadian! I have dual citizenship, so if things really go south and Trump ends up president (shudder) that is the back-up plan. Ahhhh, to have simple access to affordable (ahem, free) healthcare. It would suck to leave Chicago though, ain’t gonna lie.
If we came over for dinner what would you prepare for us?
Oooh. I love a great, well-developed soup. So nourishing. A broth that’s simmered into nuance, including some funky mushrooms, a splash of wine, maybe a pasta or a grain. Lentil, potato-leek, slow-cooked chili, a hearty beefed up miso are some favorites. I like to pair with plenty of toppings: chives, fresh greens, a shave of hard cheese like Romano, chopped radish, dash of citrus, etc. Also very important is some fresh still warm crusty bread with the best butter possible.
If you had to change careers what would you do? I love this question! It’s so fun to hear about people’s almost-careers or parallel universe lives. If were to switch I’d do something with radio or start a podcast because it’s such a great vehicle for storytelling. My almost-career was going to be education when I started college. Most of my family was or is in education at some stage or another and I was working with kids from an early age. I ultimately decided against it because it felt like the expected choice, it held no mystery for me, which seems like a choice FULL of youthful hubris now. Ha. It was the right call, and I have so much respect for educators now more than ever which is why I still like to work with academia of all kinds.
What do you suck at?
I cannot throw a football in a spiral, dunk, or control a baseball mitt to save my life. My hands are small. I’ve tried. Not my thing. Same applies for bowling unless I get to use a kid’s ball.
What new thing have you learned lately?
I don’t know about past tense, but I’m taking a beginning Tai Chi class. It’s a bit like yoga, a bit like meditation and a bit of its own thing. I haven’t been able to stick to a regular meditation routine on my own so this gives me a bit more accountability. I’m also taking a Skillshare class on the basics of Adobe After Effects, which is for motion graphics and motion design, just for fun really. I want to experiment more with this in future projects!