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Inside Voices

David Radabaugh
Design Director,
D Custom

David Radabaugh is Design Director at D Custom, where he brings a philosopher’s approach and an adventurer’s spirit to editorial design. With a career spanning multiple publications and even teaching, David champions clarity and craft. His vision recently earned D Custom the 2025 Award of Excellence for Design & Print – Campaign: Magazine Series for Texas Heritage for Living. A nature enthusiast, David has crossed mountains on horseback, hiked glaciers and attempted to reach Canada on foot over a frozen lake. Read on to explore how David’s wild expeditions inform his creative mindset and why he still calls editorial design “a daily thrill.”

You grew up in Ohio and Texas. How did that upbringing shape the way you approach your work?
I grew up outside of Cleveland, a quintessential Rust Belt town where people work hard and enjoy a simple, high quality of life. Moving to Houston, an international-yet-proudly-Texan city devoid of traditional zoning, I was thrust into a real-time experiment in cultural pluralism in the ’80s. The experience expanded my horizons and gave me an appreciation for complex flavors, both literally and metaphorically. Midwestern pragmatism with an addiction to sriracha and taqueria-style jalapeño salsa is not something you would necessarily see in my work, but it is something you might experience working alongside me. My motto: Work hard and enjoy something delicious.

You have degrees in design and philosophy. Has a philosophical idea ever helped you crack a design problem, or has your design work ever changed how you think about philosophy?
It’s important for me to approach things holistically and not compartmentalize design, philosophy, form, meaning, work, play, fancy cheese, bourbon, Slaughterhouse-Five, or 10 days on a sure-footed horse. Philosophy — less so a particular idea than an approach or process — permeates everything: Ask questions, confront assumptions, expose fallacies, reflect, re-reflect from a different point of view, stand askew, be a little odd, and follow the truth wherever it leads. Moreover, design thinking informs the way I unpack new ideas and digest complex content.

Your nature adventures sound pretty intense. Does that adventurous spirit show up in your work too?
Crossing a vast, frozen lake during a white-out forces you to focus on the moment and the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other. It’s more mindfulness than adventure. I don’t think anyone would describe my portfolio as adventurous either. But the discipline itself — editorial design — is a privilege to practice and a daily adventure. One of the joys of my career is the intimate yin/yang relationship between design and editorial, which favors designers able to think verbally and editors able to think visually. Together, we bring stories to life with ink and paper and pixels in a highly collaborative process that also involves writers, photographers, illustrators, topic experts, clients, and many others. And all of it is done for readers who share a similar passion for the content. How cool is that?! I hope my colleagues experience the thrill the work brings me and know how much I appreciate sharing this adventure with them. The path isn’t always easy, but it can be very rewarding.

What surprised you most about returning to D Custom after your time away?
I worked at D Magazine, where the magazine itself is the product, for eight years. Then another 14 years in publishing before joining D Custom, where the magazines support or enhance something else — an institution, an idea, another product. With that something else often comes additional stakeholders whose agendas and timetables don’t necessarily align with editorial ideals or best practices. My favorite clients are those like Texas Farm Bureau Insurance who trust in our expertise and rely on us to do our best work.

How do you balance maintaining design consistency while also giving your team creative freedom?
There’s a lot an engineer can do without violating the laws of physics, right?! Design isn’t so different. I’m always careful to share multiple points of view with my team. For example, I want them to understand Massimo Vignelli, but I also want them to appreciate David Carson. It’s less about right or wrong than it is about a responsibility to the content, the audience, the client, editorial ideals, newsstand culture, and the craft tradition. A lot of the nitty-gritty is baked into our process. If they respect the guardrails, I encourage my team to find their own path.

How do you keep each issue of the magazine feeling distinct while maintaining a cohesive visual identity across D Custom’s work?
We work within a 12-column grid, a limited palette of colors and typefaces, and a thoughtfully composed set of typographic and layout guidelines unique to each client; cohesiveness is baked into the process. Distinctiveness comes from our dedication to illuminating the content as written and the work of exceptional illustrators and photographers who bring their singular perspectives to each issue. As Paul Rand said, “Don’t try to be original, just try to be good.” We focus on craft and purpose and clarity.

Well Said.

 

David took his work to new heights (and glaciers). Are you? Time’s running out! There are only 3 days left to submit your best projects before the Final Entry Deadline this Friday, Jan. 30th!

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