Rick Tharp
- Started
- Last post
- 4 Responses
- ********
"Goodbye to Rick Tharp
Last week, I attended a memorial service for a legend. Rick Tharp, the founder of design firm Tharp Did It, has been missing since June 4 and is presumed to have committed suicide. In an increasingly corporate design world, the loss of a true maverick like Rick Tharp is a heavy blow.
Rick (who also went by "Mr. Tharp") was no stranger to corporate design — you don't win a Clio Award or design an Olympic bid without dealing with corporations — but he wasn't afraid to defy standard business practices. For example, he rarely used email. (No, really. His firm's Web site still tells interested parties to use snail mail or fax.) His business cards were marvels of obfuscation; some listed his business as "poodle grooming, repair, and taxidermy"; others contained only the line, "Rick Tharp's card."
Hundreds of people came to last week's memorial, held in Rick's adopted home, the small town of Los Gatos, California. Hundreds more sent in written remembrances and tributes, which were hung on a clothesline for attendees to read. (This was an echo of how Tharp Did It displayed their awards, on a clothesline in the office.)
The speakers, mostly friends and colleagues, painted a rich picture of a complicated man. One described him with a list of adjectives: "Challenging, curmudgeonly, grumpy, witty, whimsical, and fun." Another quoted a line Rick dreamed up for the side of a bakery van, which the speaker said encapsulated Rick's light-hearted approach to design: "Drivers Carry No Dough." Others mentioned the depression Rick had fallen prey to in the last year and was unable to shake.
Something about the creative temperament seems to open the door to depression. Great ideas can come out of personal struggles, but depression can also be dangerous. If the condition is familiar to you, or to someone you know, you don't need to battle through on your own. A quick search on the Web or in a local phone book should yield counselors who can help.
Sadly, it's too late for Rick Tharp.
— Terri Stone, Editor in Chief, creativepro.com"
- ********1
So did he kill himself?
- ********1
sounds like they're assuming that
- ********-1
so there is no body huh
sad
- GregoryB2
Rick did kill himself. He was VERY FRUSTRTED with how he was. It took over his life. He knew he could not do a thing regarding TINNITUS! We talked about it many times. Looking back, I saw it coming. He was OVER IT, wanted out. But, at the same time, trying to make friends his friends...........Really? He opened the door in my mind, but I had NO IDEA that it would come to his end. All I can say for now, at this time..........(I know I will think of more!), is that he was a GREAT PERSON! person who I loved at the time, but did not really know it. Like I stated earlier, I will think of more, just like I pretty much think of Rick everyday! GREG