Small Talk III took place on May 20 at Thirst, the four-person design firm headed up by Rick Valicenti. Three designers, including Rick, presented selections from Thirst’s archive of projects in which process and artistry were of the utmost importance.

“We make things that are often not requested,” said Valicenti as he emphasized that not all design needs to be directed by a client. Some of Thirst’s projects are self-initiated, like their Book of Genesis written in Binary code with the ones and zeros represented by Pepsi One and Coke Zero cans.

Notably, Thirst is an environment where its designers are encouraged to explore their own curiosities. Valicenti likes to influence nearly all aspects of a project, from conceptualization and strategic thinking to creating custom typography, illustration, photography and even soundtracks. Thirst balances their artistic cunning with cutting-edge technology.

A quote from their web site, summarizes the group nicely, “Thirst aims to push the envelope without having to resort to cliches like ‘pushing the envelope.’”

The event was sponsored by Artisan and Dupli-Graphic.