Meet Andre Dugal | Director of Design

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andre Dugal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andre, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I always focus on the value of context, especially within a creative industry – context brings objectivity to a subjective process in order to keep everyone moving with alignment. Internally, our client’s needs and goals define the context for how we approach each project. Ultimately, the work is only as good as it accomplishes the client’s goal so that serves as our north star for every decision we make along the way. When working through any project, my goal is to ensure that everyone is on the same page about where we’re going – how we get there will come naturally.

Our products also provide our end users with context, empowering them to make more informed decisions about where they choose to live. For both clients and users, my idea of success is whatever theirs needs to be.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Throughout my career, I’ve always focused on “working up”, proactively identifying and taking on additional responsibilities to broaden my scope of experience. My wife says that no matter what role I take on I’ll find a way to make it harder on myself, haha.

I have a design background and started my career in Lafayette, Louisiana. While the market there is pretty small for creative professionals, the talent and quality coming out of the agencies is top-notch. I contribute a lot of my growth to starting in a smaller market – I wasn’t locked into a rigid org chart with hundreds of employees, which gave me exposure to a lot of different roles and projects. When I moved to a larger market, that experience really helped me get into larger conversations and I found I was equipped with context that most others weren’t.

While I don’t advocate for overworking or doing jobs without fair compensation, I do advocate for being driven and passionate about the work you do and that you can define the experience you want to have in a workplace.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m addicted to eating out, so most of my recommendations are food-centric. I would start the day with breakfast at Doug’s Day Diner, a small home-style breakfast spot outside the city. For lunch, I’d go downtown to Pony Up because their whole menu is variations on the French Dip (which is objectively the best sandwich ever). Head to Lady Jane in the Highlands for an afternoon cocktail and snazzy Instagram picture so that people know you’re #cool. I’d end the night at Blue Sushi for dinner – make sure to try the brussels sprouts and raspberry mojito!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Our CEO, Brent Steiner, challenges me to always audit, explore and redefine. This freedom to never take information at face value leads to more innovative ideas and quicker adjustments to processes that may not be working. This also comes with a level of transparency that has given me exposure to leadership, financial planning and business development opportunities I may not have been provided elsewhere.

Website: Engrain.com / CreativeByEngrain.com

Instagram: AndreMakesThings

Linkedin: /andre-dugal