Tad Carpenter is a designer, illustrator, author and partner @carpentercollective, a design and branding studio. He says:I was really fortunate to grow up in a household with parents who were both artists. I was an only child, or a lonely child as I thought it was. I grew up making and I never knew any different. I just thought that’s what we all did. When I went to a friend’s house who had a parent who was an accountant, I thought, “What the heck? You guys don’t sit around at night making things?” It was so surreal. My mother is a fiber artist. She dyes her own wool and hooks these beautiful rugs. My father is an illustrator and has worked for Hallmark Cards for almost 40 years. He started as an illustrator and writer and is now Creative Director for Hallmark International. From an early age, I had a good idea and understanding of what illustration and design were and how they were important to us. As a teenager, I rebelled and thought I wanted to be a painter for a while, but then I realized how important illustration and design were to me, especially growing up with my dad. Some sons and fathers work on cars and some do illustrations together, which is what me and my dad did. Even to this day, I run sketches by him all the time because he’s the most amazing draftsman and idea man I’ve ever met. He really set a tone for me as an illustrator and artist.