Selling Trash

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I'm not sure if all of these details made the difference between selling five and 900 cubes, but I'm pretty sure it helped.

Danzico: Are the pieces in each package related?

Gignac: Usually the items each box are not related. But sometimes I find a way to work in a narrative. Like the time I put in a torn piece of the yellow pages from the "Escort" section with a pamphlet on "How to find Jesus."

Danzico: You brought your art to MoMA—rather, outside MoMA. Do people seem to naturally associate your work with art?

Gignac: For the most part I think they do. Or at least they associate it enough with art to debate whether or not it is art. It's funny how price influences perspective though. When I first started, it seemed the majority of people viewed the garbage as souvenirs since they were only $10. But now that they are $50 and $100, they are getting much more consideration as art.

Danzico: Then can anything be marketed? What’s your secret?

Gignac: Of course anything can be marketed. It’s most important to have an idea, product or strategy that connects with people. For me, the unexpectedness and humor of packaging garbage has done all the work.

Danzico: I’ve read that these cubes are in 41 states and 20 different countries. Would this marketing plan work in other cities?

Gignac: Selling garbage works best in New York since we are notorious for being a filthy city, but I think it could work in other cities. I'm working on expanding the New York City garbage empire globally; I'm looking to franchise the idea to different cities around the world. There are already people interested in London, Berlin, Jerusalem, Tokyo, Dublin, Rome, Johannesburg, Stockholm, Barcelona and about a dozen other cities.

Danzico: You do garbage on the side. Does your day job in advertising benefit from your side business? Do you recommend having a side business to other designers?

Gignac: The garbage business has helped me get all of my jobs in advertising. People were impressed that I actually followed through with the idea. It's really tough to balance both, but it's important to have another creative outlet. Having a complete sense of ownership over something is very empowering.

Danzico: How do you balance work and things “on the side?”

Gignac: Right now being an art director at Toy is my focus. As long as you don't try to make both your full-time job, then it's manageable.

Danzico: You’ve had special projects focused on visible events such as the Republic National Convention and opening day at Yankee Stadium in 2006. Do you have any other special projects in mind?

Gignac: Well if the Mets had made it to the World Series they would have gotten their own limited edition. I have a couple of other things currently in the works—I'm looking into creating garbage wall hangings, and on a smaller scale, I'm working on a line of nycgarbage.com t-shirts that will be posted to the website soon.

Danzico: Will you eventually move on from garbage?

Gignac: As long as people keep buying garbage, I'll keep selling it. My girlfriend and I constantly come up with other non-garbage ideas that could be cool. It's just a matter of having the time.

Provided by AIGA—The Professional Association for Design