Becoming Bob + Barb…

The official origin of Bob and Barb is difficult to accurately pinpoint. It is fair to say they are a combination of many people and many different personalities. However, they truly developed as characters in our mind after witnessing a couple of friends help some other people traverse a stream over stepping stones; one was highly energetic and bubbly in doing so, to the point of being frantic. (“Come on! You can make it! Just don’t look at the water!” with an arm flailing the whole time. ) The other was more slow and methodical and workmanlike. (“You’re good, I have your hand, just take your time and balance”, with a confident nod.) Between the two of them, however, it was very clear they were both had the same goal and were trying to work together to solve the dilemma of how to get these people across the water safely.

Having seen this display, we assigned these people names of ‘Bob’ and ‘Barb’, based partly on how they looked and partly on our mutual affinity for the name ‘Bob’. I mean, there really are just so many great ‘Bob’s out there.

In viewing Bob and Barb as two people with different approaches to handling the same task, it occurred to us that every person ends up solving problems and making decisions in their own way, based on some combination of each person’s circumstances and their individual personalities. Over the years, ‘Bob and Barb’ became our metaphor for the times we approached something from two different standpoints, though ultimately in search of solving the same issue or working toward the same goal.

The graphic characters themselves are a conglomeration of several doodles, sketches, and cartoons produced throughout the years that turned out to just really have a lot of personality when drawn purposefully. Most of the stylistic influences for the artwork come from the comics world, namely from Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, and Andy Capp. The other main influence with respect to the artwork was the old PBS show The Secret City, hosted by ‘Commander’ Mark Kistler, who taught young kids (I was 7 years old) how to easily draw in 3D. Obviously, the art is not exactly the same as what Schulz, Watterson, Smythe, and Kistler produced, but their work definitely informed the Bob and Barb drawing style.