jay/day

It is impossible for me to think about Guy Day without thinking of Jay Chiat. Just as I can not think about Art Garfunkel without thinking of Simon and Garfunkel. Like Simon and Garfunkel, Jay Chiat and Guy Day created a partnership where “one plus one equaled three.” Together they created something unique.

Looking back at the agency, from a distant perspective, I believe that—to put it in sailing terms—Jay was the sail. Guy was the keel. Jay gave us propulsion. Guy gave us stability, balance and direction. Together, they were more than each separately. Together, they were not just Chiat and Day; but literally, Chiat/Day.

Jay wanted to see “how big we can get without getting bad.”
Guy wanted to “do great work” for clients who really appreciated what we did.

Jay was more of a businessman. Guy was more of an artist. Jay liked to make deals. Guy liked to make ads.

Jay was the gambler. Jay lived big. He always wanted to expand the boundaries.
Guy was the pragmatist. He lived within his means. Instead of expanding the boundaries, he wanted to seek perfection within the boundaries.

When we had to decide whether to resign the Porsche account to pitch the much larger Nissan account, Guy voted for “the bird in the hand.” Guy valued loyalty. Jay wanted to roll the dice.

Guy was a romantic soul. He believed in absolutes: right and wrong; good and bad. Compromise was not easy for him. Loyalty was important to him. He was protective of his people. When the Nike client got upset because we were getting more publicity than they were, it was Guy who stood up to them.

Guy was a great boss. He never told you what to do. He merely told you what he wanted you to achieve. He never meddled in the details. He gave you enough latitude to achieve great success or fail miserably.

Guy was not physically in the agency for more than half of the 21 years I spent at Chiat/Day. But when he was there, he provided a wonderful balance and a clarity of vision. I especially remember the years 1983-1984 when we won the Nike account, Pizza Hut, Porsche, and Home Savings. It was Guy who gave us the guidance, support and encouragement to think we could win.

Now, many years later, Jay and Guy are both gone—from the agency and from this life.. But their essence lives on. The song has ended, but the music lives on.

Tom Patty