On Defining Studio Culture
Navigating growth can be a challenge for entrepreneurs, business owners and individuals alike. How to stand out? How to build trust? How to scale? — both internally and externally speaking. But the answer to the overarching question ‘how to get better’ can only be found by having a comprehensive understanding of what you believe and what you stand for.
The glue that binds us
At Nimble., we’ve approached these questions from the inside out. Our mission, vision and core beliefs drive every decision we make as a studio, guiding our journey as a team and shaping our workplace culture.
From Nimble. Elsewhere adventures to Professional Development Stipends, our studio culture remains ambitious, productive and future-focused.
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Striving to support a wholesome working environment, here are a few of the characteristics that help shape our studio culture—
Culture provides clarity and camaraderie amongst team members and is a consistent filter for decision making. It’s a critical piece of a company’s brand and one that requires intentional, continual effort—and reflection—to keep in check.
Here are a few reflections on Nimble.’s growth and culture from Stephen Wright, Sr. Brand Designer + Strategist, who is celebrating four years with Nimble. today!
An interview between Maria Royal (MR) and Stephen Wright (SW).
MR: What’s it been like working with Nimble. since the studio’s founding?
SW: It’s been awesome to watch the studio grow from two to six (and counting), and the amount of projects we work on to that end. At the same time, personally I’ve had a lot of opportunity to grow my skillsets in graphic design and in other areas like signage and wayfinding design. Growing as a studio through our projects, with our team and personally — it’s been an exciting journey.
MR: How has Nimble. grown/changed over the past four years?
SW: We’ve grown from an open co-working environment (overhearing the phone conversations of our neighbors), to a designated WeWork office (with four desks and the perks of their co-working community), all the way to having an entire custom designed studio to ourselves. We’ve come a long way!
There's also trial by error — we've completed so many projects over the past four years, building efficiencies to help our team function optimally. Internal efficiencies have made our lives easier, and now we’re at the point where we’ve grown so much, we can take a step back to focus on not only on producing good work, but taking pride in our process and how we work together.
MR: What are the top two ways you’ve grown/evolved as a designer and strategist over the past four years?
SW: Prior to working at Nimble., I always approached design with insight from the client’s perspective. Overall I've grown to realize how I can use design to push the boundaries of what the client might be comfortable with, while remaining palatable — saying yes, checking the boxes and also making helpful recommendations or sharing ideas about how we might continue to push the envelope a bit further. As a designer, my skills have grown with the more projects I take on. I’ve learned a lot about personal efficiencies and continue to develop new skillsets from web design, html, css and various programs to environmental signage design. The opportunity to learn new programs and grow daily is pretty unique to this role.
MR: What excites you most about designing for the built environment?
SW: When designing for the built environment, you have a long period of time from design sign-off to fabrication and implementation. That period requires patience. You wait a while, and when it’s finally implemented into the space and functioning, it’s really rewarding to see the impact of your concepts and how they work to connect the visual story.
MR: What’s the easiest way to get to a better idea?
SW: To step away — sometimes that's when the best ideas come.
This is the fourth edition of our series, Nimble. on Record. Thank you for reading!
Interested in learning more about Branding for the Built Environment™ and how it can influence perception and awareness of your next project? We’d love to hear from you.
For questions or to add to the conversation, contact Candice Riley Campbell, candice@nimbledesignco.com | 404.445.3400.