aesthetic portrait
photo portrait
First Row: Bryan Lavery Second Row: Andrew James Capelli, Bonnie Siegler, Anthony Zukofsky Third Row: Lucy Andersen, Kristen Ren Fourth Row: Gladys Glover Fifth Row: Leta Sobierajski Not Pictured: Oscar Scher

About

Studio Size

Medium (6-20)

Year founded

2012

Borough

Brooklyn

Studio Bio/Philosophy

Eight and a Half is a multi-disciplinary design studio—but we do more than just design. We make things make sense strategically, visually and editorially with intelligence and a sense of humor. Eight and a Half partners with clients in all media and on all kinds of projects.

The Team

Eight and a Half has 7 people. Of those, 1 is a studio head and 1 is managerial.

24% of studios are medium-sized (6-20 people).

Gender Breakdown

43% male

57% female

Average height

5’7”-5’9”

Shortest: 5’0”
Tallest: 6’1”

Average age

30-35

Youngest: 23
Oldest: 50

Number of freelancers/year

1-5

1-5 are long-term freelancers

Number of interns/year

3-4

Average: 1-2

Studio Disciplines

Breakdown of Work

20%

Motion

30%

Interactive

Number of studio projects

26–50

Pro-bono projects

1–5

Strategy/Execution

50% Strategy

50% Execution

Primary Specialties

  • Books (52)
  • Branding & Identity (77)
  • Broadcast Graphics (18)
  • Editorial/Publication Design (51)
  • Motion (29)
  • Packaging (45)
  • Print (75)
  • Web Design (59)

Outside the scope of the studio

  • Environmental Design (4)
  • Illustration (18)
  • Sound Design (49)
  • Typeface Design (20)
  • Web Development (43)

Clients’ Industries

  • Finance & Investment (26)
  • Local & community organizations (41)
  • Media & Publishing (58)
  • Movies/Film (19)
  • Real Estate (24)
  • Restaurants & Food (29)
  • The Arts/Cultural Institutions (71)
  • TV (17)

Eight and a Half’s Clients

  • Alien Vault
  • Black Dog & Leventhal
  • BRIC
  • Brooklyn Public Library
  • Criterion Collection
  • Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
  • HBO (2)
  • Jean-Georges
  • Lowenstein Sandler
  • Maimonides Medical Center
  • Nickelodeon (3)
  • Random House
  • Spark Capital
  • Vinfolio
  • Warner Brothers Television

Bonnie Siegler, Founder

Demographics

Female, from Huntington Station, NY, now lives in Dumbo, Brooklyn, NY. Formal education is undergraduate degree, primary design education is school (Carnegie Mellon University).

What’s been the biggest influence on your design career?

There are so many! Paul Rand, Alexander Lieberman, Cipe Pineles, Ruth Ansel, Alexander Girard, Mel Brooks, Andy Warhol, Mad Magazine, Saul Bass, Leo Lionni, William Golden, Preston Sturges, Bradbury Thompson, Woody Allen, Chuck Jones, Lite Brite, MTV

Years in Design Industry

28 years

Average: 17 years

Previous Design Employment

Teaching Design

  • Yale University — 8 years
  • School of Visual Arts — 10 years

Board Member on Professional Design Organizations

  • AIGA — 5 years

Time spent designing

30% actual

70% desired

Location

The Space

The studio is about 1000 square feet. It’s rented and they’ve been there for 1 year, 6 months.

Number of times moved

0

Total people in space

7

Amenities

  • Cleaning service (44)
  • Coffee maker (53)
  • Elevator (54)
  • Espresso machine (23)
  • Free drinks (27)
  • Free snacks (27)
  • Freezer (43)
  • Library/book collection (67)
  • Pin-up board (43)
  • Ping pong table (6)
  • Waiting area / reception (26)

Number of conference rooms

1

Client meetings held in studio: Less than half

Number of plants

1-5

Type of chair

Knoll

Decorations

Books and bookshelves, Massive murals, Our friends' artwork, Our work, Photos, Process materials for ongoing projects, Vintage toys and knicknacks, posters

Desk Policy

To each their own: some keep their desks tidy, while others like it messier.

Space Satisfaction

We love it, it’s perfect

Working Days

Working week

The work week is 40-49 hours/week, core hours are 9:30-6:30, with the first in at 9:30am and the last out at 7:30pm.

50% of studios work 40-49 hours/week.
The average is 40-49 hours/week.

Work Weekends?

Once a month

Take Summer Fridays?

Every once in a while

Busiest Time of day?

It’s high intensity all day

Culture

Music

Plays music for 90% of the day at an average volume. Currently obsessed with Gatsby soundtrack, and most played over the last year is Paul Simon, Daft Punk, Jack White, Pippin Soundtrack, American Royalty, Mumford & Sons.

Biking to work

1

127 bikers across all studios

Pick your poison

Beer

Overall Noise Level

Average

59% of studios are average

Working groups

30%

Groups

30%

Studio

Encourage freelance work?

Indifferent

Internal studio meetings

A couple times/week

Lunch Habits

Everyone eats together

Favorite delivery/take-out: Miso, Almar, Grimaldi's, Tutt Cafe, Foragers

Critiquing Process

50%

On-screen reviews

Studio Outings

Day trips to museums, concerts, plays, lectures, other fun things

Studio Rituals

Coffee runs at 4, bad pop music on Fridays

Hashtags

  • #4oclockcoffee
  • #admiraladama
  • #aigahhh
  • #alexandergirardpatterns
  • #balloonseverywhere
  • #baracklyn
  • #edruscha
  • #fellinifans
  • #jellybeans
  • #madwomenandmadmen
  • #minecraft
  • #obscurenetflix
  • #orangeeverything
  • #seriousplay
  • #showverdosing
  • #spicytunarolls
  • #spotifiers
  • #vintagetoys