Open
The Team
Open has 5 people. Of those, 1 is a studio head and 1 is managerial.
60% of studios are small-sized (1-5 people).
Gender Breakdown
60% male
40% female
Average height
5’7”-5’9”
Shortest: 5’4”
Tallest: 6’3”
Average age
30-35
Youngest: 23
Oldest: 44
Number of freelancers/year
6-10
Number of interns/year
1-2
Average: 1-2
Studio Disciplines
Breakdown of Work
Number of studio projects
51–75
Pro-bono projects
1–5
Strategy/Execution
50% Strategy
50% Execution
Primary Specialties
- Art Direction (58)
- Books (52)
- Brand Strategy (42)
- Branding & Identity (77)
- Broadcast Graphics (18)
- Editorial/Publication Design (51)
- Environmental Design (38)
- Experience Design (33)
- Illustration (45)
- Information Graphics (41)
- Interaction Design (36)
- Mobile Design (30)
- Motion (29)
- Print (75)
- Web Design (59)
Clients’ Industries
- Advertising (22)
- Education (40)
- Local & community organizations (41)
- Media & Publishing (58)
- Movies/Film (19)
- Music (28)
- The Arts/Cultural Institutions (71)
- TV (17)
Biggest Competition
everybody in this show
Open’s Clients
- Art21
- Brooklyn Bridge Park
- Etsy (2)
- Google (14)
- International Center of Photography (2)
- Jazz at Lincoln Center
- Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City
- New York Public Radio
- New York Times
- Patagonia
- Stanford d.School
- The Westport Library
Scott Stowell, proprietor
Demographics
Age 44, Male, from North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, United States, now lives in West Village, New York, New York. Formal education is undergraduate degree, primary design education is school (Rhode Island School of Design).
What’s been the biggest influence on your design career?
conceptual art, documentary photography, bad printing, common sense, electronica, international travel, friends, manual typewriters, economic justice, Talking Heads, directors' commentaries on DVDs, math, canned food, underground 'zines, Noam Chomsky, stationery stores with outdated products, Charles and Ray Eames, Japanese television, sign painters, improvisational comedy, John Heartfield, silkscreen, urban planning, cheap novelties, idealism, the Guerrilla Girls, morning, the Macintosh, Venn diagrams, old type-specimen books, subway maps, the United Nations, old soda bottles, magazines and newspapers, Alvin Lustig, jokes, brown kraft paper
Years in Design Industry
27 years
Average: 17 years
Industry before design
supermarket cashier
Previous Design Employment
Teaching Design
- Yale University — 14 years
- School of Visual Arts — 9 years
- Cooper Union — 1 years
- New York University — 1 years
- SUNY Purchase — 1 years
Board Member on Professional Design Organizations
- AIGA/NY — 2 years
Time spent designing
50% actual
50% desired
Location
The Space
The studio is about 1000 square feet. It’s rented and they’ve been there for 15 years, 4 months.
Number of times moved
0
Total people in space
5
Amenities
- Cleaning service (44)
- Coffee maker (53)
- Dishwasher (24)
- Doorman (23)
- Elevator (54)
- Espresso machine (23)
- Free booze (28)
- Free drinks (27)
- Freezer (43)
- Library/book collection (67)
- Pin-up board (43)
- Waiting area / reception (26)
Number of conference rooms
1
Client meetings held in studio: Approximately half
Number of plants
1-5
Type of chair
Aeron
Decorations
Books and bookshelves, Our work, Process materials for ongoing projects, a clock
Desk Policy
We keep our desks clean and tidy.
Space Satisfaction
We like it, but plan to make some changes to the space
Working Days
Working week
The work week is 50-59 hours/week, core hours are 9:30-6:30, with the first in at 8:00am and the last out at 8:00pm.
31% of studios work 50-59 hours/week.
The average is 40-49 hours/week.
Paid Vacation
6-10 days
26% of studios in this range
Paid Holidays
10 days
Average: 7
Work Weekends?
Never
Take Summer Fridays?
Most weeks
Busiest Time of day?
It’s high intensity all day
Favorite Typefaces:
Culture
Music
Plays music for 50% of the day at an average volume. Currently obsessed with Daft Punk.
Biking to work
1
127 bikers across all studios
Pick your poison
Whisk(e)y
Overall Noise Level
Average
59% of studios are average
Working groups
Encourage freelance work?
Yes
Internal studio meetings
A couple times/week
Lunch Habits
Everyone eats together
Favorite delivery/take-out: Chipotle, Dig Inn, Pret
Eat out for lunch?
Once a month
Favorite sit-down lunch: Hundred Acres
Critiquing Process
Studio Outings
Drinks after work
Favorite Place(s): Ear Inn