aesthetic portrait
photo portrait
Left to Right: Creighton Mershon, Jessi Arrington, Josh Stewart, Casson Rosenblatt Photo by Julia Robbs

About

Studio Size

Small (1-5)

Year founded

2005

Borough

Brooklyn

Studio Bio/Philosophy

We create products, content and experiences to surprise, delight and engage, partnering with organizations who are building the kind of world we want to live in. We believe in community over competitiveness, right over easy, whiskey over water, and good over evil. We are designers, and we are friends.

Elsewhere

The Team

WORKSHOP has 4 people. Of those, 4 are studio heads and 4 are managerial.

60% of studios are small-sized (1-5 people).

Gender Breakdown

50% male

50% female

Average height

5’7”-5’9”

Shortest: 5’6”
Tallest: 5’9”

Average age

30-35

Youngest: 34
Oldest: 39

Studio Disciplines

Breakdown of Work

11%

Motion

66%

Interactive

Primary Specialties

  • Branding & Identity (77)
  • Exhibition Design (33)
  • Experience Design (33)
  • Information Graphics (41)
  • Web Design (59)

Clients’ Industries

  • Education (40)
  • Local & community organizations (41)
  • Media & Publishing (58)
  • Movies/Film (19)
  • Retail (43)
  • Technology (37)
  • The Arts/Cultural Institutions (71)

Sister Studio

Hyperakt

WORKSHOP’s Clients

Casson Rosenblatt, Co-Conspirator

Demographics

Female, from Short Hills, NJ, USA, now lives in Greenwich Village, New York, NY. Formal education is graduate degree.

Creighton Mershon, Co-Founder

Demographics

Male, from Louisville, KY, USA, now lives in DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY. Primary design education is school (Parsons School of Design).

Years in Design Industry

15 years

Average: 17 years

Industry before design

Zoo keeping, Advertising

Previous Design Employment

  • Tommy Hilfiger

Time spent designing

30% actual

30% desired

Jessi Arrington, Co-Founder

Demographics

Female, from Starkville, MS, United States, now lives in DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY. Formal education is some college/university, primary design education is school (Mississippi State University / Art Institute of Dallas).

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

Lessons in growing up and getting it right came via my first long-term boss, Michelle Cassuto. Every day in the studio with Milton Glaser was like a master class in being a human being. I learned the way the world works auditing a one-semester class with Debbie Millman. I was inspired to follow my passion by Tina Roth-Eisenberg. I admire the seemingly effortless leadership style of Randy Hunt. My most important lesson, that things work out best when I'm myself, came from my Studiomates. I know my career wouldn't exist without the patience and kindness of Creighton, Josh and Casson. And at the end of the day, I believe I can do anything because my mom told me I could.

Years in Design Industry

13 years

Previous Design Employment

Teaching Design

  • Touro College — 2 years

Board Member on Professional Design Organizations

  • AIGA/NY — 3 years

Time spent designing

40% actual

40% desired

Josh Stewart, Co-Founder

Demographics

Male, from Starkville, MS, United States, now lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY. Primary design education is school (Mississippi State University).

Years in Design Industry

11 years

Previous Design Employment

Time spent designing

50% actual

50% desired

Location

The Space

The studio is rented and they’ve been there for 3 years, 6 months. They share a space with 25 other companies/individuals.

Number of times moved

3

Total people in space

35

WORKSHOP: 4, Other: 31

Other businesses in the space

  • Illustration
  • Individual freelancers
  • Other graphic design studios
  • Photography
  • Retail
  • Strategy/Consulting
  • Web development
  • Writing, Copy Editing or Content Creation

Amenities

  • Bike storage (26)
  • Cleaning service (44)
  • Coffee maker (53)
  • Elevator (54)
  • Espresso machine (23)
  • Freezer (43)
  • Library/book collection (67)
  • Photo studio (8)
  • Photo/video equipment (45)
  • Video games (4)
  • Whiteboard (23)

Number of plants

11-15

Decorations

Books and bookshelves, Our friends' artwork

Desk Policy

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

Working Days

Working week

The work week is 40-49 hours/week, core hours are 9:30-7:00, with the first in at 9:30am and the last out at 7:00pm.

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

Busiest Time of day?

Afternoon

Culture

Music

Plays music for 20% of the day at a quiet volume. Currently obsessed with too many different tastes to tell, and most played over the last year is songs that would have played at a roller rink or bowling alley during our childhood.

Side Projects

Brooklyn Derby (a 500-person annual Kentucky Derby Party)

42% of studios have side projects.

Pick your poison

Whisk(e)y

Overall Noise Level

Average

59% of studios are average

Studio pets

1 dog

32% have pets at the studio

Working groups

57%

Groups

15%

Studio

Work from home?

A couple times/week

Internal studio meetings

A couple times/month

Lunch Habits

Eats in small groups

Favorite delivery/take-out: food trucks

Eat out for lunch?

A couple times/month

Favorite sit-down lunch: Julianna's Pizza

Studio Outings

Attend conferences, Day trips to museums, Day trips to the movies, Dinner, Drinks after work, Weekend trips, Park Lunches

Favorite Place(s): Gran Electrica, Brooklyn Bridge Park

Studio Rituals

Beer Friday

Hashtags

  • #adventurelunch
  • #aigany
  • #beerfriday
  • #brooklyn
  • #brooklynbeta
  • #brooklynderby
  • #collaboration
  • #cookies
  • #costumes
  • #decorations
  • #enthusiasm
  • #experiment
  • #fakejobs
  • #greyscale
  • #muppets
  • #organicgrowth
  • #parades
  • #rainbow
  • #roadtrip
  • #studiomates
  • #teamlift
  • #teamwork
  • #together
  • #travel
  • #workfromhome