aesthetic portrait
photo portrait
Left to Right (as of 2013.08.13): Brienne Jones, Pedro Gonçalves, Glen Cummings, Aliza Dzik, Virginia Chow

About

Studio Size

Small (1-5)

Year founded

2008

Borough

Brooklyn

Studio Bio/Philosophy

MTWTF is a graphic design studio specializing in identity systems, publications and environmental graphics. MTWTF engages in collaborative projects with partners in other disciplines, such as architecture, industrial design, and urban planning.

Elsewhere

The Team

MTWTF has 5 people. Of those, 2 are studio heads and 0 are managerial.

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

Gender Breakdown

40% male

60% female

Average height

5’4”-5’6”

Shortest: 4’11”
Tallest: 5’11”

Average age

30-35

Youngest: 25
Oldest: 48

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

10%

Motion

50%

Interactive

Number of studio projects

51–75

Pro-bono projects

1–5

Strategy/Execution

25% Strategy

75% Execution

Primary Specialties

  • Art Direction (58)
  • Books (52)
  • Brand Strategy (42)
  • Branding & Identity (77)
  • Broadcast Graphics (18)
  • Editorial/Publication Design (51)
  • Environmental Design (38)
  • Exhibition Design (33)
  • Experience Design (33)
  • Illustration (45)
  • Information Graphics (41)
  • Interaction Design (36)
  • Mobile Design (30)
  • Motion (29)
  • Print (75)
  • Product (23)
  • Web Design (59)
  • Web Development (25)

Outside the scope of the studio

  • Industrial Design (35)
  • Packaging (5)
  • Sound Design (49)

Clients’ Industries

  • Education (40)
  • Local & community organizations (41)
  • Media & Publishing (58)
  • The Arts/Cultural Institutions (71)
  • Transportation (9)

MTWTF’s Clients

  • Arthur Ross Architectural Gallery
  • Civic Data Design Lab
  • Lincoln Center Theater (2)
  • Metropolitan Transportation Authority
  • New York Magazine (5)
  • New York Mortgage Coalition
  • OMA * AMO
  • Participatory Budgeting NYC
  • Red Bull Music Academy
  • Studio Museum in Harlem
  • Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of America
  • The Brown Institute for Media Innovation
  • The City of Newark, New Jersey
  • The Museum of Modern Art, New York (4)
  • Yale University School of Art

Aliza Dzik, Partner

Demographics

Age 37, Female, from Bronx, NY, United States, now lives in Upper West Side, New York, NY. Formal education is graduate degree, primary design education is school (Yale School of Art).

Years in Design Industry

13 years

Average: 17 years

Previous Design Employment

  • Aliza Dzik Design
  • Stilleto
  • Penguin Putnam
  • Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

Teaching Design

  • Queens College — 1 years
  • Fashion Institute of Technology — 2 years

Glen Cummings, Partner

Demographics

Age 48, Male, from Bethpage, NY, Nassau, now lives in Lower East Side, New York, New York. Formal education is graduate degree, primary design education is school (Yale University).

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

My clients, collaborators and coworkers who have an ongoing, day-to-day influence on what I think and what I do.

Years in Design Industry

15 years

Industry before design

music, although I would not actually call it "working in an industry"

Teaching Design

  • Yale University — 11 years

Board Member on Professional Design Organizations

  • AIGA/NY — 3 years

Time spent designing

50% actual

10% desired

Location

The Space

The studio is about 1200 square feet. It’s rented and they’ve been there for 2 years, 1 month. They share a space with 1 other company/individual.

Approximately 60 square feet/person. The average is 210 square feet/person.
37% of studios share a space.

Number of times moved

1

Total people in space

20

MTWTF: 5, Other: 15

Amenities

  • Cleaning service (44)
  • Coffee maker (53)
  • Elevator (54)
  • Espresso machine (23)
  • Freezer (43)
  • Large format printer (19)
  • Library/book collection (67)
  • Photo/video equipment (45)
  • Pin-up board (43)

Number of conference rooms

2

Client meetings held in studio: Approximately half

Number of plants

0

Decorations

White paint

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 70-79 hours/week, core hours are 10:00-7:00, with the first in at 8:00am and the last out at 9:00pm.

3% of studios work 70-79 hours/week.
The average is 40-49 hours/week.

Work Weekends?

A couple times/month

Take Summer Fridays?

No

Busiest Time of day?

Afternoon

Culture

Biking to work

1

127 bikers across all studios

Pick your poison

None

Overall Noise Level

Average

59% of studios are average

Working groups

80%

Groups

10%

Studio

Encourage freelance work?

No

Internal studio meetings

Once a month

Lunch Habits

Eats individually

Favorite delivery/take-out: N/A

Eat out for lunch?

Once a month

Favorite sit-down lunch: N/A

Critiquing Process

24%

On-screen reviews