WORKSHOP
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.
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
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
- American Express (3)
- Brooklyn Beta
- Collaborative Fund
- Echoing Green
- Etsy (2)
- GOOD
- Google (14)
- Group Theory
- TED (4)
- Tinybop
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
- Cassuto Design
- Milton Glaser, Inc. (2)
- freelance, freelance, freelance
- TLP (advertising agency in Dallas, TX)
- George Gerard Design (2)
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
- George Gerard Design (2)
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
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