Happy New Year, folks!
Last year marked our 60th anniversary, so 2020 means we’re entering a fresh new decade as an organization as well. We’re grateful for the past six decades of business and hopeful for what’s to come.
Re: 2019, it proved another action-packed, though slightly chaotic, year. We won new clients, made new friends, created cool things, and weathered our fair share of ch-ch-changes. Here are a few quick highlights.
New studio & studio brand
In May, we rolled out a whole new brand focused on simplicity, dynamism, and fun. Read about it here. We also published a fresh and growing library of content including thought leadership and immersive case studies.
We said goodbye to The Madison at 1555 Broadway in Downtown Detroit, our home since our return to the city in 2011. Then we went remote for two months, meeting up regularly in a shared space offered to us by our generous friends Zara Creative. The team was challenged to work differently and found a way to work collaboratively and efficiently despite our “WFH” status.
Finally, in late November, we transitioned into our new digs at 1265 Griswold Street in Capitol Park. Our move was conducted with a focus on minimalism and environmental consciousness, and we made sure all our plant friends came along. We’re still settling in and figuring out how to best use the space, but we love it.
New people & projects
In 2019, we welcomed a few kick-ass new Skidmorvians to our team: designer Erica, strategist Sierra, and business development leader Peter. These three are huge contributors to our work and we continue to feel lucky to have ’em.
We also were able to work on cool projects that kept our team on their toes. Some of our favorites were for beloved Michigan brands like Guernsey Farms Dairy, Zingtrain, and the renamed Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre. We also cut our teeth on branding for trendy product categories like designer pet treats, spiked seltzer, natural beauty, and bed-in-a-box mattresses.
Our most rewarding work, however, was helping our nonprofit clients better succeed through design and branding, including Big Green, Eats All Good, Detroit Kitchen Terminal, and the Detroit Parents’ Guide to Schools for the Community Education Commission.
…and, as always, lots of good times were had by all
At Skidmore, we pride ourselves on making work fun. This year, we took on Toy Fair in NYC, flew to Africa for our first transcontinental client, hosted and attended design events all over the city, lunched on the roof, fancied up for an awards gala a.k.a. Work Prom, drew blind contour portraits, celebrated Halloween with half-assed costumes, and never stopped cracking jokes or listening to good music over the Sonos.
And that’s a wrap! Cheers to 2020.