Thoughtful, Committed, and Few

I recently happened upon Khoi Vinh’s post concerning the relationship between studio size and quality of design.

It pleased me.

Mike and I founded Mule coming out of the expansionist 90s. We experienced what happened when design teams became ever larger and agencies accumulated talent like client-services Katamari.

Great design emerges from the right combination of individuals working together to solve a problem. Interpersonal chemistry is staggeringly significant and individuals are not interchangeable.

Design studios should have a voice, and the more people you add, the more dilute that voice becomes, the more serviceable and bland. Simultaneously, it becomes more difficult to guarantee the same high standard of work, as Khoi points out.

So, now, as we anticipate entering into our own phase of growth, cautiously, and with trepidation, we seek the Mules that may already be out there in the world, ready to team up.

Written by Erika Hall on May 23, 2008 |