Do you think the folks over at the US Defense Department could have possibly realized what a profound impact their little experiment in communicating through a computer network would have on shaping history for years to come? Did they sit around in bars and cafés reeling over the possibilities, foreseeing the entire business environment changing and the world becoming drastically smaller? Only recently have we three come to fully appreciate and comprehend what their work has done for us, knowing that without them, firms like ours and the freedoms it affords us in designing our lives would not exist.
Once you’ve been out of school for a few years, sharpened your spurs and met your share of art directors and interns, you begin to appreciate the rare occasion of meeting a fellow design contemporary who shares your passion, goals and ethics. The odds of finding that chemistry in your own town can be unlikely, as was the case with us. Although it took all three partners making our way to the same city and working for the same firm to meet, by the time we were ready to take on the challenge of founding a company together, life had put hundreds of miles between us. But that spark we felt in our first meeting remained years later, along with a commitment to the lives we had created in three distant cities. And just like that, we found ourselves building a slightly varied version of our original plan and set our sights on tackling an even greater challenge — not only starting a new firm but creating a successful structure for a virtual studio.
To give you a visual of how it feels for us to work with people we rarely see, imagine a five storey office. And since we’re imagining, let’s say it’s a lovely little abode by Mies van der Rohe set back in some urban, yet well forested nook of town with a great coffee shop down the street. So you walk in, the first floor is the conference room and one of two places where you could bump into all three partners at the same time. This area is for weekly production meetings, big client introductions and presentations. Walk around, check it out, enjoy. Clients don’t get to go beyond this point so you’re getting a privileged sneak peek from here on up. Next, climb the stairs and explore floors two through four. Each partner occupies a complete level and rarely wanders from it with the exception of projects that require side-by-side collaboration. Partners are for the most part running their own jobs but communicating constantly via phone, email, and shouting down the steps. Finally, up to the fifth floor, home of the FTP site and the annual Principle Partners Meeting (if you want to get literal). This is the other place where you could find all three partners simultaneously and where the firm stores all of its legal documents, identity materials, marketing and portfolio pieces. All three partners share each other’s resources and have unified their legal and client communications under one brand — including identity, client contracts, tone of communications, etc.
Our point with this little metaphor is that we’ve found running a virtual firm isn’t that much different from running any other studio. Having a common vision for how you want to grow and who you are, complete respect and enjoyment for each other’s work and input, dedication to good business practices — these are basic ingredients for any lasting partnership. What kicks into play extra hard with the virtual firm is trust that everyone is doing what they’ve signed up to do. But if you’ve got that going for you and everyone is self-motivated, this is a structure that allows each partner to stay completely focused in their environment. For those who like to crank the work out, it’s amazing how much you can get done here. No blocking out loud phone conversations or secretly hating the music your neighbor has been blaring for the last hour. It allows each Partner to work at their own pace, choosing when they’re ready to get input from the other Partners. Since we’ve started working together we’ve been quick to recognize that each partner brings their own unique talents. Being able to lean on each other for advice as well as divide the day-to-day operations makes all of our work that much stronger.
So back to the metaphor. When we’re ready to share ideas, this is where we feel our virtual-osity the most. In truth though, it’s rare that we feel alone. Because we’re touching base through email and quick phone calls so often, we almost forget that it’s really just us alone in our individual offices. In our heads, each email is a voice calling to you from up the stairs. Weekly production meetings are the three of us sitting around our big conference table. Phone calls are impromptu discussions at a light table or in the hallway. Communication happens so fast but at the same time, there isn’t room for superfluous conversations. Ultimately it’s is a crash course in being concise and also serves as great daily record. Because we’re in such close contact, we also share the luxury of being able to step into each other’s projects at a moment’s notice if need be. The only time we find ourselves dying for a real physical conference room is when we’re itching to share a concept or have something to celebrate. But because our time together is so limited, when we do find ourselves in the same city for a night, it’s like a highly concentrated version of the best party you’ve ever been to. We live for that.
Where are the problems with this structure? Internally, we have yet to find major or fatal obstacles other than the aforementioned longing for group hugs. Certainly there are times when sharing an office would save on FedEx costs and sometimes shouting down the steps would be easier than sending another email. There’s also the unique project that every so often requires intense group collaboration so we end up flying out to share an office for the week. And every now and then it would be nice to have a client come meet at our studio for a change. There are definitely days when we feel these things, but it’s a long way from driving us to pick up and move. Maybe years from now we’ll find that’s the next big step, but for a start up firm, structuring ourselves as a virtual studio is giving us freedom we couldn’t find anywhere else. More importantly it’s keeping our overhead costs at a minimum.
Externally, we do bump into the occasional client who isn’t comfortable working through email, phone conferencing and online presentations. Typically these are small, young companies who really want someone in their own backyard making frequent office visits. That’s a potential issue facing any firm doing national work. Sometimes we can use our diverse locations to our advantage by pulling research and inspiration from all over the continent. Other times we make it as invisible as possible and just get down to business. But again, as with any agency, our biggest clients who provide us with the best work have never questioned our structure because we make it a non-issue. These companies are used to working with agencies all over the country and they’re probably the best type of client for the virtual firm. Get the work done, make them look like superstars, they don’t care if you design it in the bathtub as long as the end result is fabulous, smart and on budget.
As for where this is leading all of us years from now? Hopefully pressing the utility companies to provide T11 lines for the masses and cheaper airfare. But for today, working in a virtual structure has given the three of us a much broader sense of the world via the sheer amount of resources and inspiration we share. Working together yet from afar has astounded us in how much faster we find ourselves learning and growing our own skills and knowledge. Probably the single greatest benefit of the virtual studio is having some room to breathe. When it comes to running a partnership, simply getting along and maintaining the spark is a huge step for survival. Our separation keeps things fresh and appreciative of what we have together. Nothing reminds us of that fact more than the moment the DSL shuts down, our imaginary Mies van der Rohe building disappears, the friendly background conversations stop and we’re jolted back into a very quiet, very isolated office for one. Thank God for those techies at the US Defense Department.
Principle, Inc. is a U.S.-based graphic communications corporation with offices in Cleveland, Baltimore and Quebec. Founded by three uniquely talented principals-turned-partners sharing the same values and collective standards for good business and great design, their capabilities include development of brand and communications strategies, marketing collateral, package design, advertising, catalogs, and publications. Visit them online at www.designbyprinciple.com or contact them at info [at] designbyprinciple [dot] com.
This may sound obnoxious, but... for a company that exists in the ether and relies on the internet for your daily functioning, its a little odd that your website is essentially devoid of content, and that your portfolio etc only exist as downloadable PDFs. Perhaps it just strikes me as odd because I'm a web designer so I have an inherent bias... ;)
On Jun.02.2005 at 11:16 AM