Creativity Central

How do you feel when faced with a “blank slate?” Scared? Excited? Challenged? Our blank slate was a two-car garage, and it brought out those emotions and more. But after a few hectic, dusty, noisy months, that blank slate is a functional and fun creativity studio.

Our new studio means we can serve you in a whole new way. Instead of telling you about it, here’s a guided tour to show you what we mean.

A trough holds paper and cloth backdrops for a broad range of photographic situations. A 6.5-foot square aluminum truss suspended from the ceiling helps precisely position lights, strobes, reflectors, and other gear. Black-out and solar shades help manage light for professional results.

Photography Studio

Most offices are not conducive to photography. They lack open space, a good spot for a large backdrop, and flexible lighting. You want a photographer whose space makes the photos great.

Audio and Video Studio

Sound-proofed walls and solid-core doors help manage outside noise. A conduit system under the floor allows positioning of equipment while eliminating the tangle of cords and cables that can inhibit movement or break concentration during taping. The suspended truss supports lights, cameras, microphones, and video monitors, and keeps cables out of the way during recording.Almost no office is quiet enough for a sensitive microphone. Yet quiet is exactly what you want when creating a video to promote your business. You also want high ceilings and ample space that’s free of cord and cable clutter. And easy and flexible set-up for mics, lights, and backdrops. Add an interruption-free zone and you have the ideal environment for your video project.

Web designers and content developers can work side-by-side or in relative seclusion thanks to moveable trapezoidal workstations. Each station has its own desk-level outlets, monitors, storage, and Herman Miller SAYL chairs. So far every client has commented on how comfortable the chairs are.

Workstations

Creative work thrives in a flexible work environment. At the beginning of the creative process, the space should encourage brainstorming and free association of ideas. During heads-down creating, artists need freedom from distraction and the ability to concentrate. But they also need easy access to team members who can get them out of a jam. And in the final refinement stage, a collaborative environment can energize the critique and give a fresh perspective on the project.

Collaboration Station

A four-panel wall of sliding marker boards provides giant creativity pages for brainstorming content ideas or mapping out a presentation. Clients and team members can connect laptops to the monitors for easy sharing of screens and video chats with offsite collaborators. Simply by moving a table in or out, the space accommodates groups of different sizes. Over the years we’ve noticed that the space we work in with clients has a dramatic impact on the projects we create. Good flow in a room promotes a good flow of ideas. Clients can now walk around, write on the board, and access ample monitors. Furniture can be rearranged in a flash to promote focused one-on-one consulting, brainstorming trios, or room-wide eye contact. Accessible tools ensure that ideas get captured. The environment is set for asking good questions, proposing / defending / capturing ideas, processing, summarizing, and assigning tasks. All this plus a good beverage selection!

One of our web gurus is giving the Accent Interactive classroom its trial run with a class on HTML and CSS. Here, inner panels slide to the outside to let students wirelessly broadcast on the large monitor with the push of a button.

Classroom

Gone are green chalkboards and wooden writing desks. Today’s learning environment for creatives must put the right technology in the right hands at the right time. Creativity students need to see what others are working on and be able to show the class what they are doing.

Private Office

A private office allows space for client meetings and coaching and a get-away spot for the quiet side of creative production.Nothing kills the creative process more than an interruption at the wrong time. When the main studio is jumping with the energy of a video shoot, a writer or designer can retreat to the office for quiet and concentration.

We also use this space for creativity coaching. Clients appreciate the confidentiality provided by a private space with sound-proof walls.

The stainless steel beams add architectural interest and reflect the incoming sunlight.

Functional Beauty

Function trumps beauty, but beauty inspires. It’s important to bring inspiration as close as possible to the hub of creativity.

Mi casa es su casa.

When we first stood and stared at that empty garage, we envisioned a space that responds to the changing needs of business and enlivens collaboration.

We hope this space can help generate the energy and ideas that will grow your business not just today, but into the future. We are looking forward to working with you here soon. Bring us a challenge.

The apple-green seats add a touch of pizzazz to an otherwise neutral palette. Pops of purple bring energy to the workstations. Focused accent lights provide ample brightness to the workstations and also please the eye with their sleek curves.Thanks to Barry, Bobbie, Tom, Neil, Lou, George, Angie, and Nick for their help transforming our vision into a new creativity studio.