Studio Crawl

The Studio Crawl was a GREAT event! It was a way to see inside some of the local creative design firms. There was a paper making group, a research company, graphic design and photography. Pretty nicely rounded out group of businesses. It was put on by CUDO (Champaign Urbana Design Organization).

Here's a map of all the stops we made.

First up was Fresh Press.

"Mission

Fresh Press is an agri-fiber and agri-fiber waste paper-making lab on the Illinois campus that explores how a collaboration of farmers, artists, designers, and academics can revitalize a slowly dying manufacturing industry in the Midwest.

Why Agri-fiber paper?
Agri-fiber (agricultural fiber) paper materials embrace a vision of regional vitality and local knowledge that can act as a catalyst for Midwestern job creation.  Agri-fiber material is a celebration of regional people, culture, and wildlife. It is an economy that helps keep our air and water clean and maintains our forests and works to preserve natural ecosystems.  
Fresh Press aims to reduce or offset significantly the impact of greenhouse gas emissions in three ways:

1. Providing local farmers an incentive to reduce carbon emissions caused by the burning of waste crops
2. Lessening emissions from the transport of wood-pulp paper from forest to pulping mill to paper distributor
3. Creating agri-fiber and wood-pulp fiber blends from the reclamation and reuse of campus office paper waste, thereby negating around 47% of the CO₂ emissions typically produced from virgin wood-pulp fiber paper (Alliance for Environmental Innovation)." 

Then we went to Wolfram Research.

"Founded by Stephen Wolfram in 1987, Wolfram Research is one of the world's most respected computer, web, and cloud software companies—as well as a powerhouse of scientific and technical innovation. As pioneers in computation and computational knowledge, we have pursued a long-term vision to develop the science, technology, and tools to make computation an ever-more-potent force in today's and tomorrow's world."

Third up was Thunderstruck Design.

"At Thunderstruck, we are visual communication specialists. Every image, every graphic, every word, every line, is designed with a purpose in mind... to hit home with a clear and concise message to the audience you desire to reach. Our communication skills get your message across loud and clear.

We are a team of graphic designers, creatives, marketing experts and dreamers that come from diverse backgrounds enabling us to view each project from a different perspective and objectivity. This leads to new, fresh ideas and solutions. Bold ideas. We think of the things you may not... that's why you'll want to hire the Thunderstruck team.

Our Mission 

Thunderstruck Design exists to inspire, persuade and communicate through design.

Our mission statement is simple, yet it holds a lot of meaning for us. We strive to obtain this objective for each and every project we work on by asking ourselves these three questions:
1) Does the design message inspire the viewer?
2) Does it persuade the person to take action?
3) Does it effectively communicate the message?
If it meets each of these criteria… then we have succeeded in our mission."

Lastly we went to Jason Lindsey Photography. 

"I grew up in a small farm town as a child of factory workers, surrounded by "Salt of the Earth" people. I am still grounded in that upbringing and love being surrounded by the realness in the world. When I started in photography I knew I wanted to bring more authenticity to advertising. I later realized authenticity is part of who I am at the core.

As a former art director, I understand the relationship between art and commerce. As an experienced photojournalist, I create the narrative of the brand. As a Photographer and Director, I use this experience to tell honest, inviting stories. I create the backdrop for the story and then I provide the simple direction that lets that story unfold, capturing real moments and emotions that pull viewers into the shot.

I love shooting in water up to my neck, swimming with sharks, laying in the mud and doing whatever it takes to get the shot. Mostly because that's often what it takes to make a great shot but it is also a great way to live life and have fun shoots. As my crew knows, I likely have not found the shot yet if I am not in the waterfall or the mud hole."