| WERKHAUS
Werkhaus Speaks Out on Fitting In Versus Standing Out Pop Quiz: What do Nintendo Pokemon, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and the Jane Goodall Institute have in common? How about adding in major consumer brands, bio-tech and dot-com names like Starbucks, K2 Sports, Tully's Coffee Company, Immunex, Medtronic, Acadio, Allrecipes.com and FreeShop.com? The answer lies not in their industries or business models, but rather in their messages. All of them have been redirected, added to, or wholly created by Seattle-based design firm Werkhaus. Founded in 1989 by John Burgess and James Sundstad, the firm provides a broad range of strategic and creative services - services that cross media, encompassing both 'traditional' and 'new media' design disciplines - including brand strategy, corporate ID, packaging and literature design, advertising, and a full complement of interactive and Web design services. Werkhaus' philosophy, according to co-founder John Burgess, is to be as diverse and unique in talent and make-up as their client base. "I think we're different from many of our (larger) competitors," said Burgess, "in that we operate with an intimacy model that keeps both clients and designers close to business objectives...promoting a true marriage of strategic thinking and inspired creative. This is what makes our projects, and our relationships, a success. You cannot isolate one from the other. Our work requires an integration of the design disciplines, driven by a clear marketing point-of-view. Creative is obviously informed by strategy, but often the converse is even more important - strategy made accessible by design." When necessary, Werkhaus employs a partnering strategy to solve a client's needs, serving as the single thread of strategy and creative direction for projects that require expertise outside of its core offerings. Werkhaus turns to its carefully selected partners for large Internet projects, research, e-business counsel and film projects. Says Burgess, "our expertise is creating programs that drive messages, create identity, and build relationships with customers - integrating all the media at our disposal. We're not media-centric, we're communication-centric" It's an approach, said Burgess, that extends beyond the tactical implementation of design for marketing and gets right to the heart and soul of an organization to reflect core values and market positioning. Werkhaus co-founder James Sundstad elaborates. "As a creative company, we truly believe that when applied appropriately, our services have the power to positively impact every single aspect of a client's business operation." Part of Werkhaus' success, insists Sundstad, is that the firm deliberately chose to maintain diversity in their business model as opposed to specializing in just one discipline, medium or industry. Being a designer at Werkhaus means you are continually challenged. And "on the best days," adds Sundstad, "continually inspired." "We're not about a particular design style or single area of expertise," said Sundstad, "we're about a way of thinking that manifests in high-caliber design...a collective of talent and intellect." "We work diligently to provide ideas and executions that are fresh and directly address a client's unique audience - not to an industry or category at large. We harness the power of design to help our clients get noticed, not just fit in." |