3 years in Wexford
There is a lot to do when you have your own design studio. Here are a few things we have learned since we set up Pixelpod in Wexford town 3 years ago;
1. Never stop analysing and improving
Design tools are always evolving and customers needs have become more diverse, so it’s important to continue learning, and improving in, what you do. Our customer experiences matter to us. We look back at each project and decide what worked and what didn’t, and learn from our experiences. We want our clients to enjoy the time they spend with us and the project as a whole.
2. Take Breaks
Not just tea breaks or lunch breaks but we have learned that you need to take holidays away from the studio. Being creative every day isn’t always possible so you need to take a break from your work. If you don’t, you are likely to burn out. So it’s important to run away every now and then, have new adventures and experiences and refuel. Then come back, and give it all you have.
3. Remember to do it your way
Knowing what other studios are doing well locally, nationally and internationally is really important, but you need to carve your own design path. We have spent time developing and improving our own design standards and processes. Don’t just look for inspiration online but in books, music, your interactions and personal experiences and make every design project count.
4. Don’t try and do it all
Designers are problem solvers and we sometimes like to think we can solve all the problems even the non-design related ones. So our advice for anyone setting up their own design studio is know what your really good at, know what your ok at and then with everything else ask an expert in that field.
5. Happiness is infectious
When James and I first talked about what we wanted for ourselves and Pixelpod studio we knew it was all about happiness. Happiness for ourselves and the designers and clients we work with. In the last 12 months we have take better steps to make the studio a happier place to be. We have redesigned how we work internally but also our surroundings. On Wednesday evenings we try to work on personal or non client work which allows us to discuss ideas we don’t normally talk about. Our studio is warmer (new heaters), we have a new kitchen and over all it’s a more interesting place to work Having a happy and positive work environment reflects positively on our work and on how we treat and interact with our clients. Lolly – an awesome brand and website designer, started working with us in April of 2016 and it’s been a lot less stressful since then!
