Picture 1.
Upon entering Studio Conover you are immediately greeted by the proprietors David, and Cecilia Conover before ever having opened the door. The clever caricature of the couple depicts the business relationship between the two creative fields Graphic design, and architectural color to the tee. This company logo was created by the studio in the 80’s and has become the icon of the partnership ever since. Being that the company has been around since its beginnings in 1985 the work produced from the company is mature and specialized, making it a great place to intern and experience a successful creative business.
Picture 2.
Seemingly just arrived my first project was to enter our work into the melting pot of graphic design for southern California the Ad Club Addy awards, a quirky award show that has gained prestige over the years in the creative community. This year however the Addys presented a special challenge. A brutish bloodbath of hardwoods and speed known as the pine wood derby race, the theme of the year being brain power and horse power a battle to the splinted death seemed logical… I designed and built for two weeks the most un-breakable, stylish, and aerodynamic piece of wood I possibly could. Representing Studio Conover in the Addy’s pine wood derby was a car christened “the stock car” with detailing and a name like that nothing could stops its plummet downhill.
Picture 3.
The Addy Awards named Studio Conover medalists in various design oriented categories, chipotle burritos were served and it being a design competition the majority of the artists there began drinking at 6:00. Though the entire point of the awards is to exhibit design work the evening seemed rushed with the prospect of hurling decorative wood blocks down a 20 ft. long gradual slope. Come 7:30 the real competition began, between the sub-par bracket system and overwhelming bias to their own cars the event would have been proudly approved by the Boy Scout fathers of America. When my pine wood racer was up to race the political innuendo was rank in the air provoking only a few chuckles, and then exhibited an average 3rd place performance once the cars began to roll down the track. I was beaten, my careful calculations had been wrong. To top it all off the victor of the event was a wooden taco, not nearly as clever as my own. I sustain to this day that the race was rigged.
Picture 4.
I’ve learned from my internship experience that design work can require some long hours, in order to cope with these hours the studio has experimented with some methods of acquiring energy. Upon walking into the kitchen you will find boxes of Emergen-C a tart fizzy powder that when added to water makes some kind of chalky, bubbly, raspberry nightmare. This is one of the many staples of Studio Conover. Between these drinks and small Hershey’s chocolates more sugar is consumed on a weekly basis than at Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Not only that, but the beverage is stock piled in bulk like a cold war era bunker. If an important job comes through you better believe that there will be sufficient energy supplies to get the job done.
Picture 5.
Perhaps the most important part of the day at the studio is the twice daily trip to star bucks. Masked at a mandatory break or social excursion I personally believe that the amount of coffee they have consumed has made them develop an addiction. It is incredible the influence that coffee has on the business. On days without coffee, it is speculated that productivity goes down 30%. Desi McKinnon, fan of the non fat latte says “We need our coffee, its what makes the world go round.” Despite speculation I’ve grown use to my twice daily coffee breaks and do find it to be a great way to get to know my co workers.
Picture 6.
Organization and communication is important between designers working on one common goal, or project. The meeting room is frequented by the staff updating each other on the Buddhist saying of the day, their work load, and for some reason economic criticism that always ends in talk of communism. Overall the communication between a group of people is exceptional, and the motivation for this is evident as there are seldom clarifying questions asked and instead constructive conversation. The meeting room is a place of Zen in my eyes as organization has a calming effect. No doubt it is the most important thing to running any kind of business big or small.
