Explore what inspires us and stay in the know of current events within Qrious.
The Importance of Studio Culture & Identity
As Qrious continues to evolve into a beast of its own, we saw a need to reinforce the ground beneath it, namely our business model. Our goal is to discover an oil well of passion and inspiration which would fuel our momentum for our business to thrive. The first step, is to define our angle — our culture. If a business is a person then its culture is its personality. Culture is defined by work ethics, values, and personalities. It brings guidance to a company while establishing values to stakeholders. It’s how we establish our first impressions and it’s where we blur the lines between walking and talking.
Craving for knowledge, the creative team set out to an AIGA, Los Angeles sponsored event, The Importance of Studio Culture & Identity. The event consisted of panelists of other Creative Directors, Executive Directors, and CEO’s.
Making the intangible tangible
Early in discussions, Braven Greenelsh, CEO of La Visual, Inc. brought up great points about mission statements. Many starting studios like to think they’re “innovative” and/or “passionate” and in many cases this stands true. These values are great to start with but definitely not differentiators. Braven talked about discovering the differentiator and determined its tangibility. A good mission statement contain a set of values that a person can tangibly measure and could actually achieve. To put simply, to be able walk the talk.
Cultivating Culture
Studio culture is predefined by everyone in the company. Candice Brokenshire, CPCC Coach/Educator, speaks of the importance of defining the culture and nourishing it rather then attempting to establish one. This is where we feel Candice really hit the sweet spot of studio culture — defining what’s innately us. After the event, our team had a discussion about what is our culture? And what is the common motivating factor? Like our company’s name Qrious, we are an adventurous group — hungry for knowledge. Most importantly; from our humble beginnings, we are a passionate and caring bunch.
Once we defined our culture, our next step is to define the actions for us to actually live it. We’re starting a program that reach out to non-profits, The Gift of Site. Allowing non-profit organizations to register for an annual assessment for an on-the-house website.
Telling a Story
At Qrious, we believe the process of telling a story plays the biggest role in creative process. Eduardo A. Braniff, CEO of Imagination, points out the importance of telling a story and defining it in the studio. There’s a story in every design process and everyone who works with it. Our story is in our culture. What is your story?
