Do I need a virtual studio or real one?

Submitted by mojoman on Sat, 2006-11-04 21:32.

Member's Forum

Hi all,

First time posting here but I've been hanging around on the sidelines for quite a while and I reckon you all will have some pretty interesting and informed opinions on a certain issue that is giving me some sleepless nights.

I'm a designer and, along with a developer (we'll call him X), I run an interactive design company called Karyx (www.karyx.co.uk) in the UK. We're doing well - so well in fact that we need to expand pretty soon. Trouble is that X and I have rather different thoughts on HOW to expand. Currently X and I work remotely using Skype and BaseCamp to keep in touch. We meet up every few weeks, attend the odd meeting together but to all intents and purposes we are a virtual studio.

X has a vision of a design company that never has an office/studio. He envisages a company that is pretty much entirely virtual with employees working on their own machines from home. It is pretty much the way he has worked for the last 10 years.

Me? I've done the agency bit for good few years and for the last 4 I've been freelancing from home (and, over the last 8 months, co-running Karyx). Being the creative drive behind the company I have some concerns that a de-centralised work environment would mean more project management for me, less company spirit and the potential of some de-motivated employees hiding behind Skype. I also miss the studio environment and the chance to bounce creative ideas back and forth with others.

What do you think? Am I being too cautious or is X pushing the 'Virtual office' too much? X isn't one for compromise but there has to be some middle ground...

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions.

Real VS. Virtual... Real Wins!

Submitted by calvincarl on Sun, 2006-11-05 20:10.

You are absolutely correct in this situation if you ask me. A "real" studio's advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Granted it usually involves greater financial investment to find a space for a business and the overhead that goes with it, but you get away from the 1-dimensional work that is created by one person designing work by themselves in their house.

At my studio, we do even the simplest of things that help benefit a more effiecent and creative workspace, such as we have a bulletin board we just post printouts of work on. If anyone else in the studio (there's 5 of us) has any suggestions, they just go up to the paper and scribble any suggestions on it, because fresh eyes usually means fresh ideas. Small little things like this is what makes it great actually working together in a space. There is always a well-qualified set of eyes right around the corner that can offer their ideas, while further evolving yours.

I personally can not say enough fantastic things about working together in a studio. I imagine part of the reason "X" does not want to do this is because it is out of his comfort zone. It is somewhat scary and even a little risky making the big step into a "real" space, but X has to understand that this is what truly makes a successful design studio. Plus, why did X get into starting his own business if he didn't want to take risks?

Good luck,
Calvin

CalvinRossCarl.com

Real wins!

Submitted by mojoman on Mon, 2006-11-06 09:03.

Thanks for the feedback Calvin. You sound like you have an enjoyable and productive work space where you are and that is definitely something I would like to emulate with Karyx.

X's comfort zone is well demarcated but then I guess so is mine. I guess it might well work out that he comes into the office every now and then whilst I provide the stability that comes from a permanant location. This is obviously going to mean that the onus on management and paperwork etc. lands squarely on my head as well (I get the post, I do the accounts, make the tea, manage the staff...) and I am not sure that this is a 'fair' deal.

I was interested to read your staement about taking risks. X sees the 'real' route as the safe option and the 'virtual' route as the big risk. Even so he is almost zealous about the benefits of the virtual office and would far prefer to commit to that route instead.

One last thing...

Submitted by calvincarl on Sun, 2006-11-05 20:19.

One last thing, go to www.sao.org and you will recognize that their logo it is similar to your group's Prostate Cancer Centre logo. Except yours is funnier because I see your logo as an asshole that needs to get it's prostate checked. It really is a great logo though. It's a nice simple solution.

CalvinRossCarl.com

PCC/SAO logo

Submitted by mojoman on Mon, 2006-11-06 09:08.

Hmmm, I've been seeing quite a lot of these 'circles on circles' logos since I completed the PCC site a few years ago. Great minds and all that...

I must admit to never having thought of it as a gaping butt but now you have mentioned it I can't fail to see an expectant anus. I have a PCC ad to make for a high-class magazine this week and I think they can look forward to a few more left-field ideas early on.

Thanks for the inspiration!

Both actually...

Submitted by thornysarus on Tue, 2006-11-07 03:11.

I have a "real" studio (pics on request) but it's attached to my house. No plasma screens hanging on the walls (yet), but it suits me well.

I do see the value of a dedicated working space, but the proof is in the pudding, as they say. It's all about the work. A also agree that a dedicated and adequate space is invaluable to one's creativity, but I'd advise weighing the benefits against the cost. I have friends who "just had to have a studio downtown like the real artists." And it ended up becoming an anchor to the business.

No way in hell I'm commuting, paying rent, when I don't have to. I made that decision like 12 years ago and it hasn't proven to be a bad one.

Terry Thornhill

e-zign Design Group

I've been using call

Submitted by nicko on Tue, 2008-07-08 12:55.

I've been using call answering services for the last few years along with other virtual services and haven't been let down yet i have more time to spend on important business then handling calls.

Go virtual! There are so

Submitted by natobasso on Tue, 2008-07-08 22:28.

Go virtual! There are so many advantages, especially living in the UK, to not having to drive somewhere to work. I hear you can't even get downtown with your car without paying an electronically assessed fee, or was that a proposal?

Anyway, the money you save on the office you can then put back into the business marketing for new clients! Again, I think virtual is the way to go. You can meet clients at nice hotels or coffeeshops and meet your team at random places too. I would love to be a part of that. :)

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