For Immediate Release 09.15.08
For more information, contact:
Matt Hutton : 217.351.6700
Champaign, Illinois, November 4, 2008 — "Sometimes the best way to think outside the box is to lose the box altogether," says Matt Hutton, co-owner of Spinlight Studio, in a moment of Zen-like reflection on the company's unique, circular website navigation system. "Plus, we wanted to do something really cool." No matter how you look at it, the new website is taking the local ad agency's growing portfolio of award-winning design out of the box and put it on prominent display.
Beyond its distinctive look, Spinlight's spiral navigation may also have played a role in the site's recent selection as Webpick of the day at commarts.com, the online home of one of America's leading publications on graphic design and advertising, Communication Arts. On November 4, the agency officially earned this distinction, joining Porsche, Nike and a long list of other companies who have been recognized for exceptional Web design.
Of course, those who have visited the company's offices, tucked away in an unassuming block of warehouses on Staley road, will note that the website's circular theme did not occur entirely by accident. From the corrugated tunnel that links the design studio and company kitchen, to the round concrete table that serves as the company's informal brainstorming hub — and took nearly 1,000 pounds of concrete to complete — circles play a large role in the studio's architectural design.
"We don't like boxes, or at least not the type that limit creativity," says Spinlight co-owner Debby Winter. "When we walked into the big empty space that was going to become our new office, we may not have know exactly what we were going to do with it, but we knew that we didn't want your typical cube farm. We wanted an open environment, where designers and writers could connect in a free flow of ideas that lead to new thinking and expressive design."
So far, the strategy seems to be working for the small, visionary design studio that's racked up an impressive list of national design awards since it opened in 2000, including seven recent American Graphic Design Awards and inclusion in Print Magazine's latest Regional Design Annual.
"We like awards," says Winter, "but what we really love is the freedom to work with people we like, doing the work that we love for clients who really appreciate it. That's the real reward. Of course," she adds, "getting a few bits of plastic and glass to put on the wall isn't such a bad thing either."
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About Spinlight Studio
Since its founding in 2000, Spinlight Studio has won over 150 local, regional and national awards, including 46 American Graphic Design Awards and 48 ADDYs. Located on South Staley Road in Champaign, the company offers a full range of print, broadcast and digital marketing services for a range of local and regional clients.