Adweek's Joan Voight published an article today about the importance setting has on an agency. Naturally, she leads with Mike Shine, since Butler Shine and Stern occupy offices in Sausalito—one of the most romantic and inspiring communities in America. She also touches on the movie set qualities and rush of energy available in Manhattan, the ease of Minneapolis and the access to nature in Salt Lake City.

I left my relatively cush job in suburban Denver over a year ago to move to Chicago. Prior to my arrival here, I'd heard rumblings that Chicago was not a creative's city. That it is an account driven, suit wearing kind of place. There's clearly some truth in that. One reason for it may be the environment itself. Almost all agencies here are located in high-rise buildings. While the interior of some, notably Zipatoni and Upshot, are indeed stellar, the larger context is overwhelmingly corporate.

Yet, Chicago is a city with an abundance of warehouses ripe for remodel. Not surprisingly, Hadrian's Wall, which has been doing its part to lend the city a creative reputation, has found such a home near North and Clyborne, nowhere near Michigan and Wacker. Thinking different, it appears, extends beyond the ad to architecture and urban planning.

October 18, 2004 by david burn | Permalink | 0 Comments