When Daylight was a team of 5 we sat in a square with our desks facing the walls. We joked that we should have a circular table in the middle of the room so we could whirl our chairs around and all be seated around the same table (that’s not to say we didn’t whirl anyway). Conversations were easy since our office was small and if a designer, developer and project manager were talking, over half the office was involved in the conversation.
Our team is a bit larger now (we’re up to 10 people) and our office location and layout has changed but we still find it imperative to have conversational ease. Not so we can chat about the latest Bieber drama but so our team can stretch our creativity to the limits. Web creation is about collaboration. Daylight is composed of creatives, with each person bringing a different background, perspective and speciality to the table, and our work proves that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
While our office has changed and our team has grown, our approach to web design and development hasn’t. Brandon sits next to fellow designer Tyler, who sits next to Kristin, our front end developer and product manager who sits next to front end developer Dan. If the designers have questions during design, they simply look to the left. If the developers have questions during development, they look to their right. When Jonathan or Dave, Daylight’s back end developers, have questions (or answers, as the far more common case may be), they can easily chat with the designers and front end developers across the table. Digital strategist Alex and social media talent Erika sit near Daylight Partners, Dave and Shawn, so they can easily communicate about client and Daylight strategy. As project manager if I could have my way I might sit in the middle so I could be surrounded by everyone, but that would be a bit awkward.
In the coming months, we are adding even more space to spread out and work together, both internally and with clients. Because you can never have too many white boards.
