Creative Brief

On the shortest days of the year, we dream of the longest, sunniest roads. As architects and designers, we work to build moments that help restore the human spirit through respite, daylight, views, and connections to nature. As a firm, we value respite and rejuvenation as ways to reset our brains and bring fresh perspectives to our work.

Our 2023 client holiday gift Trail Mixed: Music for the Road aimed to capture the spirit of renewal. Employees shared memorable road trips and the songs that powered them through driving, biking, and hiking. We collected tales, tunes, and photos into an in-house made book that also included a link to a Spotify playlist of all the shared songs. To accompany the book and playlist, we worked with local sustainability entrepreneur and fabricator, Rosie Kovacs, of Sew Valley, to create upcycled tote bags crafted from discarded jeans donated to Goodwill Industries. The gift encourages recipients to reminisce, replay, and re-use repeatedly as they venture around town or across the country.

Our holiday gift is a winning candidate because the reusable tote is useful and beautiful and kept 839 lbs. of jeans out of landfills. The accompanying book is filled with memories, photos, fun facts, and song suggestions from employees across our offices. Both pieces of the gift give our client leaders a way to connect with their clients beyond a project and demonstrates our commitment to sustainability and respite in all areas of our business.