Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Good, Better, Best in Minneapolis

Since I've been in the Twin-Cities looking for a job for a while, I've gotten to know a little about the local design industry. Design is thriving here! (which may be why it's been difficult to find a job, with so much great competition). Here's a few of my findings.

Good
These guys do above-average work for some of the bigger names in town.
   Compass Design
   Berg Design Company
   ImageWerks Marketing
   Linnihan Foy Advertising
   StoneArch Creative

Better
These firms have a more engaging design style that seems to indicate some better talent and perhaps some better clients.
   Plaudit Design
   Nelson-Anderson
   Design Center Inc.
   Grossman Design Associates
   MarketingLab

Best
The top firms in Minneapolis are the designer's designers. Their talent is superb and their work is mesmerizing. They service the biggest names in town and many other successful companies from around the world. It's very difficult to get into these places without a pedigree (meaning a degree from a top design school or at least an excellent portfolio and references).
   Mono
   Wolfmotell
   Charles S. Anderson
   Wink
   Duffy & Partners

Granted, some of this is conjecture -- I don't really know too much about these companies, but this is the impression I get based on what I've seen and read. You might like one of my lower-ranked firm's style better than one of the higher. It all depends on your taste. If I had my choice of where to find employment, I'd aim right for the middle.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jim,
You should move back to the ROC so I can pretend to talk "design" with you! And I think your family misses you.
Lisa Quirk

James Austin said...

Hi Lisa! I didn't know you read my blog. Good to hear from you.

Martha said...

Lisa is secretly perusing blogs.

Bethany said...

Whoa... Duffy works for the REALLY big names! Looks like some pretty cool stuff.