OUGD502 / STUDIO BRIEF 01 / BOTH STUDIO

Both is a multi-disciplinary studio founded by Sam and Kaeli Wood. This studio is based in the United States so it would not be possible to directly meet and interview them. The options would be a skype call or have them answer via email.

Both studio concern themselves with very contemporary design, which is a point of interest to me. The style in which they work with is appealing and modern, keeping in trend with current design.

I decided it would be beneficial to ask Both some questions as they clearly have a great knowledge of contemporary design and have experience with setting up a new studio.

Contact:

How did Both studio come about?

We are a husband and wife team, so it came about quite naturally :)

What is your design process, and how do you first tackle a brief?

I think our process is pretty typical. We start off by doing a lot of research, which involves looking at the competitive landscape and mood-boarding to define the aesthetic we're aiming for. Then we sketch like mad and take whatever is working to the computer for tighter compositions. It's all about throwing as many ideas as we can into the funnel and seeing what comes out of it.

Have you both always been interested in contemporary design? If not, where was your inspiration?

No, definitely not. Like any designer, we had pretty underdeveloped taste when we started out as students. I think our interest in contemporary design is a result of our eyes being trained to appreciate it. Some of our favorites are Jessica Svendsen, Matthijs van Leeuwen, Eric Hu, and Bardhi Haliti

Are your roles equal within your process?

Typically, one of us will have greater ownership over a project — purely based on our relationship with the client or where the idea originated. We each take turns playing "Creative Director" and "Production Designer". 

Your studio is fairly new, but do you feel as though you’ve built a clear ethos so far?

Right now, our ethos is simply to do great work for great people. We treat every project like it will end up in our portfolio, and we don't take on clients if there isn't mutual respect.

Where do you see your studio going in the future?

Both exists as a side project right now, and we have design "day jobs" that we love and pay the bills as well. This gives us a lot of freedom to do what we want and be picky with our clients. Eventually, our goal is to do it full time, after we build up a solid, diversified clientele.