When I’m reflecting on what it’s like to visit agencies, I try not to focus on tiny, petty things; I’m probably not going to be making decisions about my future career based on my personal opinion of their agency deck design style. Still, it’s hard to ignore the sprawling splendor of just about every agency that I’ve ever visited, with their open-concept plans, glowing natural lighting, well-appointed cafes and rooftop spaces. When we’re walking around the agency, these things end up standing out.

So despite the fact that I try to incorporate things like “having a cool office” into a more holistic understanding of an agency rather than its own point on the checklist, I do think there’s a few important things to be learned when gazing around, open-mouthed at such incredible displays of Big City Opulence.

• The first is that I am undoubtedly going to be spending a lot of time wherever I end up. I’ve heard time and again this week that making it in this industry requires years of long hours spent in the office.
• It’s also an incredibly good way to get a glimpse at the way that people are interacting in the space. You may get the odd visit where everybody is out on production and the office is kind of dead anyway, but by and large it’s a great way to see how people at the company are interacting with one another and is an easy way to check out the agency culture
• Finally, there’s value in studying office trends. This may sound small but the way that people work influences the kind of work that gets made and vice-versa. If people are trying to figure out new ways to collaborate, that means that the nature of collaboration itself is going to change.  

Jordan Blackburn | 5/11/19