DesignWell+ and laugh often
Well, well, well. We recently packed up our bags and headed down south for some well-earned time off-site to grease the wheels, sharpen our pencils and have some giggles as a team.
The theme for this year was DesignWell+, shifting our focus from good to great, doing things better than well, and underpinning greatness with wellness. It was time ‘well-spent’, pardon the pun, as we debriefed on studio success, our business strategy and sprinkled it with a bit of mystery solving!
The idea of Wellness took us to the delightful Suttons Forrest, and a quaint manor nestled amidst nature's embraces. Our day one session saw us deep dive into our Values as a studio and unpack why they are important and underpin everything we do. Our team had the choice to partake in some wellness activities in the afternoon, including golf, tennis, walking, bocce, and swimming. Creatik won’t be joining the PGA anytime soon, setting a course record, taking a whopping 2 hours to complete only 3 holes. We lost more balls than blades of grass, but we had some good laughs, special mention to Luke, who was so patient with the few of us who chose to play golf… for the first time ever.
Night one saw our old manor transform to be the perfect backdrop for our evening of intrigue: our very own murder mystery dinner party! With suspects aplenty, honourable mentions go to: Pam’s bellowing Irish accent, Dan, a snotty nosed arms dealer. We must confess, Kasia currently holds the Creatik crown or should I say candle, for dress up commitment, arriving as Cardinal Bowden, otherwise known as Cardi B, she was a standout in all red with home-made sacraments rivalling her Frida Khalo costume of 2018!
With clues galore, our very own Inspector Clu d'Eau, Dello, went about trying to crack the case. Spoiler alert: the butler did it... or did he?
Our day two session kicked off and we went headfirst into Yoga, downward-facing dog with a side of swats, you read that right, thanks to one pesky fly that decided to be our unofficial mascot for the entire trip. It seemed determined to join our upward salutations, buzzing around us like a tiny but persistent cheerleader.
Our morning session was the unveiling of our shiny new business strategy. A presentation bought by the leadership team outlining our goals and vision for the next two years, equipped with the vehicles to get us there. And to you our clients, you’ll be pleased to know you are front and centre as we exist to make your loads lighter and continue to give you every day design excellence. We finalised the sessions by deep diving the little things, which really are big things! We mapped our customer journey and we’re brimming with ideas to improve the experience we take our clients on.
Through spirited discussions and collaborative brainstorming, we unearthed the true essence of what matters most to us as a team – creative partnerships, beautiful balance, positive influence, and relentless optimism.
Equipped with fresh ideas, renewed energy, and a business strategy tighter than Dan’s well-wound pocket watch, we're poised to serve our clients better than ever before. As we bid adieu to Suttons Forrest and our trusty fly companion, we carry with us the spirit of teamwork and the promise of greatness.
Adelle Chang
Business and Design Director