The Votes Are In: Top 7 Creative Offices in Chicago
The results are in for our Top Creative Offices in Chicago contest, a partnership with Chicago Creative Space and Leopardo. Here are the Windy City’s top 7 coolest offices, as voted by you, the readers.
1) gravitytank
The vibe: A place for innovation, ideation and dedication. Where you can work like a mad scientist on a deadline.
The office: Creative spaces include a sound recording studio, full gourmet kitchen, shop with the latest toys and photo studio.
Killer quote: “My impression the first time I walked into this space,” says Martha Cotton, a partner at gravitytank, “was that I was home.” She adds, “this space was specifically designed to support innovation.”
Watch video here.
2) Emmi Solutions
The vibe: The loft of an eclectic artist, with splashes of color and enormous skylights.
The office: Over 15% open and collaborative space, like the enormous cafe. Wall-to-wall whiteboards support creative bursts, as do room names like radiology and the psych ward.
Killer quote: “We spent a year designing this space, which is an extension of our culture,” says Emmi CEO Devin Gross. And the employees noticed. Their idea of going to work “changed overnight.”
Watch video here.
3) Digitas
The vibe: A balance between inspirational and ready for input, fixed and malleable, eccentric and functional.
The office: A treasure trove of color and texture. There’s a shipping container in the kitchen, graffiti on the walls, wood pallets in the lobby and a hopscotch court on the floor.
Killer quote: While it “may seem crazy when you walk into it,” says Chicago and San Francisco president Doug Ryan, “there is method to the madness.”
Watch video here.
4) Red Frog Events
The vibe: No matter how big the bottom line, it’s all about family and fun.
The office: From the zip line to the slide, the (code compliant) trees to the tree houses, Red Frog’s 40k SF River North playground is textbook creative office.
Killer quote: “Office space is reflective of culture,” says regent of ruckus Gregory Bostrom. “You want your key principles to be reflected…some of our key principles are innovation, creativity and fun.”
Watch video here.
5) ShopperTrak
The vibe: An immediate visual impression of ShopperTrak’s size and reach, with no shortage of international cues.
The office: Boardrooms named after global cities, overhead lights with national flags and a giant map in the lobby. You can have a meeting in ‘Tokyo’ or pass by ‘Times Square’ for lunch.
Killer quote: “We thought very hard indeed on how people need to interact to be successful,” says CEO Christopher Ainsley. Think break-out areas, agile storyboards and whiteboards throughout the space.
Watch video here.
6) ContextMedia
The vibe: A people-first, tech-forward, healthful environment.
The office: In this space built by Leopardo Construction, look for a glass wall with employee pictures, prominently featured company values to greet visitors, a ping pong table, coffee shop and treadmill desks.
Killer quote: “What motivates me the most, is the people I get to work with,” says ContextMedia CEO/co-founder Rishi Shah.
Watch video here.
7) DialogTech
The vibe: A fun, familial environment where employees love to work and occasionally play pranks on each other. (Note: Ifbyphone is now called DialogTech.)
The office: Color-coding for wayfinding, a yoga-ready relaxation room, high ceilings and a multi-purpose room for company stand-ups (where someone shares updates from the “soap box,” an old wine crate).
Killer quote: “As soon as a new candidate walks into DialogTech, they immediately get a visual taste of the culture,” says Irv Shapiro, the founder, CEO and “head coach” at DialogTech.
Watch video here.
