We began 2013 coming off the back of a few good months towards the end of 2012, and an otherwise ordinary year. In almost every respect 2013 has been different, and better. Our work is more diverse both in terms of type, scale and industry; there is more of it to speak of; and we have even more great people working here. We couldn't be happier as we close out 2013 and look ahead to 2014.
During the year our work has taken onto planes (and under them); into jails, police lock-ups, courthouses and juvenile justice facilities; we've spent weeks in cafes, and soaked up the Western Australian sun - dawn and dusk. We've narrowly escaped typhoons in Vietnam, and presented at conferences in Wellington, Sydney, Melbourne & Toronto. We've engaged with our peers in Amsterdam and Treviso.
We've judged awards, we've organised conferences, and we've met some wonderful new people.
New staff have joined Meld Studios via the UK, Scandinavia, Scotland, and Australia.
It has, without a doubt, been an eventful year.
One of the interesting things about 2013 has been the rise of the Journey Map, and the increasing usefulness of this tool in helping organisations gain a better handle on themselves, their customers, and what they might do differently. We're also seeing an increasing demand from clients for us to take on the design of the core service offering, based on a solid foundation of research. It's not that these requests weren't coming through previously, but they're definitely on the rise.
As we look ahead to 2014 there is a strong sense of energy and momentum around the studio. It looks like we'll be back in the prisons conducting more work; in libraries; in cafes; in the airports; and we'll be designing a new hotel. Our work looks like taking us to Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. And that's just the first few months.
Thank you for the support we've been shown throughout 2013, by our designers, clients, family & friends - it has been a fantastic year and we couldn't have done it without you.
On behalf of everyone at Meld Studios,
Thank you and Happy Holidays.
