Creates Cool

learning as we grow

In October of 2020 I filed with the state of California articles of incorporation for Creates Cool LLC. It would be a few months before the company would actually take shape, before I would quit my full time job, and dive head first into the world of running a design firm. It’s now been a couple months since the soft launch and I wanted to share with the world a bit about our progress and experiences thus far!

Early on, even as a designer working in large corporate offices, I was drawn to five words: Ethics, Aesthetics, Efficiency, Communication, and Collaboration. As I launched Creates Cool, I wanted these to be front and center. These may evolve, but for now here is how we are working to meet each of our values.

Ethics in design is frequently discussed at the academic level, but often disappears in everyday practice. I was always told, “We need to get paid, and it is the clients who pay us, so it’s up to them if they want equitable or green design.” This is partially true, especially if you have structured your design studio that way. We, however, have not.

I am very thankful for our growth and success during these unsure times in the middle of a pandemic. This is just one reason why we have decided to offer at-cost design services to any small or minority owned business in the Bay Area. Whether it’s a preschool or a gym, we’ve loved making these relationships and we look forward to more in the future.

Whether aware of it or not, each Creates Cool client is planting trees. Most jurisdictions around the Bay Area require printed sets of drawings, and for each drawing set we print we are planting one tree through One Tree Planted. This means for a simple project in San Francisco, (where two drawing sets are required), with minor permit comments, (two more sets), we have not only remodeled a kitchen, but also planted four trees.

As a studio we don’t want to back ourselves into a corner of designing one type of project or serving only one type of client. One way we prioritize design thinking and innovation is spending one hour a week researching or working on any sort of design item that interests us.

“In this studio, work/life balance is prioritized, time for independent research and inspiration is given a place, and everyone’s voice is valued. “

Amy Zylka, Designer

Aesthetics is often of interest to those learning about our studio. The first question is, “Residential or Commercial Architecture?” This Is a fine question, but my answer seems to be boring when I simply say, “both”. But I can say that I am really enjoying growing residences for growing families, making buildings safer, and improving home life through good design.

When taking on a new project I always tell the client we don’t hold ourselves to one style, because we want to learn from our clients and their style. The result is then partnered with our design expertise to come up with a unique, well designed product for a particular client.

“We provide a new perspective on the approach to design. By not limiting ourselves to a single aesthetic, the firm is able to continuously evolve and expand its vision creating truly unique architectural projects for each of its clients.”

Nicole Yip, Designer

Efficiency has always been a high priority for me. For the sake of the theme I will quickly and efficiently list off what we are doing differently. In short, behind the scenes we have set up and will continue to evaluate systems and processes that not only speed up and make our process more efficient, but will help us give our time back to what we want to focus on: our clients and design!

If you’re an existing client or new client reading this, we can’t change how each building department works. But we do our best to work with them. At the end of day they won’t change their review time, (and especially during covid they won’t let any projects in before the set appointment). It’s annoying, and frustrating, but we’re here with you on this journey to get your project approved as quickly as possible to the degree in which we have control.

Communication seems like one thing everyone likes to say is important and then disagrees on proper execution. We’re new, we are still learning, and we have much to learn, but we are open, honest, and eager to continue growing and developing.

I begin our projects with honesty and my heart on my sleeve. Sometimes we can connect immediately the client’s interest and our skills/services. Other times it might mean telling a future client that we don’t yet have experience with a certain project type or within a certain jurisdiction. As a young and growing company, this is to be expected. Several clients have seen our excitement paired with a willingness to roll up our sleeves and tackle new design projects, and eagerly said, “Let’s Go!”. With new projects coming in each week I’m excited to soon showcase everything we have been working on.

Collaboration with our clients is top priority. In addition we’ve begun making connections with engineers and consultants helping us better our design, and grow our knowledge of different aspects of projects. Perhaps most important of all is that our team is in a constant state of collaboration.

I’ve relied heavily on the Creates Cool designers to take the lead on projects, and when they’re ready we review projects and work through design details. Management, processes, and the project load would not have been possible by myself. As expected we have growing pains, but with them, opportunities for us as a team to gain new learnings, greater growth, and reinforcement of our core values.

So here we are, juggling projects, deadlines, and learning as we grow. If you’ve made it this far I sincerely appreciate it. If you’d like to work with us please don’t hesitate to contact me, we’d love to design with you!

Thanks,

Elias Horat, Founder and Firm Leader