design// Guild "Guild Is Good"
From brand marketing events, to fashion show installations and extravagant retail store displays, Guild does it all. A 9-year-old creative agency that specializes in design and build, with studios in Los Angeles, Portland, and NYC, have taken the brand environment market by storm. They are a one of a kind collection of artists, designers, architects, and carpenters that come together to bond brands with the consumer and create fantastic environments and experiences.
We had the pleasure of meeting with Founder/Partner, Jeffrey Hatfield and Marketing/Communications Manager, Julian Thomas recently. We had met Julian previously and he invited us to stop in, tour Guild, and hang out for an afternoon. When we arrived, we were very impressed by the ‘compound’, everyone working looked happy to be there and were very involved in what they were doing. Jeffrey explained that they are more than just ‘a company designing store build-outs and trade show booths’. First and foremost they are working in a creative atmosphere where artistic vision comes first. Everyone that works there is an artist of one form or another. From building to building we met architects, woodworkers, printers, designers, metal fabricators and engineers. They are creating environments and experiences that conjure up creativity and inspire interaction through technology, art, and architecture.
Recently Jeffrey, and Co-Founder/Partner, Peter Brown acquired and merged with Interference Inc. and The Supertouch Group, both founded by marketing agency veteran Sam Ewen, skilled in large-scale interactive technology. With each of them bringing something different to the table, the partnership fused and rounded things out to make it a strong team and community. With all of their bases covered, they were now able to create all aspects of a design rather than sending elements out. The Guild is a full service firm that constructs projects from start to finish. Every part of the creative process and production is valued equally and that is why it is so important for them to have control over every aspect, not only for timelines, but also for quality control.
Their projects are never close to being the same with clients such as Nike, Target, Adidas, Dior and Microsoft, their requests always vary and the outcome is always custom and unique. Their ingenuity often ranges from the design of a posh boutique to large-scale interactive pieces that use creative technology, influencing the viewer and the way they perceive the brand.
What is in the future for Guild? Just as they have been, they continue to move forward with their sights set on other creative cities like London and Sidney. They are proof that there “poor and starving artists’ don’t always have to apply, if you only engage yourself and join ‘the guild’.
Partner/Founder Jeffrey Hatfield
