Field Trip - Hollis Brand Culture

For our last field trip, we went to Hollis Brand Culture on kettner blvd. Don Hollis was our guide and talked to us about his creative lab. He gave us a brochure with their mission statement on the front that let us know a little about what they're all about. He went on to expand from what the brochure said and then took us on a tour of his business.

He first showed us the cool neon sign he has up on the 2nd floor. He told us the story behind it and how it was originally meant for a client but the lights ended up being way too bright so the client didn't want it. He really liked it so he decided to keep it and put it in his business which I found funny. Leading up to the second floor there's a staircase in between the walls with art all over the right wall. There's also a cool little library full of books for research. His office is on the second floor along with one other employee's. The rest of his employees had their own space up on the third floor.

Once we got all the way to the top, Don started talking to us about their process for getting things done and the team they have. They have an architect working for them which is unusual for a design firm to have (according to him), but in his case, it works out for them because they do a lot of environmental design. She got a degree in architecture and I think another in design so she was a perfect fit. 

Me and Destinee got to talk to one of his employees for a bit when he gave us a chance to chat with his staff. His name was Scott and he was super chill. We asked him all sorts of questions and he answered them as best as he could. He talked to us about how it was like working there, how the pace of things usually go, how long his shifts are, and to keep our heads up because it can be hard in the beginning when you're just starting out as a new designer. He gave us really good advice.

This was a fun field trip and I really enjoyed seeing how Don decorated the space and made it his own. Him and his staff gave us good tips on what to expect out in the design world.