10×10, an Adjacent Anniversary Remix
If you opened this email looking for our standard 12×6 newsletter of studio updates, SUPRISE! In celebration of our 10th anniversary, here’s a Very Special Episode™ where we’re rattling off ten curious facts that’ll have you sounding like part of the team in no time.
Now Serving Customer 1
We’ve had plenty of walk-in visitors through the years, yet exactly zero of them have requested design or development work (they’re usually just looking for the previous tenant). That’s totally cool by us — it’s probably challenging to pay for a new brand identity or website with pocket change.
Function over Form
Adjacent wasn’t always standing desks and Eames chairs. Nate’s first chair was, in fact, an actual step ladder. Similarly, our first desks were also built from scratch.
The Award for Broken-est Laptop Goes to:
It’s a veritable tie between two absolute forces of nature. The first: when a large, heavy sign hanging in the studio fell on the device lab beneath it. The second: when Dan’s 3-year-old bashed the screen in a random act of terrorism.
When We First Sync’d Up
A handful of you might remember Syracuse Sync, a design “conference” of sorts put on by Dan back in 2013. What you might not have realized: this was when he met Nate and Maribeth for the first time.
(We are) Adjacent?
If you’ve ever wondered why we don’t own adjacent.com, we could certainly spin a tale about “we are” being a virtuous enough inclusion. But there’s a simpler answer: the asking price is six figures (insert Dr. Evil laugh).
Remember that Willy Wonka Scene?
One of the many quirks of our beloved studio is that the ceiling is considerably higher on one end than the other. You’d never notice it, and neither did we, until we recently re-painted our walls. Historic buildings have their charm?
As Gray as the Syracuse Sky
Speaking of paint, recent visitors know 130 Walton to be gray with a bright orange door — but old friends might remember the kelly green and pale pink motif that ensconced our studio prior to 2018. We still consider this one of our more successful redesigns.
Pass the Bubbly
We typically go big for birthdays, but this one time we took Maribeth on a Fingerlakes food & beer tour. She was only slightly surprised when we rolled to her house in a limo that chilly Monday morning in March.
Project Sleepover
Before moving in, our studio was intended to be an apartment. Not only have we tried to create cozy couch vibes, but we’ve cumulatively made overnight stays at the studio a total of four times in ten years.
No Joke
Maribeth and Nate started Adjacent on April 1, 2012. And every April Fool’s Day since, we’ve celebrated just how lucky we are that people take us seriously. Mostly.