What do bunnies, soil, and plants have to do with an innovation survey? Design has a unique way of bringing together partnerships of people, process, nature, and data to create a more inviting experience. We just wrapped up a project where design synthesis generated a combination of natural elements, rich colors, movement, and visual semiotics to bring about a more joyful experience of taking a survey. 

Innovation Lab Center for Youth Ministry Training conducts a survey called the Innovation Culture Index with churches around the nation. This self-diagnostic tool measures a faith community’s outlook and attitude in key areas associated with innovative potential. This helpful tool reveals a groups collective perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes about these aspects of your community’s culture that influence innovative potential.

Marion Design Co’s challenge was to create a more inviting and joyful experience (keeping in mind sensitivities such as color blindness) for participants as they complete the online survey. We also partnered with Discipleship by Design’s Dr. Amanda Drury to create a follow up group discussion experience with leadership guidelines and group discussion materials that continued our custom design. 

This survey and the group discussion materials will be available soon for church leaders ready to engage their congregation in innovative methods of reaching their communities. Marion Design Co. works to empower those doing good work to carry their efforts even further through good design. In this case, bunnies, soil, and plants became the elements to carry Innovation Lab’s vision to fruition!

We’ve all experienced visiting really nice restaurants or businesses whose main public areas are beautifully designed, but lacked luster and attention to detail in the restrooms. It’s easy to neglect the importance of restroom design for a business because only one person uses it at any given time. Actually, as a single use space, the individual using it tends to notice the experience even more. A poorly designed restroom can impact a restaurant patron’s appetite or a business employees motivation to work. The restroom may be one of the most important spaces to design! 

We recently transformed six restrooms for a local manufacturing company whose original design dated back a couple decades. The design brief included utilizing the companies products (counterop laminate) to enhance the users understanding of how the laminate could be used. Through application on the wall and counters with undermount sinks, freestanding metal legs, and complimentary flooring and wall paper, we elevated the entire experience of personal care in these six restrooms. A key element to ensuring the user felt good in this space was the carefully designedl element of lighting. Selecting mirrors framed with clean-lit lines and sconces or pendants that acted as jewelry to the room, layers of light makes the experience richer. Employees feel cared for throughout the day and the client is able to show off their products through these unique applications. Enhancing people's experience as they work in a more human environment is an important goal for the work we do!

July marks the month we launched our company blog. As we continue the work with community, alumni, and clients, we’re learning so much that’s too good to keep to ourselves. So, go to https://www.mariondesign.co/blog to find out what’s inspiring us to do the work! Maybe it will inspire you, too!

Our alumni continue to make an impact in the design world. Here are just a few that we’re aware of this month. If you know of others who have recent news, share it with us so we can pass it along for everyone to celebrate! Send them an email to congratulate them!

Jenna Beemer (MDCO Intern 2019-2022 ) began a new career with Gensler in Baltimore. Of course, as a pioneer, they had to create a new job title for her, Strategist. Her email is jenna_beemer@gensler.com.

Yeabsera Tabb (MDCO Intern 2018) was awarded the Placemaking Residency at Big Car in Indianapolis. Her email is yeabsera@bigcar.org. Follow her @yeab_art and @bigcarpix

Michael Overbeck (MDC Team 2016) just became a dad! Leo Henry Overbeck was born six weeks ahead of schedule.

I learned this recently when my ever creative wife, Emily pulled together a decadent lunch from the remainders of our fridge. Some leftover rice, yogurt, and coconut were lovingly stirred together and made to collaborate. An unlikely trio - but one Emily had the instinct to pair together.

Just last night as we sat in our living room Emily and I talked about people in our community and outside our community who we wished could be put on a team to set the county on a new trajectory (like spices preparing the best dish possible) - as we talked we found not only were we collaborating on a vision - but we were learning about what these lists told us about what was important to the other person. I found it to no surprise that Emily’s list reflected kind and dedicated people and those you encounter in the day to day around the community and beyond. Her sweet and gentle spirit reflected in her choices as she welcomed those not normally part of the conversation (just like the ingredients in her rice dish) to collaborate on a stepping into an imagined future. 

Collaboration is key to harmony - not elevating our ideas above others, but rather using collaboration to begin to truly know the other person. Who are the people you collaborate with daily? What have you learned about them through that collaboration that makes you sit back and marvel at the uniqueness they have to offer?

• Peter Troutner, Chief Creative Officer and Creative Director

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