NEWSLETTER 10

Over the past year, our company has seen many changes, from moving locations in downtown Marion to transitioning from a nonprofit to an LLC. We have collaborated with several cohorts of interns, and completed projects that have pushed our innovation and design work, from design thinking sessions to branding identity projects. Throughout all of these changes, big and small, our mission has remained the same as when we founded Marion Design Co: to revive, empower, and propel community forward with design.

While our mission emphasizes strong actions like revival and empowerment, these actions depend on you--our community. Every facet of our creative work depends on community members willing to collaborate as we work towards accomplishing our mission, together. And, the past year is a testament to the ways our tenacious community has consistently embraced our work as their own, providing us with encouragement, opportunities, and resources to continue working towards our mission. We are endlessly grateful for our community, for you.

We are grateful for the way our community shows us warm hospitality and provides us with studio space.

We are grateful for the way our community entrusts us with their business identities and transitions.

We are grateful for the way our community welcomes us into their homes and workplaces to transform their interior spaces.

We are grateful for the way our community invites us to share in developing public spaces to grow in together.

We are grateful for the way our community collaborates with us in envisioning all that our city can become.

We are grateful for the way our community sustains our collective passions for innovation and design, persisting into the future.

We are grateful for you.

STORIES OF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS!

Becca Kleppinger was a Marion Design Co. intern from January 2019 to September 2020. During her time with MDCO, Becca played an integral role in the Imaginarium project led and inspired by Dr. Amanda Drury. She described the experience as being magical, and Becca loved being able to bring Dr. Drury’s ideas to life through design, working on the entire process from initial sketches and prototypes to final production.

Becca also shared that working at MDCO shaped her into a stronger leader. Looking back, she recollected different moments where projects allowed her to step into the role of “leader” at moments. While at times challenging, these opportunities empowered her with more self-confidence. Additionally, Becca shared that creating with MDCO sharpened her analytical and organizational skills, which she has found allows her to be her truest self in any work setting.

Currently, Becca is in graduate school at Indiana Wesleyan University where she studies Student Development. She is grateful that continuing her education comes with remaining connected to the Marion community. As she is discerning where her passions for design and college-aged students will lead her, she is finding inspiration in everyday life. Becca shared that her goal is to create every day, whether she is creating physical art or organizing her dishes creatively, remembering that creativity does not have to be limited.

The month of November is my favorite time of the year. The weather is cool, the leaves have changed, and the excitement of the holidays is beginning to build. I absolutely love the anticipation of Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love wearing cozy sweaters, drinking hot cocoa, and watching all of those holiday movies that I’ve been waiting all year to watch. Even school is wrapping up for the semester. The students are preparing for finals and are readying their bags to head back home. As our world winds down and heads back indoors to wait out the cold, I think to myself - how can we continue to build community even in these winter months?

At Marion Design Co, our mission is to “revive, empower, and propel community forward by creating sustainable design solutions developed through education and collaboration with local students and community.” This can look like so many different things. For us at MDCO, it looks like partnering with the city of Marion to enrich our downtown area or conducting design thinking sessions with a local church. It also looks like designing window treatments for downtown apartments or building a website for a local business. We are working to connect with people all across our city.

Maybe our next project will be collaborating with you! Reach out to us if you have a project or a big idea. We would love to partner with you. Check out our website, share this newsletter, follow us on Instagram. Join with us and together we can work to revive, empower, and propel our community forward.

Brittany Long, COO and Project Manager

Are you hard-working, smart, brave, innovative, humble, and willing to take design to the next level? Go to our website to apply. If you don’t see a position that fits you, create one and send it to us. Candidates who bring a diverse skillset and unbridled creativity will be strongly considered!