Word on the Street

Whether you work in a high-rise in the city, a tiny office in the suburbs, or your own home, the atmosphere of your workplace matters. The average American worker spends 47 hours at work per week, which is a lot of time to spend in uninspiring surroundings. At Street Level Studio, it’s important to us that our studio reflects our creativity, so we’ve infused our workspace with a wide variety of colorful and unusual art pieces.

More than eight years ago, Joe Davis, founder of Street Level Studio, noticed that after two decades of abandonment, an old former motel building in Highwood was being taken down to make room for a new condo building. He particularly noticed that the beautiful, vintage “MOTEL” sign from the 1940s was still intact.

You never know where you might stumble across a giant cheeseburger. For SLS Graphic Designer Laura Schaeffer, this happened just a few weeks ago at the craft and art fair Show of Hands in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago. To call Show of Hands simply a “craft show” is a wild understatement; it’s more akin to an Etsy enthusiast’s bazaar dropped in the middle of a haunted house.

During its thirty-year history, Street Level Studio has resided in several locations, but none can compare to the present place we've called home for the last 17 years. The name, Street Level Studio, was born from a philosophy of being down-to-earth and working hard to help clients achieve their goals. Our location for many years was well above ground in multi-story office buildings, but when we spotted this poor, run-down little storefront building in Highwood, IL, everything changed.

The Highwood Bocce Club is an institution in the little town of Highwood on the North Shore of Chicago. Famous for hosting International Bocce Tournaments, this “private” club is open to public play most days of the week. And with both indoor and outdoor courts, it's a perfect environment for serious and amateur players. In fact, Street Level Studio has held several events at the club, and we’ve had a blast every time.

With more than 400 exhibitors at this year’s Pool and Spa Show in Atlantic City, there was plenty to see and do. The Pool and Spa Show is the place to be for everything you need and everything you need to know about today’s pool and spa trends, so we were eager to help our client, Emerald Spas, stand out.

As a bunch of seasoned graphic designers and programmers, we are always looking for inspiration for the next great marketing campaign. Given that today is a national holiday, Presidents Day, our eyes are drawn to the lighter side of politics.

Every so often, part of the Street Level Studio team hits the road for a brief getaway. One might guess that their journey would lead them to a beach or ski resort, but co-founders Wendy and Joe Davis insist, it’s all about a tiny town in the middle of the West Texan desert called Marfa.

After several years of discussion and research, Street Level Studio is pleased to announce that we just completed a mural project on the outside of our building in Highwood, IL.

Creative Review has begun posting some of their favorite pieces from recent graduate shows on a Pinterest board.