Written by akira October 4th, 2008
in Portfolio.

In other words, do you have what it takes to be successful as a business owner?
That was the main question the Northwest Entrepreneur Network, a local nonprofit business support organization, posed in a panel discussion called “Think Tank: Are you, or should you be, an entrepreneur?” on last Tuesday night, at Schaffer Auditorium on Seattle University campus.
The three panelists gathered for the occasion, sure seemed like they had the right stuff. Andy Sack (Judy’s Book, et. al), Joel Gendelman (N2uitive, et. al), and Kevin Merrit (Blist, formerly of MessageRite), all founded successful ventures, and gotten “variable degrees of lots of money” (according to Sack). So, what do they say are the prerequisite qualities that make successful entrepreneurs?
Andy Sack says, “the only way you can find out (whether you’d be successful at it or not) is, to try it.” Jumping into it, and learning it by doing it seems to be the only sure-fire way to learn. Kevin Merritt also encouraged hopeful future entrepreneurs to “quit that day job, make the commitment.” The idea is, according to Merritt, to “make failure so painful that it can’t possibly be the outcome.”
Other tips and wisdoms to remember: Continue reading ‘Are you an entrepreneur? Should you be?’
Written by akira October 1st, 2008
in News at DK.

Just a reminder that our monthly beer-down at Stumbling Monk, a friendly neighborhood Belgian pub, is around the corner.
We will start around 6:30, drop ins are welcome: join the conversations, doodle the coasters, or sit, sip and observe!
Designers’ Korner
Monday, October 6 :: 6:30pm
Stumbling Monk
Capitol Hill
Seattle
Also see:
More info about Designers’ Korner and other Design Kompany events
Written by dipika September 29th, 2008
in Design Inspirations and Interesting Finds.

September’s end reminds us of all the beauty of summer, the memory of which shall whisper through the fall and into spring.
Ho ho. Didn’t know I write poetry, didja.
Written by akira September 29th, 2008
in Interesting Finds.
Space.City is hosting a lecture by Kengo Kuma, an esteemed Japanese architect with an increasingly international portfolio, on Monday, October 6, at Seattle Central Library. It will start at 7PM, and the tickets are $10 at Peter Miller bookstore downtown, or $15 at the door.
It should be an interesting talk. He started out in the late 80s as a “postmodern” architect (his early landmark building, for example. was shaped like a gigantic Greek-style classic column) but now is a strong advocate for ‘recovering the tradition of Japanese buildings’ — using wood, for instance, for a modern office building in an urban setting. His designs often involves unorthodox uses of materials and motifs culled from traditional and cultural contexts (wood, bamboo, grid and vertical line patterns from traditional Japanese patterns, etc).
Also, he has been quoted comparing architecture to making of sushi.
Make what you may of that seemingly flippant commentary. To me, it shows he’s someone who’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind. I think he will have some interesting things to say about Seattle’s architecture and the state it’s in.
Space.City presents Kengo Kuma
Monday, October 6
7 pm
Seattle Central Library
$10/$15
Pre-sale tickets at Peter Miller Bookstore
Written by dipika September 24th, 2008
in Interesting Finds.

When we got to Safeco field in the middle of the first inning last night, the M’s were already down 2 runs.
DK: Hey, wait. So, are the Mariners last in their division?
BS: Worse. They’re the last in the league.
Continue reading ‘Field report: M’s top A’s in surprise upset’
Written by dipika September 23rd, 2008
in Design Inspirations and Interesting Finds.
Electronic music fans, this one’s for you. We alluded to this event briefly when we wrote about circuit bent Speak & Spells.

Continue reading ‘Decibel Festival starts this week in Seattle’
Written by akira September 17th, 2008
in Portfolio.
Coming up with the name Matchbox was the first part of Design Kompany’s total rebrand for a mobile software development company. Matchbox’s offices are in Seattle and Brighton, U.K.
Above is the new logo we made to go with the new name.
And below is the new website for Matchbox Mobile we designed and built.
Matchboxmobile.com launched last week.

Owning your new brand
Design Kompany loves it when our clients can talk about their new brand with conviction, passion and clarity.
So we were excited to read Matchbox’s Richard Stott put it thus in his announcement email:
We’re proud to announce Research Creations is now Matchbox Mobile!
We have a new name, a new brand, and a brand new website. We’re still the same company, same people, and same focus on mobile software development. Our new name and brand reflects how we’ve grown over the past 3 years from a research focused company to what we’re all about today –– creating truly unique custom mobile solutions for our clients.
Check out our redesigned website with all new content, our recent success stories and what makes us special. Why the name Matchbox?
We’re an agile team of bright developers ready to set your mobile ideas on fire.
[emphasis mine]
We’ll share more soon about the rest of the process, including how DK Skyped across time zones to feel we were right there in Brighton.
Design Kompany is a sponsor for a free workshop this month that’s part of AIA Seattle’s Design for Livability conference.
The Taking Action: Advocacy for Livable Cities workshop will be Saturday, Sept. 27 at Seattle Central Community College.
The half-day event is organized by Allied Arts of Seattle, a nonprofit DK worked with recently to refine their brand message.
Continue reading ‘DK to sponsor Allied Arts/AIA workshop Sept. 27′
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