Why Coworking Spaces are Business Therapy for Designers Posted on: July 8, 2014 /
Categories: Current Events
When it comes to coworking spaces for graphic designers, even the downsides
are upsides. Isn't it wonderful when self-serving impulses turn out to actually boost productivity-
e.g., petting office dogs, taking longer lunch breaks, and indulging in second-breakfasts?
Such is the rationale behind coworking spaces: cooperative, pay-by-the-day workplace
options that are serving key roles in the business plans of freelance designers not just in
terms of office space, but in profitability, networking, and savvy advice.
What to Look for in a Design Space: Flexibility, Flexibility, Flexibility If there's one consistency in startups, it's inconsistency-to such a degree that coworking
doubles as the Goldilocks option for best cases and worst cases alike.
Raking in six times what you expected in your first year-or six times less? Outcomes on
either end are among the greatest reasons to consider coworking in lieu of restrictive
lease terms (or cubicles). Want to add another desk or cut your hours from five days a
week down to two? These are options far beyond the bounds of typical leasing, but the
bread-and-butter of coworking arrangements.
Add the fact that either way you're paying only for your share (and not for utilities during
hours you're not there-or, more accurately, for utilities at all), and the prospect for
apportioned budgeting only sweetens further.
Public Spaces, Paired Motives, and Other People's Clients The flexibility to match commitment to demand is nice; having a community through
which to increase demand, nicer.
Collaboration among coworking tenants is really a win, win, win situation; the odds of
finding a complementary freelancer (e.g., coder, writer, photographer) to pair with as a
designer are great, and both parties stand to benefit from the increase in reach, scope, and
input. Meanwhile, the client gains the convenience of having two vendors in one space-
plus any boons in cohesiveness and efficiency that arise from having three-way
communication.
The only potential downside, says Christina Hilliard of Richmond, VA design shop
Campfire and Co., is relinquishing your control over shared, open aesthetics-but that,
too, has an upside:
Designers have a tendency to want to have complete control over their space, which just
isn't really an option in a coworking situation. That said, our business grew much more
quickly because we are in such a public space. People are able to see our process and how
we work with one another and our clients, as opposed to us hiding out in our homes. 2
You Say Happy Hour, I Say Business Therapy Of course, networking within coworking spaces has its motives aside from just profit.
Many coworking outfits maintain active calendars of guest speakers, workshops, and
community mentoring sessions (with the latter occasionally masked as rooftop happy
hours).
Fraternizing with freelancers and entrepreneurs is a real advantage when running your
own business. The more time a designer can spend designing, and not managing finances
or unraveling legalese, the better-so it helps to have people nearby who've gone through
parallel struggles and taken great notes.
Our studio members have become our business support system, explains Hilliard's
graphic design partner Lauren Stewart. It's so helpful to have a group of people
experiencing the same things and sharing tips and tricks. They are there with you in your
challenges and can really celebrate in your triumphs.
Conference Rooms Versus Coffee Shops Finally, there's the prospect of enjoying not just space to work, but space to meet.
Accustomed to meeting your clients in coffee shops-and apologizing when there aren't
available seats? Sounds like a problem that coworking spaces can solve.
Plus, they usually provide coffee for free.
Matt Siegel covers the marriage of design, branding, and entrepreneurship for Graphic Stock
.
Christina Hilliard and Lauren Stewart are the cofounders of Campfire and Co., an
interior and graphic design studio based out of Richmond, Virginia's Marvin Lang
Building (which Lauren helped design).
Tags: designers, media, product, productivity, stock media, stock video, Video Blocks, VideoBlocks, web
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
21/04/2026
Cloud-based production isnt going anywhere, and BitFire is doubling down by prov...
21/04/2026
The topic of artificial intelligence has a stranglehold on the sports-video-prod...
21/04/2026
5G is still a hot topic in live event production, and this workflow continues to...
21/04/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show, Ed McGivern, GM and President of Appear US, discusses the ...
21/04/2026
Studio Network Solutions (SNS) has announced an on-premise AI suite designed for...
21/04/2026
Suite Studios has integrated its file-streaming technology into the newly announced Frame.io Drive, a desktop application from Adobe company Frame.io. The colla...
21/04/2026
Net Insight has integrated InSync Technology's FrameFormer into the Nimbra E...
21/04/2026
Fox Sports has selected Appear as a technology partner to support the next phase...
21/04/2026
Diversified has appointed Tyler Affolter as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) to lead the company's commercial organisation. The appointment follows the firm'...
21/04/2026
Layercake has formalised the integration of Bitmovin's video streaming infra...
21/04/2026
The International Judo Federation (IJF) has extended its distribution partnershi...
21/04/2026
Glookast has launched the Cinnafilm Tachyon plugin for its Media Producer and Me...
21/04/2026
Eutelsat has entered into an agreement with Cadena Tres, a division of Grupo Ima...
21/04/2026
Dolby Laboratories and TV Azteca have partnered to introduce Dolby Atmos immersive audio to free-to-air television broadcasts. The implementation utilises the A...
21/04/2026
FOX Entertainment partnered with Verizon to overcome significant production hurd...
21/04/2026
Osprey Video has announced its technology showcase for the NAB Show 2026, highli...
21/04/2026
Riedel Communications (Booth C4908) introduced a range of new solutions at NAB S...
21/04/2026
The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. He...
21/04/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the URSA Cine Immersive 100G, an immersive cinem...
21/04/2026
Clark Wire & Cable is continuing its evolution from cable supplier to full-scale solutions partner for broadcast and live production. At the 2026 NAB Show, we s...
21/04/2026
Rashad Frett attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Ricky at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by George Pimentel/Shut...
21/04/2026
Five years ago, Spotify arrived in Pakistan, opening a new chapter in the country's music scene. Since then, local listeners have explored across genres, ge...
21/04/2026
Since its launch in 2020, RADAR has been our program for spotlighting emerging artists around the world. This year marks the sixth edition of RADAR Spain, our o...
21/04/2026
Offers compact wireless solution for pedalboards
Taiwanese audio brand Cloudvocal have announced the availability of a new pedalboard-friendly wireless syst...
21/04/2026
Latest hybrid sampling/synthesis instrument arrives
Arturia's Augmented series offerings rely on a mixture of sampling and synthesis, allowing users to ...
21/04/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host Power Electronics Online Conference From Design to Vali...
21/04/2026
MAS and Lockheed Martin partner to establish an F-35 depot in Canada, enabling in-country sustainment and creating high-skilled aerospace jobs....
21/04/2026
Advertising strategies shift as competition grows for a large, active and qualit...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Layercake Deepens Bitmovin Integration to Power End-to-End Media Orchestration w...
21/04/2026
Cobalt Digital Announces Launch of blueCORE at NAB Show 2026: Compact Powerhouse...
21/04/2026
On-Premise AI Suite from Studio Network Solutions Debuts at NAB Show 2026
Melanie Ciotti April 21, 2026
0 Comments
Unlimited processing, no cloud depe...
21/04/2026
London, 21 April 2026 IBC today announced the appointment of Tim Banham as its first Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), a newly created role that reflects the or...
21/04/2026
Motion Design Tools - April 2026
Roland Kahlenberg April 21, 2026
0 Comments
Within 2 days, Maxon and Canva announced pro-level motion design apps - A...
21/04/2026
Chaos and Zero Density to Showcase Real-Time Ray Tracing for Virtual Studios and...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
Why Coworking Spaces are Business Therapy for Designers Posted on: July 8, 2014 / 
