The office of the future
In the design industry, as in more and more professions these days, geography is no longer a limiting factor in working with clients. Apt has already worked with clients across the country and around the world, but now we are trying something a little different. For the past week we have relocated the office to Northwest Arkansas, part vacation, part experiment in working from anywhere. With a laptop and cell phone, neither we nor any of our clients can tell much of a difference.
This is an increasingly popular way to do business. Freelancer designer and writer Skellie has a blog devoted to this entire issue. Her website Anywired shares stories and gives advice to those looking to have a completely mobile office.
The office of now
Why not try something different today? Get out of the office, take your laptop to a coffee shop or a park, and enjoy the freedom of working from anywhere. If you can’t necessarily move your workspace, find a way to get creative and do things a little different. Let us know about your experiences in the comments.
This place is now feeling like a real business. The office setup has been completed. here’s a view of where great creative design gets done, and the tools and elements that are used.
- the 24″ imac with 2 GB of RAM has arrived, and its bigger than you would even think. inside is adobe creative suite 3 – the latest industry standard for all graphic and web design work. this mac flows along with incredible speed and looks absolutely gorgeous.
- out in front, a 9″ x 12″ wacom tablet. i write and draw left handed and this tool has become indespensable to my creative work. it seriously doubles effeciency and aids in everything from file management to illustration.
- a full-color brother laser printer. though this is definitely necessary for full color proofs and some letters, i’ve been amazed at how little paper i have used so far. very close to a paperless office.
- speakers for one of the most important parts of good design – great music. working from home gives you the great opportunity to crank up the music and zone into a project.
- a creative wall for inspiration.
- a better view than i’ve had at any other job. currently watching apples in the orchard ripen. watch for more ‘views out the office window’.
over in the corner – my companion throughout the work day (though she mostly just sleeps and makes me do all the work) – mocha. she is always ready to go out for a game of catch.
so, now “This battleship is fully operational,” and the option of commenting on my blog posts exists, so let me know – what do you think?
