A Decade of Edition Studios: Reinvention, Creativity, and the Journey That Shaped Us

A Decade of Edition

I can’t believe it’s been ten years.

I acquired Edition in 2015. Technically, Edition is 24 years old, but the last decade has been its own chapter entirely. It’s been a story of highs, lows, reinvention, and growth. A decade of building a team that cares deeply about the work, collaborating with clients who challenge and inspire us, and constantly pushing ourselves to create something meaningful. Something that lasts.

On my business card envelope, there’s a quote that has always guided my process:

“In our search for timeless, elemental design, we stress value over convenience, longevity over expedience.”
— David Darling

That philosophy has become foundational to how we design. At Edition, design isn’t just about looking good. Exceptional design captivates the eye and stimulates the intellect. It strikes emotional resonance. It’s guided by instinct as much as intent. The most compelling work lives in the balance between logic and intuition. Between form and feeling.

As I reflect on the last decade, I’m filled with gratitude for the people who built this with me, the clients who trusted us, and the experiences that shaped who we are.

Learning What’s Worth Chasing

That curiosity started early.

When I was younger, my Christmas lists didn’t look like my friends’. One year I got a laminator. Another year, an executive desk. In sixth grade, I started an eBay business and made five thousand dollars over one summer. I had an itch to create and build. I remember asking my parents for things no other middle schooler wanted. A Palm Pilot, for example. I don’t even know what I used it for. I just saw businesspeople with them and imagined what it might be like to run something of my own.

My parents challenged me constantly. Why do you want that? What’s the point?

I didn’t always have the answer. But over time, I learned how to pitch, how to persuade, how to see opportunity where others didn’t. I learned that being challenged sharpens you.

Looking back, I don’t know what people thought of me. I just know that I didn’t care. I blocked out the noise. I dreamed. I envisioned what life could be. And nine times out of ten, I got thrown on my ass. But I kept coming back to the same truth: people want a story. They want connection. They want careful craftsmanship and attention to detail. They want to feel understood.

That belief still drives everything we do.

The Journey

When I took over Edition in 2015, it wasn’t really a studio yet. It was more like a spark.

I knew almost immediately that I wanted it to be something different. The work we do today didn’t exist yet. The clients hadn’t either. What I stepped into wasn’t a finished thing, it was a starting point. And the work ahead was figuring out what Edition could become.

A couple of desks tucked into a borrowed corner of a North Loop office. A vision that felt ten times bigger than the space we were sitting in. We weren’t many people, but we had more ambition than square footage. Those early days were a blur of caffeine, trial and error, and the kind of scrappy creativity you only get once in a company’s lifetime.

I practically lived at the office. Late nights. Weekends. Takeout dinners and pure drive. The first year was about keeping the lights on and proving Edition had a heartbeat. We had a handful of retainers that kept us afloat, but every project felt like a make-or-break moment. It was chaotic, electric, and honestly, one of the most exhilarating chapters of my life.

Nearly every project we took on came from something I personally loved: art, interior design, real estate, photography.

Today, I’m not a designer. Instead, I curate and direct the creative vision behind the work, both in the studio and in my own life. My process is about collecting the world. I gather scraps from my travels. Architectural details. Color pairings. Packaging I admire. A torn train ticket or a weathered piece of paper might sit in a drawer for months before becoming the spark behind a client’s brand identity.

That’s how Edition works. Every project is personal. Every detail is intentional. It’s never just about form. It’s about what feels right.

Building Edition Studios

Turning instinct into a business is a different kind of challenge.

When I stepped into Edition, I had vision and drive. But building a creative studio that could bring that vision to life meant making mistakes, finding our footing, and constantly asking hard questions. What kind of studio do we want to be? What kind of team do we want to lead?

Some agencies are filled with creative directors who aren’t challenged, artists who don’t get to create, and leadership that prioritizes profit over creativity.

We are not that.

I wanted a place where we could stay nimble. Where we could take risks. Where mistakes were part of the process. That’s how the best work happens.

The early years came with trial and error. Learning when to hire, when to fire, and how to protect the integrity of the work and the health of the team. There were late nights, tight margins, and moments I questioned whether I was doing any of it right.

One moment stands out more than most.

Early on in my first year of owning Edition, one of our largest clients asked us to do something that didn’t feel ethical. It went against our values as people and as an agency. And when you’re small, when payroll depends on a few big accounts, that kind of request puts you in a chokehold.

But I couldn’t ignore the feeling that we were compromising who we were becoming. So I fired the client. Even though the timing was terrible. Even though it would have been easier to stay quiet.

That decision shaped how I lead to this day. You can’t lose your values for a dollar. Money comes and goes. Reputation, trust, and how you show up for your team stay. Letting that client go opened the door for better partnerships and a clearer sense of who Edition was meant to be.

Relationships That Changed Everything

There were early projects that helped define our direction. One of the first was Prudden Company, a luxury real estate firm with big ambitions. They were willing to push beyond what was standard and aim higher. Ten years later, we still work together, partnering on several new real estate development projects each year. That continuity reinforced something important: the right clients don’t just buy the work. They invest in the vision.

Around that same time, I started to realize relationships were our true superpower. 

Working with Marie and Karl of Cooks of Crocus Hill changed how I saw Edition. They were confident in who they were as a brand and clear in how they wanted to show up. When they opened their North Loop store just across from our office, we worked closely alongside them and saw firsthand what it looks like when a brand is built with confidence and intention. What stood out was their clarity. They came to Edition with strong brand guidelines and a defined point of view, which pushed the work into a deeper, more intentional place.

That experience reshaped how I thought about our role. When a client understands themselves, the work has more depth and direction from the start. It became clear that to do our best work, we needed to begin with strategy and discovery. We needed to understand what makes a product or brand distinct before touching design.

That shift carried into everything that followed. It opened the door to more lifestyle-driven projects and broadened how we looked for inspiration. Travel became part of the process. Exposure to new places and perspectives reinforced a simple truth: when you invest in people and take the time to understand them, the work grows. The identity follows.

Then vs. Now

Ten years ago, collaboration looked different. Fewer Zoom calls. No Slack channels. More time around a table sketching, making messes, and figuring things out in real time.

That hands-on energy still lives inside Edition, but the way we work has evolved. Today, collaboration happens across time zones. Tools like Figma and emerging AI workflows help us move faster and with more intention. What used to take days now takes hours. The heart of the process is still storytelling. The way we build it is simply more dynamic.

The pandemic forced that evolution. Minneapolis was carrying the weight of COVID and the trauma of George Floyd’s murder. Clients paused. Our office sat empty. Team members left. The future felt uncertain.

That period forced me to trust my gut without a roadmap. We learned how to lead through discomfort. Going virtual pushed us beyond Minneapolis and into global work. We learned to build trust through screens and think bigger because we had to.

Today, we’re more confident. We know our worth. We spot misalignment early, and we say no faster and yes more intentionally.

Our new office reflects everything we’ve learned. It’s not just a place to work. It’s a place to feel. Every corner is designed with intention, reinforcing curiosity and creative energy. The tools may have changed, but the heart hasn’t.

What’s Next

Ten years in, I can say this with confidence: we’re only getting started.

We’ve built something we’re proud of, and that matters because it gives us a foundation to build on in the years ahead. What we’ve learned over the last decade will carry us into what comes next, whether that’s next year or ten years from now.

The way we work will continue to change as technology evolves, culture shifts, and new tools influence how ideas move from concept to execution. Our responsibility is to stay aware without losing our point of view, and to use those changes in service of work that feels thoughtful, human, and lasting.

We’ll keep questioning how we collaborate and how we show up for our clients. We’ll protect time for real thinking in an increasingly noisy landscape. Trends will pass and imitation will follow. That’s part of building something worth paying attention to.

I’m grateful for how far we’ve come. There are moments in the last ten years I never could have imagined when I first took this on. This year feels like a turning point. A moment to double down on what we believe and where we’re headed.

I don’t know exactly what the next chapter looks like. I just know how we’ll approach it.

With instinct. With intention. And with a team that gives a shit.

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