Chronicle 26: 2014 Detroit Policy Conference

By Saundra Little, AIA, LEED AP, NOMA

Centric Design Studio's Principal Saundra Little on 2014 Detroit Policy Conference Panel Discussion

"Partnering for Success: Small Business Resources in the D"

Entrepreneurs Highlighted Small Business Resources in Detroit the During Detroit Policy Conference - A Detroit Regional Chamber Event

Accessing business resources and support programs can be the difference between success and failure for start-ups; as obstacles to growth, such as lack of capital, exist in every economic climate or city. This panel of entrepreneurs shed their experience and light on the organizations and assets available to help small businesses overcome challenges and thrive in Detroit.

Panel:
Elias Khalil, Owner and General Manager, La Feria – Spanish Tapas Restaurant
Saundra Little, Founding Partner, Centric Design Studio
Tammy Tedesco, President and CEO, Edibles Rex
Espy Thomas, Owner, Sweet Potato Sensations


Moderator: Evette Hollins, Urban Initiatives Manager, Detroit Regional Chamber

Chronicle 25: A + G = Success

By Damon Thomas, Design Director, LEED AP, NOMA

Back in Chronicle 20 of this blog, my business partner, Saundra Little - AIA wrote about how + why our firm merges Architecture and Graphic Design.  When opportunities arise for this merger (A+G) the result can enhance your business and/or personal brand creating not just a good space but a great space.

Inalfa Roof Systems Inc. in Auburn Hills, MI and Centric Design Studio crossed paths at 2013 Ford Matchmaking Summit Sponsored by Pure Michigan Business Connect, in March of this year.  Much later this summer, Centric Design Studio was hired by Inalfa Roof Systems Inc. for interior design services at their Aubrun Hills, MI facility.

Centric Design Studio used an environmental graphic wall wrap to enhance the entry lobby which leaves no doubt to visitors that this company designs sunroofs.

We collaborated with Detroit Design Center on this project.  They are experts at creating unique fixtures, sculptures, etc. DDC created this sculpture (pictured below), which is more of an art piece, but defiantly enhances the lobby and strengthens the brand of this company.  Detroit Design Center used actual sunroof glass from Inalfa's factory to produce this artistic piece. 

It was important to emphasize Inalfa's global footprint for the visitors and employees of this company. In the open office space pictured below, Centric Design Studio designed acrylic prints of the flags of each country Inalfa Roof Systems Inc. has a presence.  

Taking the global footprint graphics further, we duplicated the acrylic squares but had the geographic boundary of each country printed on the acrylic.  This was topped off by integrating a clock on face of acrylic graphic marking Inalfa's global footprint with time zones.

We are thrilled to have any opportunity to enhance space utilizing architecture and graphics because we feel that when the two are placed in harmony, your clients will know exactly what you do without saying a word and your employees will have a deeper understanding of what they are part of.

For more on our environmental graphic art process for this project, please view our slideshare below:

Environmental Graphic Work by Centric Design Studio from Centric Design Studio

Thanks for reading.

-Damon Thomas

Chronicle 16: Looking Back and Moving Forward

As we venture into a new year of architecture and graphic design, we reflect on the things we are most proud of accomplishing in 2012 (in no particular order of importance):

Our relationship with TechTown. Our offices are located in TechTown, a business incubator in Midtown Detroit. We appreciate the support we receive there, the relationships with the staff and residents, the leadership opportunities, and we were even named Entrepreneur of the Month.

Strengthening our foothold in the healthcare design market.  We partnered with Harley Ellis Devereaux (an Architectural Record Top 250 Firm) to provide design development, construction documentation and building information modeling (BIM) services for the new the 162,000 square foot, $110 million Cardiovascular and Multispecialty Building at the Detroit Medical Center central campus.

Construction at the DMC Heart Hospital

Blogging and Social Media. In addition to posting regularly on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, we started this new blog – “Inside the Studio” – chronicling office activities and highlighting our people and our work. Our Top 3 Blog Posts:

      3)  Historical Residential Re-Design in Detroit

      2)  The Detroit Design Festival

      1)  CDS in the Detroit Community

Government design. We worked with Ghafari (an ENR Top 200 International Design Firm) and AECOM (ranked the number one design firm by ENR) on the Wayne County Justice Project. Centric Design Studio played an integral role in the 3D Building Information Modeling (BIM) documentation and detailing of the facility, and the project team adopted Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) to save costs.

Wayne County Justice Facility - Sketches

Wayne County Justice Facility - 3D Model

Wayne County Justice Facility
Under Construction

Our Employees. We’re especially proud of the graphic design and BIM work by Shanita Rutland and the enthusiasm for the architecture profession that our summer intern, Stephen Lentini, brought to our office.

Our affiliation with the Detroit Creative Corridor Center (DC3). This year we completed the first-ever Creative Ventures Program sponsored by DC3 and celebrated our graduation with 17 of our businesses classmates, including architects, performing artists, web designers, and others growing their businesses in Detroit. CDS principal, Saundra Little, also serves on the Advisory Board of DC3.

Detroit Design Festival. DC3 sponsors the annual Detroit Design Festival, and this year we displayed mobile demonstration units for W.A.R.M. Training Center in Detroit, one of eight energy demonstration centers in the state of Michigan. CDS joined the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) in a design charrette to design the flexible, compact, mobile units that will carry and display sustainable building products, educational materials, and tools.

NOMA Conference. We were pleased to have been an integral part of the planning and hosting of the National Organization of Minority Architects Conference that was held in Detroit in October. We got to see old friends, build new relationships, and network a little, even though we were quite busy with the day-to-day logistics of the Conference.

Bryant Residence. We re-designed a home in the historic Palmer Park area of Detroit. We’re seeing our design come to fruition as the changes are now under construction. We can’t wait to show the finished product.

Bryant Residence Under Construction (First Floor)

Bryant Residence Under Construction (Second Floor)

Our Commitment to Detroit. What a surprise to have a spot in QuickenLoans’ “Made in Detroit” commercial. We are proud to be part of Detroit’s high-tech corridor, and we are fully committed to the design and re-building of this great city.

The Centric Design Studio family wishes everyone a healthy and prosperous 2013!

Chronicle 6: CDS Graduates

On June 28, 2012, CDS partners- along with 17 other businesses - celebrated our graduation as part of the inaugural class of the Creative Ventures Program. Creative Ventures, sponsored by Detroit Creative Corridor Center (dc3), is a year-long business development program for creative sector entrepreneurs, such as architects, performing artists, web designers, and others growing their businesses in Detroit.

Chris, Saundra and Damon at the graduation celebration

Centric Design Studio strives to be a key architectural firm for sustainable urban revitalization in post-industrial cities like Detroit. We recognized the value of networking, collaborating, and being guided by people in the creative community. Although Creative Ventures is housed in the College for Creative Studies in Midtown Detroit, we continued to work out of our offices in TechTown while still utilizing the services offered by the program. We were guided by a business mentor and received assistance and training in sales, marketing and growth strategies. 

Saundra and Damon with David Rice (far left), dc3 Advisory Board member

See our other Creative Ventures "classmates" on the dc3 site.

Chronicle 1: Welcome to Centric Design Studio

Welcome to Centric Design Studio. You'll find us in TechTown in Detroit, Michigan.

Centric Design Studio merges architecture and graphic design practices. Our method of practice gives structure to and communicates the relationships between an organization as a whole, its individuals, as well as its products and services, all with the objective of design value.

Collectively, our principals - Christopher Bruner, Saundra Little, and Damon Thomas - have over 21 years experience in Architecture and Graphic Design. We offer services for new construction, renovations and additions and specialize in providing three-dimensional modeling and visualization with state-of-the-art analysis and design tools as an integral part of the business plan.  Read more about our firm's capabilities in our firm profile.

Not only are we part of TechTown's Thrive entrepreneurial experience, we are a member of the alpha class of Detroit Creative Corridor Center's Creative Ventures accelerator program and were thrilled to be featured in their video, below:




Head on over to our Press page to read more about the growth and development of our firm. You'll also find us on social media - Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

We're proud of the projects we have lead and partnered with other firms on: healthcare, education, community-focused, and others. We look forward to introducing you to employees and partners and sharing our projects and processes. As Saundra said, "We're just excited about everything that's going on with Detroit... that keeps us going."