We are now relocated to Cincinnati, in the “Over the Rhine” (OTR) neighborhood, and we love it. Although we will always love Los Angeles, and Phoenix had a great design community, we feel that this is our home.
When we visited OTR in early May, we knew this was the place for us. The architecture is amazing, the diversity is refreshing, and we can walk to almost everything we need on a daily basis. There are many like-minded people around for us to learn from, and a tremendous commitment to the arts. And if it sounds like we are kind of silly in love–well, we are.
Over the last several years, we’ve been developing a passion for rejuvenating urban spaces. Not just rehabbing buildings, but helping to rebuild communities–the people, the merchants, the infrastructure of the city. In struggling communities, we want to find what has made the city “sick”, then work with the community to help “heal” it. One thing we realized over the past year is that in order to do that, you must live and work in it–you can’t be effective if you only come in to “help” when it’s convenient. Another thing we are convinced of: we don’t have the foggiest notion of how to do it. We aren’t coming with any bright ideas; we’re just here to learn as much as we can, and to hopefully be part of the solution (whatever that is), if possible.
Another bonus for us–Cincinnati is known as the “branding capital”–people here seem to better understand what we do. There are many companies around who are helping to define, create and manage brands, so we are excited about adding our expertise to the mix. One thing is for sure, though–from now on, Once Blind Studios will be as much about revitalizing our community as we are about graphic design, marketing and branding. We think the pairing makes sense, and we look forward to sharing it with you!
