Agnieszka Gasparska Graphic Design 1 Cooper Union

aesthetic portrait

photo portrait

Top: Irwin Chen (studiomate), Ben Walton, Agnieszka Gasparska Middle: Aya (studiomate), Kenya, Annie Song Bottom: Kai, Rachel Matts, Min Jin Shin

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About

Studio Size

Small (1-5)

Year founded

2003

Borough

Manhattan

Studio Bio/Philosophy

Kiss Me I'm Polish is a multidisciplinary design studio with a focus on branding, interactive and editorial design. Our clients come in all shapes and sizes and from a wide range of industries. We are passionate about great design and the clear flow of information. We solve problems with brains, tackle challenges with brawn, and design with heart.

The Team

Kiss Me I'm Polish has 5 people. Of those, 1 is a studio head and 2 are managerial.

60% of studios are small-sized (1-5 people).

Gender Breakdown

20% male

80% female

Average height

5'4"-5'6"

Shortest: 4'10"
Tallest: 5'9"

Average age

30-35

Youngest: 26
Oldest: 41

Number of freelancers/year

11-25

1-5 are long-term freelancers

Number of interns/year

1-2

Average: 1-2

Studio Disciplines

Breakdown of Work

Number of studio projects

26–50

Pro-bono projects

1–5

Primary Specialties

Art Direction (58)
Books (52)
Brand Strategy (42)
Branding & Identity (77)
Editorial/Publication Design (51)
Illustration (45)
Information Graphics (41)
Interaction Design (36)
Mobile Design (30)
Motion (29)
Packaging (45)
Print (75)
Product (23)
Web Design (59)

Outside the scope of the studio

Sound Design (49)
Typeface Design (20)
Web Development (43)

Clients' Industries

Education (40)
Fashion (45)
Healthcare (18)
Local & community organizations (41)
Media & Publishing (58)
The Arts/Cultural Institutions (71)

Agnieszka Gasparska, Founder / Creative Director

Demographics

From Warsaw, Poland, lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY. Primary design education is school (The Cooper Union School of Art).

What's been the biggest influence on your design career?

There have been so many experiences over the course of my career that it's very hard to pinpoint just one or even a handful. It's really the whole of all of those accumulated experiences - all of the things learned through simply working and running a business, all of the relationships with clients, collaborators, and peers - the exposure to all of those experiences is what has most shaped who I am as a working designer and a person today.

Years in Design Industry

14 years

Average: 17 years

Previous Design Employment

Funny Garbage, Inc.
The Cooper Union Center for Design and Typography

Teaching Design

Parsons The New School for Design — 1 years
Cooper Union School of Art — 1 years

Board Member on Professional Design Organizations

AIGA — 2 years

Time spent designing

40% actual

60% desired

Location

The Space

The studio is about 1300 square feet. It's rented and they've been there for 3 years. They share a space with 1 other company/individual.

Approximately 217 square feet/person. The average is 210 square feet/person.
37% of studios share a space.

Number of times moved

2

Total people in space

6

Kiss Me I'm Polish: 5, Other: 1

Amenities

Bike storage (26)
Cleaning service (44)
Doorman (23)
Elevator (54)
Free booze (28)
Free drinks (27)
Free snacks (27)
Library/book collection (67)
Pin-up board (43)
Whiteboard (23)

Number of conference rooms

0

Client meetings held in studio: Approximately half

Number of plants

6-10

Decorations

Books and bookshelves, Our friends' artwork, Our work, Photos, Process materials for ongoing projects

Desk Policy

To each their own: some keep their desks tidy, while others like it messier.

Space Satisfaction

We love it, it's perfect

Working Days

Working week

The work week is 50-59 hours/week. On an average day, the last person is out at 8:00pm.

31% of studios work 50-59 hours/week.
The average is 40-49 hours/week.

Paid Vacation

11-15 days

41% of studios in this range

Paid Holidays

13 days

Average: 7

Work Weekends?

Once a month

Take Summer Fridays?

Every once in a while

Busiest Time of day?

It's high intensity all day

Culture

Music

Plays music for 80% of the day at an average volume. Currently obsessed with Spotify / Everything.

Side Projects

The Itty Bitty Project

42% of studios have side projects.

Biking to work

2

127 bikers across all studios

Pick your poison

Whisk(e)y

Overall Noise Level

Average

59% of studios are average

Studio pets

1 dog, small pet (e.g. hamster, mouse, etc.)

32% have pets at the studio

Working groups

Internal studio meetings

A couple times/week

Lunch Habits

Eats in small groups

Favorite delivery/take-out: Dil-e Punjab Deli, Co Ba Pho, Go! Go! Curry

Eat out for lunch?

Once a month

Critiquing Process

Studio Outings

Attend conferences, Day trips to museums, Drinks after work

Studio Rituals

Crappy Hour - Crafty Happy Hour / once every couple of months

Hashtags

#beautyandbrains
#chocoholics
#crappyhour
#ismercuryretrograde
#istheltrainfucked
#nomanicureshere
#nomi4ever
#notnailpolish
#peterpandonuts4ever

Agnieszka Gasparska Graphic Design 1 Cooper Union

Source: http://imageofthestudio.com/studio/kiss-me-i-m-polish