On Studio vs. Agency: In Defense of Craft

In one of our weekly status meetings recently, we had an interesting discussion. Here at WhereCloud, a key stage of all our projects is the stage in which we work with our clients to define their vision and strategy for entry (or reentry) into the mobile market. The question that came up in the status meeting was as follows: If mobile strategy is one of our core offerings, should we be referring to ourselves as an “agency” rather than a “studio”? By using the term “studio”, are we unwittingly giving the impression that our specialty is execution, not ideas?

A good question. As you might have guessed, we don’t agree with that sentiment. Let’s talk about why.

We believe, more than anything, that the success of mobile rests on the quality of the message and the idea. But – and there is a big but – we believe that knowing the nuts and bolts of how that idea will be executed, AND being involved in that execution, hands-on, has the potential to improve that idea tenfold.

This is especially true for a mobile or tablet application, where elements are so limited. In this case, a so-called “detail” ceases to become a detail and instead becomes a small expression of the core idea.

This belief translates into the way we work. Small, iterative steps, in-app experiments to test ideas (we call them “labs”), team members that have experience on both the design and development sides of the coin, and a process that ties the design and development cycle into a closely-knit loop. This belief has also translated into our tagline: Beautifully crafted mobile apps. In many respects we like to approach our work like an expert craftsperson might approach their craft – with an insight that only hands-on experience can bring.

Now, don’t get us wrong. Sometimes a good idea requires some distance from the nuts and bolts. In that case, we step back from the computers and get inspiration from elsewhere. But when we’ve got that idea, we’ve got the technical and design experience to ensure it’s executed perfectly, and to find opportunities to bring it to the next level.

We believe that makers are uniquely positioned to envision and execute ideas in the mobile space. What about you? Does the idea of an “agency” versus a “studio” change your expectations? Do you think that conception and execution can be separated without losing something in the process?

Photo via (cc) Flickr user L. Marie.