Work & Co

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Work & Co
FoundedMay 2013
Headquarters
Dumbo, Brooklyn
,
United States
Number of locations
6
Area served
Worldwide
ServicesDigital
Number of employees
~400[1]
Websitework.co

Work & Co is a technology and design company founded in 2013. It is headquartered in Dumbo, Brooklyn with offices in Portland, Oregon, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Copenhagen, and Belgrade.

The company designs and develops digital products and services for businesses and non-profit organizations. Notable current and past clients include Acorns, Aesop, ALDO,[2] Apple, Bottega Veneta, Claro, Disney, Globo, Google, Epic Games, Gatorade, Hippo, IKEA,[3] Mailchimp, Mercedes-Benz, MTA,[4] Nike, Planned Parenthood, T-Mobile, and Virgin America.[5]

The company focuses on three three core disciplines to create digital products from concept through launch. These include websites, e-commerce platforms, mobile apps, AI tools, chatbots, physical-digital experiences, digital kiosks, and employee tools.[6]

History[]

Work & Co opened in May 2013, founded by Gene Liebel, Felipe Memoria, Joe Stewart, Mohan Ramaswamy and Marcelo Eduardo.[7]

In 2015, Work & Co expanded their Rio de Janeiro office to accommodate an influx of work in Brazil.[8]

In 2018, the company opened a new office in Portland, Oregon.[9][10] At the end of 2018, it established the Fund, supporting projects aimed at improving the world.[11]

In 2019, the company expanded its presence in Europe, opening an office in Copenhagen[12][13] around the same time IKEA named Work & Co as their digital product agency-of-record.[14] The same year, Work & Co acquired Tendigi, a mobile app development company.[15] Three months later, they acquired data and analytics firm, Acknowledge Digital.[16]

In June 2020, the company pursued a series of actions to combat systemic racism and racial inequality.[17] This included carving $1 million dollars from the Work & Co Fund for design and technology support for racial justice organizations supporting the Black community through economic empowerment, voter rights and access, and criminal justice reform. Additionally, the company pledged donations in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, outreach for recruitment from a diverse set of colleges, and new commitments to diversity within the organization and community.[18]

Processes and values[]

Work & Co is known for its collaborative process with clients and being-hands on, sharing working prototypes throughout, rather than unveiling finished work.[19][20] Projects typically have small, senior teams including company partners and founders who are hands-on active members on each project.[21][22]

Teams are dedicated to one project at a time—eliminating the need for timesheets traditional to most agencies. Members work cross-functionally across design, product, engineering, and QA, with active involvement of all stakeholders starting at kickoff.[23] The company operates with a single P&L to encourage company-wide collaboration. Often, new employees are hired as suitable candidates are discovered, as opposed to waiting to meet the needs of upcoming projects.[24]

The company has been vocal about its stance in supporting social movements related to DACA and immigration, sanctuary cities, women’s health, climate change, and voting rights.[25][26][27][28][29][30]

Through the Work & Co Fund, the company has also allocated pro bono work and resources to innovative and cause-based projects,[31] including Roo,[32] Planned Parenthood’s chatbot, plus tools like Help Supply[33] to battle the Covid-19 crisis, and the MTA’s Live Subway Map. Projects resulting from the 2020 pledge include Ameelio,[34] Woke Vote,[35] Give Blck,[36] and The Diversity in Design collaborative.[37]

Awards and recognition[]

The company has earned several accolades including being twice named to AdAge’s A-List[38][39] and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies,[40][41] Digiday’s 2018 Agency of the Year,[42] and one of the most Consequential Agencies in Business by Forbes.[43] In 2021, FastCo named the company as a finalist in the Design Company of the Year category.[44] Advertising Age listed Work & Co at number 2 of their 2021 Agency A-List.[45]

Its work for clients has been recognized by several top awards shows including Grand Prix, Titanium, and Gold Lion awards from Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity,[46][47] Webby Awards,[48][49] and Design Week category shortlists and wins,[50][51] among others.

Notable work[]

Virgin Airlines[]

In 2014, Virgin America partnered with Work & Co to overhaul their website and improve their digital flight-booking process.[52] The agency created the first-ever fully responsive website for a major airline company.[53] After winning a Bronze Lion in Design,[54] Virgin America then named Work & Co their digital agency of record, tasking them with the redesign other products including their mobile app and in-flight entertainment system.[55]

Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA)[]

In October 2020, Work & Co released a major redesign of the MTA's New York City subway map, accessible through digital and mobile devices.[56][57] The Live Subway Map is an interactive digital product that builds upon the iconic designs by Unimark International and Michael Hertz Associates. It combines the geometric clarity of Massimo Vignelli’s diagram with the geographical and organic curves by Hertz, and connects to a live database for real-time service updates.[58] The project was pro bono.[59][60]

In March 2021, a feature was added to display COVID-19 vaccination sites across the city.[61]

References[]

  1. ^ "Work & Co". Built in NYC.
  2. ^ McAteer, Oliver (September 26, 2018). "ALDO team up with Work & Co for launch of special sneaker line". Campaign Live.
  3. ^ Graham, Megan (February 26, 2019). "IKEA TAPS WORK & CO AS DIGITAL PRODUCT PARTNER". AdAge.
  4. ^ Gianatasio, David (October 28, 2020). "Inside Work & Co's Design of NYC's New Live Subway Map". Muse.
  5. ^ "Most Innovative Companies: Work & Co". Fast Company.
  6. ^ "Work & Co". AdAge AMP. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
  7. ^ Bruell, Alexandra (May 21, 2013). "Group of Senior Execs Depart Huge to Form New Digital Shop". AdAge.
  8. ^ "Work & Co Expands in Brazil with New Office and Leadership". Work & Co. July 29, 2015.
  9. ^ Ptacek, Michal (March 1, 2019). "A Tour of Work & Co's Minimalist New Portland Office". Officelovin'.
  10. ^ Gibson, Elenor (October 5, 2018). "Casework turns Portland industrial building into collaborative workspace". Dezeen.
  11. ^ "Work & Co Fund". Work & Co.
  12. ^ "Work & Co Expands in Europe with Copenhagen Presence". Work & Co. February 26, 2019.
  13. ^ Whitman, Richard (February 27, 2019). "Work & Co Opens Office In Copenhagen". MediaPost.
  14. ^ Graham, Megan (February 26, 2019). "IKEA TAPS WORK & CO AS DIGITAL PRODUCT PARTNER". AdAge.
  15. ^ Smiley, Minda (October 2, 2019). "Work & Co Acquires Tendigi, a Mobile Design and Development Studio". Adweek.
  16. ^ Coffee, Patrick (February 13, 2020). "A buzzy digital agency that handles Apple and Nike just snapped up a data firm and says it has a plan to go up against consultancies like Accenture". Business Insider.
  17. ^ "Investing in the Fight Against Systemic Racism". Work & Co. June 19, 2020.
  18. ^ "$1 Million Fund to Support Black Nonprofits and Startups". Work & Co. July 21, 2020.
  19. ^ Joyner, April (August 25, 2016). "These 4 Brooklyn agencies are killing it right now: an industry insider's take". Technical.ly.
  20. ^ Calica, Adam (June 1, 2020). "How to Manage Scope Creep, 13 Teams Weigh In". BuiltIn.
  21. ^ "Work & Co". AdAge AMP. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
  22. ^ Rittenhouse, Lindsay (September 3, 2019). "WORK & CO NAMES FIVE NEW PARTNERS—INCLUDING ONE POACHED FROM HUGE". AdAge.
  23. ^ "How to Align Teams Behind a Product Roadmap". BuiltIn. June 30, 2020.
  24. ^ O'Donnell, Mike (March 22, 2018). "What It Takes to Work at Work & Co: Meet Co-Founder Joe Stewart". Working Not Working.
  25. ^ "BRIEF OF 143 U.S. BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS AND COMPANIES AS AMICI CURIAE IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENTS" (PDF). SupremeCourt.Gov. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  26. ^ Stein, Lindsay (February 21, 2017). "WORK & CO. JOINS 40-PLUS TECH GIANTS TO OPPOSE TRUMP'S IMMIGRATION BAN". AdAge.
  27. ^ Zanger, Doug (April 14, 2017). "Work & Co supporting SF injunction against 'sanctuary city' executive order".
  28. ^ "Overwhelmed? Planned Parenthood Launches Innovative New Tool to Track the Trump Administration's Attacks on Health and Rights". Planned Parenthood. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  29. ^ "AMERICA IS ALL IN". Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  30. ^ "Work & Co Joins Time to Vote". Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  31. ^ "Work & Co Fund". Work & Co.
  32. ^ "Planned Parenthood Case Study". Work & Co.
  33. ^ "Help Supply: Getting Healthcare Workers the Support They Need". Work & Co. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  34. ^ Peters, Adele (May 4, 2021). "This app is making it free for incarcerated people to make video calls". Fast Company.
  35. ^ "Woke Vote Partners with Work & Co to Activate Low-Propensity Voters". Work & Co. October 15, 2020.
  36. ^ "Give Blck: Driving More Funding to Black Nonprofits". Work & Co.
  37. ^ Wilson, Mark (June 15, 2021). "Only 4.8% of designers are Black. Herman Miller, Adobe, and Gap unveil a plan to change that". Fast Company.
  38. ^ Graham, Megan (April 15, 2019). "AD AGE 2019 A-LIST NO. 6: WORK & CO". AdAge.
  39. ^ Pasquarelli, Adrianne (June 7, 2021). "DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION MAKES WORK & CO'S STAR SHINE". AdAge.
  40. ^ "Most Innovative Companies 2017". Fast Company.
  41. ^ "The World's Most Innovative Companies 2019". Fast Company.
  42. ^ Hayes, Melissa (November 14, 2018). "HP wins Brand of the Year at the Digiday Awards". Digiday.
  43. ^ Dan, Avi (October 6, 2019). "The 10 Most Consequential Agencies Of The Decade: New Leaders Emerge As The Business Shifts". Forbes.
  44. ^ "The best design companies of 2021". Fast Company. September 21, 2021.
  45. ^ Pasquarelli, Adrianne (June 7, 2021). "DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION MAKES WORK & CO'S STAR SHINE". AdAge.
  46. ^ "MTA Live Map Wins Gold at Cannes". Work & Co. June 25, 2021.
  47. ^ "'Today at Apple' Takes Grand Prix, Titanium Awards at Cannes Lions". Work & Co. June 22, 2018.
  48. ^ "MTA". The Webby Swards.
  49. ^ "Work & Co". The Webby Awards.
  50. ^ Banks, Tom (June 14, 2021). "Design Week Awards 2021 – the shortlist in full". Design Week.
  51. ^ "London's Design Week Awards: Marriott Takes Home Best Mobile App". Work & Co. July 5, 2018.
  52. ^ Burnette, Allegra (December 12, 2014). "Case Study: Disciplined Simplification Elevates The Brand In Virgin America's Site Redesign". Forrester.
  53. ^ "Virgin America's Responsive redesign Details". UserExperienceAwards.com. December 1, 2014.
  54. ^ "Portfolio: Hugo Albonete". OneClub.org. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  55. ^ Plautz, Jessica (July 28, 2016). "Virgin America's New Mobile App Is All About Speed". Travel & Leisure.
  56. ^ Gianatasio, David (October 28, 2020). "Inside Work & Co's Design of NYC's New Live Subway Map". Muse.
  57. ^ Guse, Clayton (October 2, 2020). "Watch the trains in real time on the MTA's new NYC subway map — a boon for armchair trainspotters". nydailynews.com.
  58. ^ Bonanos, Christopher (October 20, 2020). "First Look: New York's Digital Subway Map Comes Alive Today". CURBED.com.
  59. ^ Goldbaum, Christina (October 28, 2020). "Finally, a Subway Map With Real-Time Train Locations and Delays". NYTimes.com.
  60. ^ "The MTA's New Live Subway Map". Work & Co. October 20, 2020.
  61. ^ Pozarycki, Robert (March 8, 2021). "COVID-19 vaccine sites now searchable on MTA's Live Subway Map". AMNY.com.
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