• Lin Ver Meulen Lin Ver Meulen
    Founder, Principal

    AIGA
    Design West Michigan
    UICA

    Superpower you wish you had:
    I wish I could be HUMORwoman. Lightening sticky situations faster than a speeding bullet. Cutting through tension like a locomotive. It’s a one-liner. It’s an inside joke. It’s one of the few personality traits with the power to save the day.

    Stuff you make in your free time:
    I have a craft gene that shows itself in things like knitting tree sweaters, sewing boxes made from coffee bean bags, or cooking. I’m always in quest of recipes for the perfect Asian or Mexican dinner, and any dessert that’s complicated + looks beautiful.

    Something you never get tired of looking at:
    Post modern architecture, ahh. Some day I’ll build my dream house… a flat roofed or prefab, 1500 square foot, one room, glass walled, green, glorious embodiment of the simplicity of design on a lake. Never hurts to dream.

    Invention we need:
    A Moment Machine that would capture, store and allow you to relive the glorious moments of life.

    Designers/companies you like to keep on your radar:
    • Christien Meindertsma: I love, love her Urchin Pouf, which makes me want to knit unconventional stuff.
    • Ronan + Erwan Boureollec: Their Vegetal chair + Clouds are inspirational. The work they do with Vitra makes me jealous. I’d love to meet them.
    Lisa Dingman Lisa Dingman
    Principal, Designer

    AIGA
    Design West Michigan
    UICA

    On your playlist:
    Ra Ra Riot. The XX. Beirut. Girls. Yeasayer. Shout Out Louds.

    Best day of your life so far:
    One of the best days was the birthday of my second son, Cal. Getting to watch my older son Ben hold him and seeing the look on Ben’s face was a great moment.

    Books or authors you’re recommending:
    My nightly reading these days is filled with picture books. A few of my favorites: Santa Through the Window by Taro Gomi, CELESTE A day in the park by Martin Matje, Unloveable by Dan Yaccarino, Follow the Line by Laura Ljungkvis

    Favorite concert ever:
    Fleet Foxes at Ladies Literary Club

    Secretly obsessed with:
    Searching for the perfect house. Nordstrom Rack. Margaritas.

    Something you never get tired of looking at:
    Open floor plans. Mid-century modern furniture. A clean kitchen.
    Lindsay Jones Lindsay Jones
    Designer

    AIGA
    Design West Michigan

    On your playlist:
    Beach House, The Kinks, Deerhunter, A Tribe Called Quest, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

    Something you think should catch on:
    Travel by train

    Books or authors you’re recommending:
    Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain and
    Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

    Alternate career:
    Filmmaker

    Green living tip:
    Always try to keep a reusable bag on your person. I love the ones from Baggu.

    Something you never get tired of looking at:
    Antiques/old stuff, industrial landscapes, magazines, art and design books

    Invention we need:
    Teleportation

    Artists you are inspired by:
    William Eggleston, Francis Bacon, Elizabeth Peyton, Richard Diebenkorn, Rosson Crow, Lucienne Day, Jenny Holzer, and Robert Rauschenberg
    Emily Underhill Emily Underhill
    Designer
     
    AIGA, YNPN, UICA
     
    Two foods that taste amazing together:
    Salt + vinegar is usually my number one combo, but are more flavors than foods. A more unexpected choice would be dill pickle relish on top of pepperoni pizza. Yes, literally spread the relish on top of the pizza. An old-time favorite I started during my Little League days. Weird combo, but mmm, it's actually pretty darn tasty! 
     
    Secret Obsession:
    Organizing. Anything.
     
    Best day of your life so far:
    My wedding day
     
    Superpower you wish you had:
    The ability to "un-do" real-life mishaps, just like you would with a key command on a Mac. Accidentally spill your coffee? Just command + z. Spend an hour re-arranging a room just to realize it was better before? Command + z.
     
    Most amazing scent/smell in the world:
    A burning campfire, hot cider, fresh linen
     
    Something you never get tired of looking at:
    Swatches. My adorable nieces + nephews, if I blink they'll be all grown up. Home videos/pictures, for my super sentimental and nostalgic side. I also could stare at our yellow Lab all day long. I never grew up around dogs (originally a cat person), but boy was I smitten when I first met her at 6 weeks! 
    Brent Casanova Brent Casanova
    Designer


    Best day of your life so far:
    Any day that involves camping where I ultimately cook my dinner over a fire. There's a great sense of accomplishment when you create a meal with no electricity.

    On your playlist:
    Podcasts all day every day. Some of my favorites include: The Moth, Professor Blastoff, Superego, This American Life, You Had To Be There, Comedy Bang Bang, and Radiolab.

    Secretly obsessed with:
    Boat imagery. I diagnosed myself with this obsession when I realized every wall in my apartment housed an image of a boat. Who knows, maybe I was a sea captain in my last life.

    Green living tip:
    Bike whenever possible. Good for your health, less road rage, and easy to find parking.

    Most amazing scent:
    Sunscreen. I think beach, I feel vacation.

    Creatives you like to keep on your radar:
    Anagrama, Miklos Kiss, Heydays, and Kim Holtermand.
    Emily Gremel Emily Gremel
    Strategist, Project Lead


    On my playlist:
    Bon Iver, Opeth, Iron & Wine, Shakey Graves, The Black Keys, Susanne Sundfør.
     
    Something I think should catch on:
    Maybe this is something that should catch back on, but I love letter writing – nobody has pen pals anymore. We should!
     
    Interesting family trait:
    We hate tourist vacations! Whenever we travel, we hit all the local spots. Plus, we pick unique destinations like the Blue Ridge Parkway, Death Valley, Luckenbach, Texas, and even Zambia!
     
    Books I’m recommending:
    House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, any collection of short stories by Ernest Hemingway, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Diary by Chuck Palahniuk.
     
    Community groups I support:
    Habitat for Humanity, YMCA.
     
    Alternative career:
    Biochemist.
    Chika Okafor Chika Okafor
    ArtPrize Intern

    On your playlist: 
    The Zombies, The Shins, MGMT, The Impressions, Sam Cooke, Grizzly Bear, Beach Boys, Nirvana, Al Green, Lauryn Hill, Oasis.

    Two foods that taste amazing together:
    Spinach and Okra.

    Favorite concert ever: 
    Lupe Fiasco at the Newport in Columbus, Ohio.

    Stuff you make in your free time:
    I attempt to sew garments on my sewing machine! I love clothes, so it's worth it to learn.

    Invention we need: A time machine.

    Designers you like to keep on your radar:
    Jessica Hische, Shauna Haider, Genevieve Gorder, Emily Henderson, and Mondo Guerra are all designers and artists I keep an eye on.

    Interesting or funny family trait: 
    Massive heads. Hat shopping is not easy!

    Secretly obsessed with:
    Cartoons!