Last Saturday, the SF team donned their best holiday livery, skipped lunch to make room for dinner, and prepared themselves in all other ways for what has become an annual highlight in SF tradition – the Christmas party! Arriving in fine style at Shiro restaurant in Novi, the team and their significant others all gathered in an intimate room trimmed with garlands and softly twinkling lights, all eager for a night of merry-making, and for the yearly SF Christmas Poem and announcements of the SF No More Porridge Award winners.
The party is a chance for us all to kick back and let loose as family. Every year, anticipation rises within the studio as preparation begins weeks in advance. This year, Jessie Craig, Office Manager, and David Thimm, VP/Principal + Director of Design, planned menus and venues, David Byron, Manager of Design + Innovation Strategy – not to mention, the official SF Poem-Meister – prepared lines of comedic verse to sum up the year, and Sara Dickerson, Manager of Design Research, organized the No More Porridge Awards.
After leisurely conversations over cocktails and hors d’eouvres, the team sat down to feast on a scrumptious main course. Those of us who wore our stretchy clothes thanked our lucky stars as we all helped ourselves to another plate. When our appetites finally slowed down, we all pushed our chairs back and settled in for the Christmas Poem.
David Byron took the floor, and as he began with the familiar phrase, “Twas the night before Christmas…”, we could hardly keep from grinning already. It wasn’t long before the room was erupting with shouts of laughter. We hooted and hollered as each one on the team was mentioned in the poem by name. Dave outdid himself, and we were all wiping our streaming eyes by the end.
Finally, it was time for the No More Porridge Awards, a tradition that has grown from the very roots of our foundational design philosophy. The awards were created to encourage the proliferation of wild, bold, out-of-the-ordinary concepts and designs within the SF studio, and to help ensure that we never fall prey to the inevitable pressures that result in creating commodity concepts and products – which we affectionately refer to as “porridge”. Anyone on the SF team can submit a project and have the chance to be awarded a cash prize for their amazing concepts and hard work. Each year, all SF employees choose winners based on a vote, and the winners’ names are engraved on a handmade trophy.
Curt Bailey and Lynnaea Myers wrapped up the official part of the party with the announcements of this year’s award winners. Their voices could barely be heard over the thunderous applause from everyone upon hearing the results. The talent and hard work that was represented in each of the entries from our teammates was absolutely overwhelming. We are all exceedingly proud of our team – innovation strategists, design researchers, industrial designer, engineers and model-makers – who have daily overcome the tremendous barriers to innovation and helped our clients create strategies, concepts, and products that have revolutionized industries and proven the power of Industrial Design and Design Thinking over and over again.
Here’s to wonderful teams, wonderful times, and a bright New Year of creativity and innovation ahead!