You may have experienced any number of whimsical fall days where you wished to simply spring from your work desk, fly out the door, and revel in the season’s splendor; the fiery trees cutting stark outlines against a deep blue sky, the crisp air pecking at your nose and cheeks, or the feel of a fleece sweater keeping you just cozy enough. We feel that way too! This year, we decided to embrace it and celebrate the glorious autumn season with SF Fall Fest!
The morning of SF Fall Fest, the studio was cloaked in a storybook-worthy shroud of thick-falling mist. Heavy grey clouds leaned down to rest their weight on the painted tree tops. The darkness outdoors seemed to shrink our world down to the scope of activities inside our design studio – working on our projects together and leading design meetings and critiques. But soon the afternoon weather gave way to a resplendent scene of sparkling grass and golden leaves as beams of sunlight tore the clouds and made the trees glow. Likewise, our designers, engineers, model-makers, strategists and researchers of SF emerged from the studio to breathe in the rain-sweetened air, make merry, and enjoy classic fall activities to herald the beautiful season.
Designers Bring Sundberg-Ferar Fall Fest to Life
Thankfully, designers are consummately curious. Just as, we work in diverse disciplines at the studio, we have even more diverse pursuits outside of work, and some of our hobbies were just the thing to bring a perfect Fall Fest to life!
As we congregated outside, Jessie, our Office Manager by day, and a seasoned hunter and woods-woman by night, backed her pickup to the lawn. The others then helped her hoist her huge, homemade axe throwing target, along with her axes, onto the grass. Jeevak, our Director of Strategic Growth brought his throwing knives and a javelin to share and add to the festive sports. Of course he just had these things lying around at home from his own weekend passion of Obstacle Course Running! Grey, our CEO and Director of Engineering also brought out the corn hole set that he handmade with his woodworking skills, and soon, an epic tournament took shape!
Drinks, pretzels, and other fall treats were passed out. Designers, engineers, model makers, and innovation strategists alike tried their hand at the fall sports. The sheer satisfaction of hitting the bull’s-eye encouraged us to try again and again, and stray beams of sunlight made the blades flash festively. Two or three of us even managed to make the javelin stick in the target! David, our Director of Design apparently had hidden skills of knife throwing and taught us the tricks to a good throw. Then, to our surprise, he even juggled three knives at once! As if one hidden talent wasn’t enough!
Meanwhile the corn hole games were in full swing. Competition was fierce and of course our designers took the opportunity to innovate many unorthodox and humorous corn-bag throwing antics and strategies for a chance to win. It was a long time before the victors of the first round were announced. Then the two winning teams had a final nail-biter of a corn hole duel to find the true SF Fall Fest corn hole champion!
Jackets and sweaters were shed as the activities gained speed, and the afternoon weather warmed up. The air was full with the sounds of knives “thunking” into the wooden target, corn bags hollowly slapping against the boxes, and cheers and laughter from rest of the team who watched. The afternoon shone with all the best parts of the season. It was a perfect day for our SF Fall Fest.
All too quickly, it was time to end the festivities. With full bellies, renewed inspiration, and the joy that comes from fresh air, activities, and camaraderie, we headed out into the glistening evening enjoying the season and the beauty it brings.
Want to Join In?
Does SF Fall Fest sound like fun to you too? You can join in! Next year, you could even be our corn hole champion! We’ll be celebrating the season again with more activities, so hit us up if you’re interested! Or – since we can barely wait till next year, why would you?! Drop us an email now if you’re curious about who we are, what we do, or just want to talk human-centric design, and we’ll connect.
Until then, happy Fall!