Batman has his Batcave, Superman his Fortress of Solitude, and now the superheroes of d2 Digital Design have their d2 Den. Here’s the story of how this spectacular lair came to be.
Some companies move into a new office and it’s a quick transition. Roll in some electronics and a few file cabinets and you’re done. On the other hand, some companies hire designers and architects to make it all happen. They can spend months, sometimes years, deciding exactly where the copy machines and coffee stations are going to be placed and which corner office is the most prestigious.
Then you have the crazy visionaries at d2.
For years, d2 officed out of the INFOMART in Dallas, Texas, neighbors to such well-known companies as Apple, Xerox, Toshiba, Verio, Accenture, EDS and others. It was a good space, but we wanted something we could call our own.
In 2018, deciding to follow our dream, we decided to move out and set up a new creative design agency just three miles from the INFOMART on John W. Carpenter Freeway. We conceived it as a mecca of creativity, a place where bold new ideas would come roaring out of the intense collaboration between truly exceptional creative talent. A modern-day Camelot standing strong against the forces of mediocrity and corporate bureaucracy. And, of course, like any good lair, it had to be complete with all the amenities, including a fully-stocked kitchen, comfortable surroundings, a dedicated photo studio, and several retro video game consoles.
The only challenge was, we wanted to build it ourselves. Little did we know exactly what we were getting ourselves into.
The end result has proved exactly as expected – an office designed specifically for collaboration with tons of creative accoutrements and plenty of space to grow. Our team of dedicated diehards pulled together over the year-long buildout, and handled everything from painting the walls and ceiling (20 feet!), laying carpeting, installing wood floors, building a kitchen, putting up cool superhero graphics throughout, constructing creative walls and work environments throughout, and more. Everything was designed, created, and installed by the team.
“Although the process took a lot of time, the end result is hard to ignore,” said Ben Harwell, Senior Application Developer. “By working on the office collectively, the team has come together through the experience and we have an enormous feeling of pride of ownership. We can actually point to things in the office and say, ‘I did that.’”
Over the last year, everything from 3D design and visualization to electrical and plumbing work have been pet projects for the team. There are still projects to complete, but the customers come first and the office will wait. So for know, although we say the office is “complete,” we realize it’s a never-ending construction of love.