Michael Cina - Cofounder, YouWorkForThem

Michael Cina is the cofounder of the renowned design studio YouWorkForThem and currently runs the Minneapolis, MN studio. He has experimented with many forms of design and is well known for his remarkable typographic work that can be found at youworkforthem.com With a current client list including EA Sports, Victoria’s Secret, Pepsi, and U2, Michael’s passion for custom typography is changing the design landscape in which we all live.

In this interview, Michael gives us a peek into the dynamics of a successful design studio. He also explains why he works under a clay manufacturing building and reveals what, and who, inspires his work.

Notes on Design: Can you describe your studio?

Michael Cina: We work in the basement of a clay manufacturing building in NE Minneapolis. It is very industrial and no frills. It has a service elevator, room to grow, a loading dock and high ceilings. These were all the things we were looking for. Functionality plays more of a role than aesthetics. (more…)

Rebecca works her magic with a soup can arrangement in her favorite space in the studio: a harvest table that doubles as workspace and office desk.

Rebecca Cole thrives on creating unique floral, garden and interior designs with a rustic, natural aesthetic. She’s best known to the public as co-host of all 200 episodes of Discovery Channel’s “Surprise By Design” with fellow designer and studio neighbor, Robert Verdi. She continues to educate on a national and global scale through a weekly radio show, “On the House,” regular appearances on shows such as “The Today Show,” as a “guru” on Howdini.com, and as the author of 3 books. From her studio in Manhattan’s flower district, Rebecca Cole Design delivers her unique style to a growing clientele of New York area celebrities and aficionados. Wall-to-wall windows lend an airy greenhouse feel to the space overlooking W. 30th Street.

We stepped into the middle of the proceedings to find out what makes her space so inviting.
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Stefan at his favorite spot in the studio

Graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister specializes in the unexpected. He is known for idiosyncratic and humorous work that always gives you the slight jolt of seeing something completely new. When it comes to his workspace, however, Stefan is a creature of habit. He has been living and working out of the same 700 sq feet duplex for the past 15 years. Sagmeister Inc. is located on the top floor of a respectable but not particularly fancy residential building on the border of the upscale shopping and nightlife area Meatpacking District in New York. While the space is low in square footage it’s big on light, air and scenery. The floor to ceiling windows open up to an impressive view of downtown Manhattan, making the apartment feel a little bit like an aquarium in the sky.

We were curious about why Stefan is so attached to this space and why he insists on staying there. So we paid him a visit to find out. (more…)