Alfalfa Studio
About
Studio Size
Medium (6-20)
Year founded
2004
Borough
Manhattan
Studio Bio/Philosophy
Alfalfa Studio: Growing Fresh Ideas. We are a branding and design firm located in SoHo. Our philosophy? Make the idea clear and simple, the design surprising and beautiful. We collaborate closely with our clients to provide results-driven solutions in brand strategy, brand identity, image-making, animation and film, interactive and web design.
The Team
Alfalfa Studio has 6 people. Of those, 2 are studio heads and 1 is managerial.
24% of studios are medium-sized (6-20 people).
Gender Breakdown
50% male
50% female
Average age
30-35
Youngest: 22
Oldest: 49
Number of freelancers/year
6-10
Number of interns/year
3-4
Average: 1-2
Studio Disciplines
Breakdown of Work
Number of studio projects
26–50
Pro-bono projects
1–5
Strategy/Execution
39% Strategy
61% Execution
Primary Specialties
- Art Direction (58)
- Books (52)
- Brand Strategy (42)
- Branding & Identity (77)
- Broadcast Graphics (18)
- Editorial/Publication Design (51)
- Experience Design (33)
- Illustration (45)
- Information Graphics (41)
- Interaction Design (36)
- Mobile Design (30)
- Motion (29)
- Packaging (45)
- Print (75)
- Typeface Design (25)
- Web Design (59)
- Web Development (25)
Outside the scope of the studio
- Industrial Design (35)
- Product (18)
- Sound Design (49)
- Web Development (43)
Clients’ Industries
- Education (40)
- Fashion (45)
- Local & community organizations (41)
- Media & Publishing (58)
- Movies/Film (19)
- Music (28)
- Real Estate (24)
- Sports (22)
- The Arts/Cultural Institutions (71)
- TV (17)
Alfalfa Studio’s Clients
- Adobe Systems (2)
- AIGA (5)
- Björk
- Canada, Japan, Spain, and Switzerland Olympic Comm
- Grand Central Terminal
- Houston Rockets
- Kate Spade (2)
- Nickelodeon (3)
- Scholastic
- Target (7)
- The Center for Architecture
- The City of New York (2)
- The New York Times Magazine (2)
- The Philip Johnson Glass House
- Tommy Boy Records
Gabriela Mirensky, Partner
Demographics
Female, from Buenos Aires, Capital Federal, Argentina, now lives in Riverdale, New York, NY. Formal education is graduate degree, primary design education is school (Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana, Mexico City).
What’s been the biggest influence on your design career?
I spent a week in New York with my Aunt Marina from Buenos Aires in the summer of 1987. She asked me whether I'd like to leave Mexico City and come to NY to study. That's how it all started, and it moved FAST: Visited Parsons; had bad experience. Met Prof. George Preston @ CCNY; was extremely helpful, accepted me into the MFA program. Months of paperwork, got student visa. Moved to NYC summer 1988. Printmaking with Emanoel Araujo Graduated MFA 1990 Bookkeeper 1991-95. Missed Design too much. Hired by AIGA in 1996; directed Competitions/Exhibitions through 2011. Worked on many great projects, met a lot of very talented people. Teach Proj Mgmt 4 Creatives at SVA since 2008 Partnered with Rafael Esquer at Alfalfa Studio in 2012
Years in Design Industry
26 years
Average: 17 years
Previous Design Employment
- Estudio Neon, Mexico City
- The Rug Warehouse, NYC
- AIGA
- Alfalfa Studio
Teaching Design
- School of Visual Arts — 5 years
- Universidad de Monterrey, Mexico — 1 years
Board Member on Professional Design Organizations
- MUMEDI, Mexico City — 10 years
- desigNYC — 3 years
- Design Ignites Change — 3 years
Time spent designing
10% actual
10% desired
Rafael Esquer, Principal
Demographics
Male, from Alamos, Sonora, Mexico, now lives in Financial District, New York, NY. Formal education is undergraduate degree, primary design education is school (Art Center College of Design).
Previous Design Employment
- @radicalmedia
- Rebeca Mendez Design
- Poppe Tyson Interactive
- Enfoque Magazine
Teaching Design
- School of Visual Arts — 5 years
- New York University — 3 years
- Colegiatura Colombiana — 1 years
- Universidad de Monterrey — 1 years
Board Member on Professional Design Organizations
- AIGA — 3 years
Location
The Space
The studio is about 1800 square feet. It’s rented and they’ve been there for 4 years. They share a space with 0 other companies/individuals.
Approximately 129 square feet/person. The average is 210 square feet/person.
37% of studios share a space.
Number of times moved
3
Total people in space
14
Alfalfa Studio: 6, Other: 8
Other businesses in the space
- Fashion
- Individual freelancers
- Strategy/Consulting
- Web development
Amenities
- Cleaning service (44)
- Coffee maker (53)
- Elevator (54)
- Freezer (43)
- Library/book collection (67)
- Private bathrooms (34)
Number of conference rooms
1
Client meetings held in studio: More than half
Number of plants
1-5
Decorations
Books and bookshelves, Our work, Process materials for ongoing projects
Desk Policy
We keep our desks clean and tidy.
Space Satisfaction
We love it, it’s perfect
Working Days
Working week
The work week is 40-49 hours/week, core hours are 9:30-6:30, with the first in at 9:00am and the last out at 8:00pm.
50% of studios work 40-49 hours/week.
The average is 40-49 hours/week.
Paid Vacation
6-10 days
26% of studios in this range
Paid Holidays
10 days
Average: 7
Work Weekends?
Once a month
Take Summer Fridays?
No
Busiest Time of day?
It’s high intensity all day
Favorite Typefaces:
Culture
Music
Plays music for 90% of the day at an average volume.
Side Projects
we publish everyday on our Blog. We design products for our own lifestyle brand
42% of studios have side projects.
Biking to work
1
127 bikers across all studios
Pick your poison
Tequila
Overall Noise Level
Quiet
36% of studios are quiet
Working groups
Encourage freelance work?
No
Internal studio meetings
A couple times/week
Lunch Habits
Eats in small groups
Favorite delivery/take-out: Despaña
Eat out for lunch?
A couple times/week
Favorite sit-down lunch: El Portal