studiotrope Design Collective (sDC) is a multidisciplinary design firm that focuses on inspiring ourselves, our clients, and their communities through architecture, interior design, graphic design, and change management. But how is this unique?

First, our name. The word "studiotrope" is not a proper noun, but rather a verb. That’s intentional. When we opened our doors in 2003, we did it under the premise that our work should never reflect a person or a style; rather, it should reflect the voice of the project and the context it lives within. Every project is born from an idea; studiotrope is the action that identifies and captures all that is inspiring about that idea, giving it life and significance.

Second, our people. Studiotrope has leaders at the helm – not executives – and is run by champions through a taskforce model. Executives tend to believe that business is about profit and see people as a resource for securing those profits. On the other hand, leaders believe that business is about people, and that success is achieved by those who strive for purpose, significance, respect, meaningful belonging, and contribution. Champions are individuals within the studios who lead taskforces and oversee every aspect of the business. We are a true collective in this sense: a group of people working together towards a common goal for the betterment of all.

Third, our studios. We don’t believe in silos. Instead, we have principal-led studios that collaborate inter-departmentally on all our projects. Integration across disciplines is at the core of everything we do, and we strive to inspire one another across studios via collective thinking rather than independent thinking.

Last, we strive to be a more diverse community who can look at design through all the eyes that experience it – reflecting the beauty and richness of our individual perspectives and insights.