Nick, Earl, Nicole and Olly make a Pop Chips totem on my desk
A happy studio does great work, and the best sign of happiness is laughter. Ironic laughter, hysteria, gallows humor, guffaws, snark - it doesn't matter - keep it light.
Brody and Nicole getting into the details
Always be a heat-shield for the nonsense and politics. Buy time. Resist the calls for re-designs and PowerPoint fodder. There's a line beyond which you can lose sight of things - but mostly, it's right to say no.
Duncan and Ben looking either dubious or enthralled
You'd be amazed how many ideas and careers founder on the rocks of poor presentation. Even the best work doesn't always speak for itself. You should be the best at articulating the principles, practice and deliveries of the Studio.
Olly and Venkat try and get rid of that nagging bug
We had one layer in the studio (because someone needed to sign forms and take the blame), even though the age and experience range was very wide. Everyone was a principle designer for some part of the system. Everyone cared, everyone had a piece they could point to and say "i did that".
Or as Earl liked to say - "look everyone, Charlie is doing Photoshop!"
It's dangerous to get too far removed from the work. The WORK work. Not just the reviews and the direction-setting. But the actual pushing of pixels and atoms. Stay sharp. Maintain your craft.