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Skidmore Studio

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Skidmore Studio
Company typePrivate
IndustryDesign
Founded1959 (1959)
Headquarters
Detroit, Michigan
Key people
Drew Patrick, Owner & President
ServicesBranding strategy, packaging design, illustration, copywriting, audience insights, positioning, web design, photography direction, visual identity & logos
Websitewww.skidmorestudio.com

Skidmore Studio is a multi-disciplinary design studio headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. Founded by Leo Skidmore in 1959, the company began as an illustration studio for the automotive industry. Today, Skidmore Studio provides design services to a range of industries including healthcare, arts and culture, public sector, retail, professional services and manufacturing. The studio employs approximately 30 employees, including graphic designers, illustrators, storyboard artists, motion graphic artists, copywriters and marketing strategists.

History

Skidmore Studio was established in 1959 as an automotive illustration studio.[1] The studio built a reputation in the 1950s and 60s for illustration work completed for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.[2] Until the mid 1970s, the studio worked exclusively on automotive advertising with local and national advertising agencies such as Campbell Ewald, Leo Burnett Worldwide, McCann Worldwide, Team Detroit and Doner.[3] At the time, Skidmore employed many notable illustrators in addition to Leo Skidmore including Ron Alexander, John Ball, Ann Bauer, Stephen Magsig, Scott Olds and Bryan Stolzenburg.

In the early 1990s, Leo Skidmore’s daughter Mae Skidmore assumed ownership of the studio. With then Vice President Tim Smith, Skidmore expanded the studio’s offering and client base to include corporate clients such as the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Medical Center.[3][4][5] In 2010, then-president Tim Smith, acquired majority interest of the studio and became CEO.[6][7]

In 2011, the studio relocated from Royal Oak, Michigan to downtown Detroit, furthering the city's resurgence of the creative class.[8][9][10] Skidmore Studio now resides as the anchor tenant of the historic Madison Theatre Building, an entrepreneurial hub for creative and tech companies.[11][12] The studio occupies the entire fourth floor of the Madison, taking up 9,800 square feet.[13][14] It was purchased in November 2010 by Dan Gilbert, Chairman and Founder of Quicken Loans as part of his Detroit real estate initiatives.[15]

Project history

During the 1950s and 1960s, the studio was respected as one of the country's most talented automotive illustration studios. Notable advertising campaigns from that period included work for:

In the 1970s and 1980s, Skidmore continued developing national advertising campaigns for a wider clientele that included:

  • McDonald's
  • Portland Cement Association
  • Reynold's Aluminum
  • Key Video

In the 1990s:

  • Ski-Doo
  • Detroit Institute of Arts
  • Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Free Art Friday Detroit

In 2011, the studio launched Free Art Friday Detroit, a free art scavenger hunt in the city of Detroit. With a mission to elevate the profile of the city's creative community and encourage people to explore the city, Free Art Friday Detroit (FAFDET) has become a weekly art event throughout the city.[16][17][18][19]

References

  1. ^ "Skidmore moves to Madison Building, brings 23 jobs with it". Model D. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  2. ^ "Studio to Move Downtown". Detroit2020. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Snyder, Christine (March 13, 2007). "Royal Oak studio expands its client list". The Detroit News.
  4. ^ Gosselin, Gary (21 February 2008). "Executive Profile: Tim Smith, President, Skidmore". Oakland Business Review.
  5. ^ Maurer, Katie (19 June 2006). "Branching Out: Surviving meant change". Crain's Detroit Business.
  6. ^ "People making news". The Detroit Free Press. 17 January 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
  7. ^ "Risky investment pays off for design studio". The Oakland Press. 17 February 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  8. ^ Duggan, Daniel (26 May 2011). "Skidmore to move into Gilbert-owned Madison Theatre building". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  9. ^ Oosting, Jonathan (27 May 2011). "Detroit 2.0 momentum: Skidmore Studio relocating downtown in Madison Theatre building". MLive. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  10. ^ Walsh, Tom (10 July 2011). "Tom Walsh: Creative corridor no longer so far-fetched". The Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  11. ^ Gallagher, John (27 May 2011). "Skidmore Studio to anchor Madison Theatre Building". The Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  12. ^ Walsh, Tom (10 July 2011). "Tom Walsh: Creative corridor in Detroit no longer so far-fetched". The Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  13. ^ Duggan, Daniel (29 May 2011). "Next brick in Gilbert's real estate empire: First National". Crain's Detroit Business.
  14. ^ Wayland, Michael (26 October 2011). "Skidmore Studio becomes anchor for Dan Gilbert's Madison Theatre entrepreneurial hub". MLive. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  15. ^ Duggan, Daniel (21 August 2011). "David Friedman: Mapped a secret buying plan". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  16. ^ Harding, Matt (7 April 2012). "Artists hide free art around Detroit". The South End. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  17. ^ O'Neil, Megan (14 March 2012). "Free Art Friday's scavenger hunt". Metro Times. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  18. ^ Norris, Kyle. "A scavenger hunt for free art in Detroit". Michigan Radio. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  19. ^ Hennen, Ashley. "How to scavenge for art in Detroit". The Detroit Regional News Hub. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
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