Studio Night: Bright Bright Great
Written by Clarisa Ramirez

“We do a lot of hangouts,” said Jason Schwartz, Creative Director of Bright Bright Great, to guests entering the studio. Studio Night at the well-hidden Logan Square design agency felt just like that, with  people eating tacos and walking around the spacious loft. There were over 40 students and designers mingling, some getting candid career advice from Schwartz and his colleagues.

Bright Bright Great—a small agency with about 20 employees—feels more like a spartan Real World house. Screen prints and photos adorn the walls, board games and Nerf Blaster guns are scattered around, and a duffle bag on a work-table carries a live hedgehog (one of the designers’ pets). The place is laid back and the employees work their own hours, sometimes late in the evening when they can hear barks from the Ju-Jitsu students training next door. At first glance, one wouldn’t assume Bright Bright Great are the minds behind the Chicago restaurant Bonsoiree’s brand and the Nike 1% website.

Schwartz began Bright Bright Great six years ago, he half-joked to the night’s attendees, as a way of tricking the government to let his girlfriend stay in the country through a NAFTA loophole. What he created was an agency that brings interactive experiences to companies that don’t “get it.” His team creates work for the web, iPhones and  traditional print media. Bright Bright Great focuses on usability and  functionality over aesthetics; they want to make sure the product they create works for people everywhere. “Our goal for usability is that people are able to donate to a fund or a cause, sell their product, engage people, educate—so they can do it where they want,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz announced two upcoming opportunities for designers who want to work with Bright Bright Great. His team is currently looking for an intern whose responsibilities would be one-third luxury fashion, one-third copywriting and one third design. In November, the agency is hosting its third 2 Night Stand, a weekend jam session where photographers, developers and movers and shakers collaborate on a project with a client (not yet announced). Last year 100 designers worked with the Zombie Research Society, and the year before, a group worked with Trencherman’s Brewing Company.

For more information, visit http://www.2nightstand.com