I visited 2×4 — a unique design studio founded by RISD alums Michael Rock MFA ’84 GD, Susan Sellars ’89 GD and Georgianna Stout ’89 GD — on a special mission to personally thank them for their contribution to RISD as embodied by their ingenious START HERE campaign. In their hugely successful design consultancy, Rock, Sellars, and Stout manage to remain extremely thoughtful when approaching issues of communication design such that all of their solutions are meticulously composed experiments in form melded with content. Flipping through one of 2×4’s representative client-presentation books was mind boggling for their depth of detail and a sense of connectedness to the expansiveness of our world and the high velocity of information today.

Also by odd coincidence there’s another successful RISD alum studio practice in the same building as 2×4 — this year’s 2008 National Design Award Communication Design Honoree Scott Stowell!