Have you ever struggled and thought: what am I going to do? We’ve been there. But thanks to our values, we keep going. What does monolot stand for? Why do we want to portray the unseen, and we never will be a render generator? Read intimate insight into the hard work of our team.
Values and their impact
You can find way too many articles about company values and how to set them. A bit less is out there about how they function and how to use them when things are not so merry. We don’t like to sugar coat so let us put it this way:
- It was a demanding process to find our values.
- It can be dire to fulfill them.
- It is exhausting to remember them when you most need them.
Yet, we love to have them. Why? Our values help us every day, shaping the small everyday decision to major changes in the company. Let’s explore together what impact values can have and why it is one of the most underrated and overhyped (at the same time) assets to acquire when having a brand of any size.
Our values and how we found them
Since monolot establishment, we have been blessed to be surrounded by the right people. One of those is Ondrej Jelinek from TRAU studio. Ondrej helped us set our brand (values included) based on a very complex workshop. We will write more about it some other day, but for now, let’s have a look at what we found to be the most important values for our brand:
– Portray the unseen –
– Work is fun –
– Authentic approach –
– Be part of the change –
– Partnership is the best ship –
Do you need to have a set of values?
Well, of course, you don’t. You will get a new business without it. Some say values are just empty phrases to show off your potential employees. Yet, for us, they have been extremely helpful when struggling. Not every day is a blessing – some clients’ emails can sound arrogant; a colleague or employee can upset you… All of this happens in all the companies.
Values are a baseline reminder of what matters. Not every team member has to sync in with all values, but these differences will show with time and under stress. You could say that values are a support tool for how to knit the team together. We are three founders, three leaders of different personalities, but we have the same vision.
Let’s open and explore our values.
We want to portray the unseen, not generate renders.
Portray the unseen
All our creative team studied architecture. We love it, we understand it, and we can imagine unbuilt spaces. We bring our own opinion on how to represent a proposal, and each project has a piece of monolot’s soul.
Well, this sounds very nice, doesn’t it? Yet not all the clients welcome this with open arms and try to lay down every aspect of the project. So, what to do? Bend your head and do what the client wants, try to communicate your stand, or even politely decline the inquiry? We do all we can to prevent this kind of decision. Through our marketing, we try to inform and educate clients about what we can add to a project. And if that doesn’t help, we go back to the roots and say to ourselves: we want to portray the unseen, not generate renders.
Work is fun
We work hard because we love what we do. That is where it all started; we have been fascinated by 3D and decided to leave architectural practice for CG. There is passion and deep love behind what we do.
This value runs deep, which means it is very challenging to maintain. Everyday issues tend to cloud our minds, and having this value means we remind ourselves to stop and reflect. Am I having just a bad day, or is it a pattern? Is it the job, or is it me? Do I really lose the passion, or is it just the situation?
We cannot stress this enough: take care of yourselves. If we would not have this “Work is fun” value, we would be much more likely to burn out.
Authentic approach
Our team is a great mosaic of people, we all have different approaches to life, yet we are united. The same goes for our projects – everyone has a different story, a different purpose, and a different location, and we bring our style, art direction, and quality standards to all of them.
Opposite to the previous “Work is fun,” we meet an authentic approach every day, and it is easy to maintain because it is natural for us to behave and create like that.
Be part of the change
Architecture is pretty much a conservative field, and we try to bring some fresh air. Our approach to company leadership and creative work is different from others. Sure, we want to earn money, but we invest in our future by building the brand name and reputation. And we hope that we might inspire someone in the meantime.
We use many tools and undergo tailored workshops, which all costs something. Yet we take this as a necessity. The fact we have a pleasant designed office reminds us every day that space matters as well, not only the final CG images. This value is easy to fulfill every day, but we have not reached its full potential (if it is even possible). Never-ending marathon to be better than yesterday.
Partnership is the best ship
We love to meet with clients, and we love to establish connections. A project is a journey, and we want to be a partner in the process. Not just a plugin for architects or developers. So we try to maintain this approach with the team, future employees, clients… with anyone who will knock on the doors of our studio. It is not always possible; it takes a lot of time and energy, yet it is worth it when we succeed.
This article is quite intimate insight into the hard work of our team and the minds of founders. Everything we wrote is a part of us, and thanks to that, we can move forward.
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