How Our Office Walls Ignite Inspiration

If you follow any of our Glantz social media accounts, you may have noticed that we really like to draw on walls (they’re covered in dry erase paint, don’t worry). Each new wall starts the same way—with a prompt that inspires our team members to sketch out their answers. Our passion for wall drawing started this past February when Glantz got a new Creative Director, Jen Lemerand. When Jen first started at Glantz, she wanted to figure out how to get to know her new coworkers in a fun and creative manner. She also hoped that through getting to know everyone in the office, she could find a way for everyone else to get to know each other better too. From this idea, the weekly wall illustrations were born!

Jen had a couple goals for these illustrations. She hoped that by asking random (and sometimes silly) questions, we’d all learn a few things about other Glantzers that might not otherwise come out naturally in conversation. Her second goal was to encourage people to take a quick break from whatever they were working on so that they’d feel more inspired when they returned to their work.

We’ve had weekly themes ranging from: “My Bucket List” to “What is your Fav Film?” and “TV Moms We Love” for Mother’s Day. Popularity of the themes varied, and certain weeks definitely got more people involved than others, but they all taught us new things about the people we work with.
One major thing that both Eryn, one of our designers, and our Operations Director Steve learned was that one of our developers has been hiding some secret artistic talent! Brooklyn always claims she isn’t that creative, but her wall contributions certainly beg to differ.

Brooklyn says that switching her mind to a different task with a quick drawing break helps make her feel more relaxed and gives her a better perspective on her work.

Glantz Whiteboard Anywhere in the World

Glantz whiteboard self portraits

Some of our favorite themes have included “If I Could Go Anywhere in the World,” “Glantz Family Portraits” and “My Cartoon Alter Ego.” We decided to dig a little deeper to determine what about these specific posts was so popular with the team. Grace, a designer, liked “Glantz Family Portraits” because she thought it was exciting to see people be original, not just copy pictures off the internet. Natalie, one of our project managers, took a special interest in our cartoon character wall because everyone was so creative and their personalities shone through their artwork.

Glantz Whiteboard Favorite books

Glantz White Board Shark Week

While no two weeks’ wall premises are ever quite the same, a common theme has emerged that makes it clear why Glantzers get into this weekly ritual—drawing on the wall gives us a new outlet and way to express ourselves within an already creative space. Just like Jen hoped when she first thought of this idea, office members learn new fun facts about each other every week and see aspects of our coworkers’ personalities that might not normally show up in the workplace. We are always looking for new ways to connect with people—whether it be with our co-workers or our clients—and the wall has opened up entirely new lines of communication within our office.

Glantz Whiteboard Cartoon Alter Ego

Now, the question remains as to how we can evolve this weekly tradition so it doesn’t stagnate. Some Glantzers have suggested collaborating on games like Pictionary or Hangman and others want to emphasize accessible topics that get some of our busier and less confident artists involved. As our company grows, and our creative wheels keep turning, it’s hard to say what’s next for the wall, so stay tuned!

Jen Lemerand is our Studio Lead and Creative Director, known for her upside-down glasses. Everyone tilts their head when they first notice, often stopping mid conversation. She likes to take that approach to design, making people pause and reflect in their crazy day.
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