Stresslimit Sunset

February 20, 2013 • by colin

After a decade of Stresslimit Design, I have decided to move on to other things. There is no easy way to say how major a shift this is for me, so better to say it quickly, then add elaborate.

History

I’ve seen so many design paradigms emerge and submerge, new technological landscapes evolve, communication methods move from cutting edge to mainstream to outdated; I’ve seen the footpath become a trail, become a sidewalk, become a road, become a highway.

I’ve met some of the most amazing people and done things with them that none of us thought we could do. I’ve multiplied my expectations so many times and am still surprised at how huge and great things can get. We built a company the hard way, one gamble at a time, with no capital, no investment, and no debt. We built our team one person at a time, let lots of people move on, kept lots of people close. We made hard decisions every day. We compromised when we had to [see below]. We refused compromise when we could. We cared. Most of all we worked fucking hard.

Values

We started this company [myself and Justin Evans, my former partner] as a means to an end — to live, and live well.

Pay the bills doing something we can be engaged in and passionate about. Learn more every time. Experiment, master, teach & repeat. Surround ourselves with awesome people doing awesome things that they can be proud of. Make things with meaning. Don’t compromise [more than you have to]. Be more generous than you are expected to be — always err on the side of generosity; in money, time and praise. Do everything to a greater level of detail than you need to. Work hard, party hard. Live as much on our own terms as you can. Do not expect never to have doubts, just live them through and keep being true.

Future

I still believe all these things, and believe I can keep them as part of the next stage of my life. I believe these things are all important to so many people who want the same. I am moving to a new city, to work with a founder and a team who I believe share my core values. Why this step? A new city, a new challenge, a new role, a new era. Personally it’s a good time to move with our daughter is young enough where she will adapt very easily and grow. Professionally it’s a good time to radically change parameters and continue to grow, and grow with an exciting young company.

Thanks

This has been, and continues to be, a great adventure. I thank everyone I met as part of Stresslimit—team, clients, collaborators, advisors. Clients and staff who believed in what we were doing and helped us get there together. To find out more about what I’m doing next, check out littleBits Electronics. To get in touch, email me at colin@stresslimitdesign.com.