Come by our studio at SW 1st/Taylor in Portland to check out our new outdoor gallery. We'll be adding a box of 3D glasses for the crazy 3D window (come in and ask for a pair for the time being). Also, prints of the artwork will be on sale soon in the studio store and/or online.

From 2000–2008 we were known as Lakonic, “The Silent Creative Partner.” We were primarily a digital creative and production agency that worked exclusively with many of the world’s leading advertising agencies.

Despite our adamant position to work quietly behind-the-scenes, we grew year-over-year through word-of-mouth. Eventually, I made the decision to open an ancillary “lifestyle communications” division, called — you guessed it! — Tangible Worldwide, to support both a broader multidisciplinary offering and the growing direct-to-client interest.

To shift from an invisible interactive/technology shop into a full-service agency in a horrible economy wasn’t an easy feat. But, within a year, we opened a second office, added staff to support the growing offering and client base, and officially said goodbye to Lakonic, rolling it into Tangible. Besides a mention in the local paper, we did this all in typical Lakonic fashion: without much fanfare.

Today we are releasing two self-promotion utilities that embrace a total philosophical shift from our legacy Lakonic days. The purpose of this site is to be completely transparent. The non-invisible sort of transparent. We invite you to celebrate or debate our work and perspectives, learn more about the agency, including bios of every employee, freelancer, vendor or partner, and enjoy a daily dose of web finds that inspire our team. You can even help us define who we are as an agency.

For me, the most exciting aspect of this site is the ability to show off the portfolio of work we’ve developed in such a short period, and to be able to share it with the public for the first time. The second is to announce our new franchise, Grabba Beast. I could go on and on about both, but it is probably best that you explore for yourself.

Enjoy. And, please, tell us what you think!

Merrick, Founding Partner

After changing our name from Lakonic to Tangible Worldwide, we decided to take our new name literally and create a business card that would make the guys from American Psycho want to join together to slay each one of us out of jealousy. Our goals for the cards were to: make an immediate impression; reiterate our name by creating tangible texture and level differences; and, evidently, create a self-defense mechanism in the event that we needed an emergency throwing star. This last goal would have been helpful had the American Psycho people attacked.

We chose to use two sheets of 140 lb linen cover stock. Our wordmark was letterpressed on one sheet, while the contact information was offset printed on the other. The two sheets were then duplexed together and cut, which inadvertently (although until now we claimed that this was done on-purpose) created a beveled edge.

They were thick. You could only carry two, at most, in a wallet; eight in a traditional leather business card holder. And they both weighed/cost more than those fancy aluminum, dye cut cards. Every employee received at least 100 of them.

Sadly, like most business cards, they were almost a total waste. Developers don't give out cards. Account executives pretty much deal with the same handful of people every day. And art directors give them out like candy… to their designer friends. A few people were successful in using them to impress the opposite sex. At least two long-term relationships were forged by way of this card.

Time went on and we continued to hire new faces in Chicago and our new Portland office. We decided against reprinting these cards. Instead, we decided to rethink how everyone uses (or could use) business cards.

NEW GOALS: MAINTAIN COOL FACTOR, REDUCE COST, ELIMINATE EXCESSIVE WASTE

We're still a design studio at heart, so we wanted to have a clever, well-designed card. The idea of a low-run, handcrafted card soon came to mind. The handmade look would create a unique texture for every card, and the personalization capability would allow the team to leave a real personal impression. As a byproduct, considering each card would take some time to create, the process would also train them to give away cards to people only when needed and to avoid making unnecessary cards.

We still wanted to convey the "Tangible" idea, so we again opted to use a letterpress process. Our friends at Studio On Fire used a recycled 130 lb cover stock to strike a shell print on the back of just 2,000 cards. The front was left blank—with the exception of the opposite impression left by the letterpress strikes—and shipped back to us to complete the process.

Using the new icon system from our updated identity package (seen throughout this site), we created 40 stamps, and a stamp for each employee's name and contact information. The cost of the stamps ranged from $2.00 for the icons, and $8.00 per name for non-bulk orders. This means we can continue to create new names and icons at a fraction of the cost of even a generic, digital business card printing service. 

This is a Wedding Invitation and a Guest Card project created as a personal project by StudioKxx. Absolutely love the detailed illustration on the E&K.

This poster is dirty (in a good way) use your hands to reveal the hidden image. Amazing idea. The poster is 18"x24" open, 10"x13" closed & packaged hand silkscreened poster with envelope. Limited edition. This poster was created by Roland Reiner Tiangco. He lives and works in Brooklyn New York.

What would you do if you were surrounded by 120' of southeast-facing, store-level windows that allow blinding light and a constant stream of curious (or frightening, depending on the hour) people to peer into a sometimes highly-confidential workspace? The obvious answer is to invest in blinds. We, however, decided to cover our windows with irreverent pieces of art.

SASQUATCH