Design Team Holiday Offsite
Design team goes offline for the first time in two years!
Last week, our product and marketing designers put aside our day-to-day work to spend quality time together. Teammates flew in from around the country and gathered in the Oakland office for a day of reflection, sketching, cheese boards (!!), and general holiday cheer.
We started with 2021 reflections.
Getting together was a great opportunity to celebrate all the milestones we reached this year. From our big rebrand and IPO in the spring, to the big campaigns and projects we’re capping off ahead of the holidays (TBA!), we looked back and shared our learnings and favorite highlights.
Very inspirational rocks were painted.
As designers, we’re always thinking of ways to surprise and delight. So we brought that random-acts-of-joy energy to the office! For our first activity of the day, Karen led a kindness rock painting session. Highlights include rocks with motivational messages, “Starry Night” rocks, and little critter rocks. The final works of art were hidden around the office for unsuspecting co-workers to find. (Did you know you can order literal rocks online?)
There was a big (BIG) lunch.
Our morning activity rocked, but lunch was just as memorable. The team took over a table at a local spot, The Cook and Her Farmer in Swan’s Market, and noshed on mussels, grilled cheese, sumptuous salads, and more goodies. Plus, the rosé was flowing too.
We headed out for urban sketching and watercolors.
To work off our big lunch, we set off on an urban adventure with sketchbooks in tow. We each found our favorite curbs and drawing nooks in the sunny courtyard outside Swan’s Market. The hour was spent sketching and painting trees, leaves, buildings, and each other. Drawing with pen and paper was the perfect way to destress, connect with the outdoors, and exercise creativity in a refreshingly analog way.
The secret to a cooler home was shared.
Lauren and Sarah capped off our workshops with a deep dive into interior design and organization. We got answers to questions like “Should I keep my bank statements from 2010?” (answer: no); learned the art of file keeping; why wool rugs are better than cotton blend; and many more lifestyle secrets.
Big wins were had at our Green Elephant.
In true thredUP spirit, we hosted a sustainable alternative to White Elephant. The gift exchange consisted only of found, made, or thrifted items ready to be repurposed. Highlights included a DIY cactus garden, handmade jewelry, a very sought-after collage, and very cute bowls that were made in high school.
Finally, Happy Hour.
Two words: Cheese table. We wrapped up the day with wine and a spread to end all spreads, a massive charcuterie assortment courtesy of Alosha. Who needs plates when you have poster paper and a massive kitchen island?
Last but not least… portraits, please!
Some wine and many crackers later, everyone got a chance to sit in front of Sophia’s camera and strike a pose. Armed with good tunes and a small desk fan, Sophia turned our little studio room into a full-blown fashion shoot. The results? Absolutely Vogue worthy.
And we wrapped up.
After two years of meeting over screens, it was great to have face-to-face time again. What a great way to round off 2021!
