inside method
employee of the month: sally clarke
posted March 27, 2013 by meagan |
it’s safe to say the entire brand experience team was elated when one of our fearless leaders, creative director sally clarke, was named the march employee of the month. the honor was incredibly well-deserved, as sally’s discerning eye touches every part of the method brand. in addition to overseeing a team of talented designers, sally is known for enjoying a glass or two of (very cold) white wine and offering up some sassy humor to go along with it.
yay sally! we were all quite proud when your name was announced. what goes through your mind when you realize the employee of the month is, in fact, you?
I really had no idea so as I began to realize it was me and that everyone was looking at me I had a moment of ‘panic and run’! but it really was a lovely surprise and a huge honor.
run us through a typical day as method’s creative director.
I get to work with creative, talented people in every function within our company. on a typical day I might be working with our fragrance director smelling new ideas for hand wash, then checking in with one of our designers on a press kit for a product launch. I might go visit our advertising agency to look at edits for our ‘clean happy’ campaign, then design a retail planogram and finally go mix dish soap colors with a green chef (editor’s note: ‘green chef’ is method’s term for a scientist). always busy, never boring.
method is a very design-forward brand. what’s the toughest thing about your job?
it’s a constant challenge to not get complacent and keep pushing our design point of view forward.
your husband, josh, is method’s head industrial designer. what is it like to work with a spouse?
at first it was a little weird but now we enjoy working together. we have a lot of respect for what each other does. plus it makes carpooling really easy.
now on to the good stuff. how will you spend your ‘perk of significance’?
I have booked some quality time around the pool at the francis ford coppola winery in sonoma for my family and I in july – the perfect summer combo of a sparkling blue swimming pool and sparkling white wine. whoo-hoo.
employee of the month: rudi becker
posted February 27, 2013 by meagan |
2013 is proving to be a big year for rudi becker. ‘the resinator’ (aka director of packaging) not only welcomed a second baby into his family, but he was also bestowed the prestigious honor of february employee of the month. rudi leads a team of packaging engineers at method and is the engine behind some of our coolest innovations, including our recent ocean plastic project.
congrats on being named employee of the month! you’ve been at method for a while now, right?
I have. I’ve worked at method for almost six years now. previously I worked for that other big cleaning company across the bay. a friend of mine was working for method so I came to check out the office. the next thing I knew, I was being interviewed. I loved the young, vibrant feel to the place. it’s such a different experience than other [consumer packaged goods] companies. and method is well-recognized in the packaging industry, so it’s exciting to be a part of it.
you lead the packaging team. what have you learned about managing people from working at method?
hiring is never easy, but for me, cultural fit is just as important as experience. if someone isn’t a good cultural fit, you can’t teach that. I’ve really focused on building a team that thrives on being part of the method culture and is kicks ass at developing beautiful packaging.
any other words of wisdom for the rest of us?
method is always changing, but you have a voice. you have to be your own advocate. but the most important thing for me is to have fun while you’re doing your job. I walk in the door everyday to give it my all, but I try to do it in a fun way. it’s good to be playful and take a chance.
your ‘perk of significance’ was cash for your new baby, jack. congratulations! how are you holding up with baby becker #2?
oh man, I’m tired. I’m definitely burning the candle at both ends right now. we have a lot of tiny laundry to do. It’s definitely easier the second time around. you know the milestones, which brings relief. and it’s really cute to see our four-year-old, holly, being so maternal. with jack, it feels more like a family now. it completes things in a way.
Orla Kiely, take two
posted January 31, 2013 by meagan |
this spring, method + Orla Kiely are at it again with another bright limited edition collection. this gave us the chance to ask the Irish fashion designer a few more questions about fragrance, design and working with us again.
this collection features four new fragrances: tomato vine, white nectarine, honeysuckle and cloudburst. is there one in particular that puts an extra spring in your step?
I love the idea of tomato vine! it’s that fresh earthy smell you get when you walk into a greenhouse full of tomato plants. so, for me, to re-create this smell for everyday use in my home is just divine!
can you share the inspiration behind the patterns you chose for these bottles?
it’s always fun choosing prints that work with the fragrances. sometimes some of the prints are a more literal match, like our “oval spot” print that is used for tomato vine, whereas cloudburst was more about the color scheme, using sky blue with pops of color. our “multi flower spot” print lent itself perfectly to the honeysuckle fragrance, reminding us of those beautiful summer bunches of honeysuckle blossom. and white nectarine teamed up brilliantly with one of our newer prints called “wallflower spot,” which to us looks like nectarines growing on a tree.
what’s your favorite part of the design process?
it’s always very exciting when a print finally comes to life. after hours of tweaking the color and playing with the scale, it’s wonderful to see the end design really pop.
what do you enjoy most about collaborating with other brands?
we are very picky with who we collaborate with. it is important to me that both brands share a similar sense of fun, quality and integrity, and each share a mutual respect for what the other does. I think only then can it be truly exciting and creative process with an outcome we can all enjoy.
both of our brands are over a decade old. how do you keep things fresh year after year?
it’s so important to mix things up. I like to see new exhibitions and watch classic old films. I love books, both new and old, and have a growing library of fashion, art, architecture and everything in between. I always love to find new references and inspiration each season, and when mixed with what I love it’s always an exciting journey to see what is created.’
want more Orla? read our first interview with the designer here. the collection is available at target and online at methodhome.com.
happy holidays from our big, weird family to yours
posted December 17, 2012 by alexis |
it’s not the holidays without an ugly sweater contest and some sequins. at least, not at method.
thanks for a wonderful 2012, people against dirty.
it’s a good month to be employee of the month
posted December 6, 2012 by alexis |
brian is “the butcher, the baker, the soap bottle maker” (a.k.a. our director of supply chain). in laymen’s terms, that means he manages the process by which we decide how and where we make all of our products. needless to say, it’s pretty complicated. brian, of course, makes it look easy. that’s probably why he’s our new employee of the month. that, and also because he’s a really good sport about everyone calling him “the boat.”
after the clever ruse your coworkers pulled trying to make you think you’d won the honor in september, how did it feel to win for real?
it felt really good to win for “real”. I think that we’ve amassed a great talent pool here. everyone works exceptionally hard and puts out great work. with that in mind, it’s good to be recognized for performance against such a high bar.
when asked if you would be a feared or adored royal, you responded with “I think it will scare people how much they love me.” bold statement. how might one incite such emotions?
the answer is quite simple: lots and lots of sharing from the Vault of Edible Riches. give the people free candy and they will love you forever. eliciting that level of emotion for too long can be quite frightening.
is there mcdonald’s in your Vault of Edible Riches? (if so, I’m going to break into it.)
don’t I wish?! I’ve seen time-lapsed photos of mcdonalds food over the course of a year and it pretty much looks the same on day 365 as on day one. so, I’m sure a few big macs or mc ribs kept at room temperature in the drawer over the month would still be good, right?
“good” is probably open to interpretation. so, your Perk of Significance was a trip to monterey. what’s on the agenda?
my hope is that we can bribe someone to take our kids for a weekend (with free candy perhaps???) and make this a much needed getaway for the wife and I. the gift certificate is for casa munras in monterey, which looks pretty amazing. I anticipate lots of wine and good food, with maybe a message or two thrown in. mostly, it will be a rare chance to relax.
that sounds excellent. switching gears for a moment, you’re one of the few method employees who’s worked in both our chicago and sf offices. what’s your favorite thing about each location?
my favorite thing is the same for both locations. the people. when I was in chicago, there was only a few of us and we became a very tight knit group of people. we ate lunch together every day and shared a lot of personal triumphs and tribulations. when I left, I missed that type of interaction. but the folks here quickly made me feel just as welcome.
that’s because we like you so much. congrats brian!
