Marion Design Co.

05/28/2026

The Power of Ten in one room.

On May 23rd, ten years of Marion Design Co. came back to downtown. Original cohorts, recent interns, partners, and longtime friends. We caught up on the past and on the now, like where you are, what you’re building together, and who you’ve been becoming.

To every person who walked through the doors on Saturday: 

You are the answer.
📸

05/26/2026

05/22/2026

Back from First Round NYC and still thinking about it…

The hosts and emcees pulled off event identity that felt thoughtful for the venue (and happen to be from Bloomington, small world!). The team came back with reactions worth bottling. And we got to talk shop with other professionals and friends about process and studio structures.

Who else was in the room? Drop a 👋 would love to compare notes.

📸

05/21/2026

Filming on site in beautiful Oak Park, Illinois! Surrounded by thoughtful design and Frank Lloyd Wright houses!

05/18/2026

This group of team members came from Oak Hill high school, Taylor University, IWU, Ball State, and South Carolina! We’re seeing momentum for revitalization in Marion accelarating through the arts, entrepreneurs, and investors taking the reins on public events and partnerships.

While we’ve designed for clients across the country, shared ownership frees up our vision to design for partners doing good things throughout Indiana and beyond! Our signature brand process is taking hold!

.tabby.lo

05/14/2026

Wendy sat down with Layla and Lillian on the How Marion Works podcast to talk about the history of Marion Design Co., where it started, what it’s grown into, and why ten years in, the work grows in ways that meet needs according to this time in our city’s history. They get into design for social impact, what it really means to build something human-centered in a community like Marion.
DesignForSocialImpact BrandStrategy SmallBusinessMarketing PodcastInterview DesignCommunity TenYears MarionIndiana GrantCounty IndianaSmallBusiness DesignWithPurpose BrandIdentity BusinessGrowth StorytellingForBusiness

05/11/2026

Is your brand story stuck?

Last week we brought Design Therapy to the GGC Marketing Meetup, and that was the question we set out to answer.

We talked through the three moments that stall most organizations: the Identity Gap (you can describe what you do, but not who you are), the Consensus Gap (too many opinions, not enough focus), and the Borrowed Language Problem (sounding like your industry instead of yourself).
The room had all three. Maybe you do too.

Design Therapy isn’t about a rebrand. It’s about getting honest with your story and building something that actually moves people.

05/06/2026

Marion Made Mini, Design Thinking session COVID style (all online), Mississinewa photography, IAC On-Ramp Workshop and more from our 3rd location...Larks Song! It’s from this space that the Kennedy Art Center found its footing. Constuction began and what we had dreamed and prayed about was coming to fruition!

Some from this cohort bonded over skateboarding, roommate bonding, and a team trip to Denver!

05/05/2026

What happens when brilliant people lead impactful organizations! Karis Parenting has stewarded a series of projects to help young minds develop a strong foundation.

We’ve been working with Karis Parenting to design book layouts, a suite of marketing materials, product and lifestyle photography, video production, and creative problem solving. There will be more to share soon, but we could resist giving you a sneak peak from the product and lifestyle shoots for their Natures Wonders card deck!

04/30/2026

The Marion Made Fashion Show was a turning point for our downtown community. A standing room only event, in 90+° August heat in the west alley summer of 2018 was just one of the many events these cohorts designed and led. Two of these interns live in Marion today! Can you guess who they are?