Zebradog's goal is to help businesses tell their story. But at the Madison-based design firm's office, its workspace has a story of its own.
Zebradog's office, located at 1249 Williamson St., was formerly Madison’s first public library branch built more than 100 years ago. The building was constructed in 1912 after Andrew Carnegie gave the city of Madison $15,000 to build the library, Zebradog founder Mark Schmitz said. It went through several transformations over the years, including serving as a Norwegian men's club and a personal residence, before Schmitz purchased the space in 2012.
Today, the 5,000-square-foot space holds 20 Zebradog employees, who help clients from the Green Bay Packers to Duke University build high-tech, interactive design experiences. The three-level office features a big, vaulted space that includes a cafe, loft area and a sound-proof "dog house" that's used for calls and video chats with clients. The ceiling in Zebradog's conference room is made from a barn Schmitz found that was build in 1862.
Bright colors and natural materials fill the space, where graphic designers, computer scientists, writers, illustrators and more work side-by-side to create visual storytelling projects for clients.
"Color, texture and found objects are everywhere (in the office), and they tell a very unique story about a very unique company," Schmitz said. "We’re the only ones in the state of Wisconsin that do the things that we do the way that we do it."
Founded 25 years ago, Zebradog has worked with well-known Wisconsin brands such as Miller Brewing Co., American Family Insurance, UW-Madison and The Sylvee. It's currently working with Exact Sciences on a new 30 ft. tall data visualization media wall.
Go inside Zebradog's space below.
