Gin Lane Media is a full-service creative agency that has designed and developed some of our favorite websites of the moment. Their minimal approach to design places emphasis on each client’s story, rather than a designer’s virtuosity or a developer’s technical acumen. The websites and digital experiences coming out of the Gin Lane office are equally alluring and informative, and highly usable.

Gin Lane Media was founded in New York City in 2007 with the desire to help artists and creatives the agency believed in. The staff has grown to include creative thinkers, designers, and developers from five separate continents, who together speak over ten languages. The diversity of the Gin Lane staff is also reflected in their backgrounds; there are individuals with fine art portfolios to business degrees contributing to the agency’s output.

Gin Lane has produced an impressive body of work during their first 5 years. Their most notable project could be the redesign of Aol.com. Gin Lane topped over 40 other agencies to get the job. The redesigned website has been a key component in AOL’s new business model. Some of our favorite projects include the agency’s websites for Saturdays NYC, Blind Barber, and Roc4life.

You can view additional work from Gin Lane Media at their website. The agency is also on Facebook and Twitter.

Hailing from just outside of America’s capital city of Washington, D.C., El Jefe is a heavyweight among the ranks of up-and-coming designers.  His name, a clever guise for an admittedly less-theatrical Mr. Jeffery Everett, is almost an homage to the cultural iconography he often employs as the subject of his design work.  And let’s be honest…who doesn’t enjoy a good luchador?

Jeff’s design work (including graphic, web, creative direction, illustration, and branding/identity) has graced the pages of many prestigious industry publications, including but not limited to New Vintage Type, Design Entrepreneur, Print Magazine, HOW, and Step Inside Design.  These publications add to a resume that includes a shelf full of awards, most notably his gold and silver awards from The Art Directors Club and a best-in-category from the AdClub (Addys).  Not only has El Jefe excelled in the professional field, he has also shared his talents through professorships at American University, University of Baltimore, and the AIGA.

It should come as no surprise that the staff at Ballista has nothing but respect for El Jefe’s design chops — the list of awards should be enough of a hint — but we truly value Jeff’s delivery and dedication to concept without resulting in worthless kitsch.  His work is sensible and diverse, ranging from political literature to his Lucha LIBRAry.  To quote his website: “Simply put: El Jefe always delivers heavy-weight design.”  Truer words were never spoken.

For more of El Jefe’s work, make sure to check out his online store and website.  We know we’ve been a little MIA as of late, but we can assure you it’s been busy over here at the Ballista HQ.  We have some great things in store for the future.

Blacksheep was formed in 2002 by Tim Mutton and Jo Sampson. Ten years later and Blacksheep is a globally renowned creative agency with a reputation for designing exceptional hospitality environments.

Blacksheep works with the biggest hospitality brands in the world to develop spaces that “exemplify timeless style and contemporary glamour.” Their recent commissions include projects for Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Accor Hotels, and Hilton Hotels & Resorts. The agency also has a knack for designing restaurants, bars, and clubs that consistently receive praise from patrons and critics.

On the Blacksheep website you will find this powerful statement, “We create the crucial points of difference that allow your projects to transcend the merely good and become enduring examples of truly great design.” We particularly like this line, because it highlights an important aspect of the design process: deciding where to give a project 110 percent. For example, you could fuss over the fixtures in a water closet for weeks, but if no one will use them without proper signage why bother?

You can find additional work from Blacksheep on the agency’s website. Blacksheep also has Facebook and Twitter profiles.