Design’s New Direction Post-Pandemic

The year 2020 was a tough one for most industries. Phoenix-based Ideation Design Group felt the brunt of the pandemic’s crushing losses to restaurants, hospitality brands and the airport industry on a multi-faceted level. Fast forward to 2021, and things are looking up for the renowned design firm that successfully navigated a pivot by expanding into new industries and focusing on pandemic-era problems that required creative design solutions. Now, the company is optimistically moving forward with new growth and hiring in an industry that was crushed in the pandemic.

“Like many businesses, our 2020 losses were significant as a result of projects being halted all over the world, especially those with our partners in airport development, foodservice and related industries,” says Carl Schaffer, a partner with Ideation Design Group. “It was challenging, but we evolved by focusing on new industries and providing innovative design solutions for businesses and brands that needed to reconfigure operations for the COVID-19 era.

With a longstanding reputation as one of the leading airport design firms in the US, Ideation Design Group shifted its portfolio from serving the skies to focusing on the open roads.

“One of the most surprising and exciting areas we have expanded our business is reimagining the ‘truck stop’ experience as we become ever more reliant on the supply-chain system that ensures products move efficiently throughout the country and more and more Americans opt for travel by car,” Schaffer says.

Now called ‘Travel Centers,’ these aren’t your father’s trucks stops or gas stations. Ideation Design Group has completely reimagined the fill up center experience as bright and inviting with modern designs that feature clean lines, stylish interiors and a variety of popular food and beverage brands in an updated convenience store-meets-food court format serving the needs of American truckers and travelers alike.

Ideation Design Group has also ventured into new areas of interior design requiring more staff with specific expertise. “As we ease into ‘the new normal’ and expand our firm’s capabilities to innovate design for a variety of new companies and industries, we have started ramping up on hiring for design industry professionals that have experience in a variety of industries,” says Deb Sylva, a partner with the firm.