We make things people love to interact with.
Mess is an independent digital agency founded in 2005. Our job is to make creative, utility-driven products and experiences for brands looking to stand out in a noisy marketplace. As a natively digital operation, social is inherently baked into everything we do. Our neck of the woods, Chicago's Wicker Park, is halfway between Madison Avenue and Silicon Valley. We think that's pretty fitting for a team that acts like a bootstrapped startup most of the time.
We believe in pushing boundaries. We like to keep level heads. We approach each project fresh and plan our attack from the ground up– there are no sacred cows, tools, or tactics. We do what's right, or at least what what we think is right. We're nimble and clever, and we manage to make some pretty neat things on time and under budget, which usually keeps everyone happy.
Agency Leadership
With a decade of interactive experience, Rob Robinson serves as Creative Director and Partner, leading a team of designers and creating awesome looking stuff, innovative social apps, and compelling original content.
Prior to Mess, Rob was at Leo Burnett and DDB Chicago, working for clients including State Farm, Cadillac, Dell and Budweiser. The agency world taught Rob the value of creative cooperation, and he brings a balance of strategic and business-minded thinking to Mess. He's served as a judge for the regional Addy Awards, had work featured in Communication Art's Interactive Design Annual and picked up multiple Effie Awards along the way. Outside of this madness, Rob digs large scale interactive art (particularly if it's on fire) and wrestling with his muppet-like Goldendoodle.
Interactive Director and Partner Jack Shedd brings a decade of experience building digital platforms to Mess. With expertise in multiple disciplines, Jack leads a team of developers, bridging the gap between engineering and creative.
Jack's background combines management and engineering roles within design, development and user-experience agencies. His clients have included think-tanks, non-profits and start-ups, in addition to enterprises like HP and NEC. Jack has trained developers across the U.S. in modern practices, and collaborated on open-source software projects. His analytical thinking and attention to tech trends facilitates an environment of knowledge sharing that generates leading-edge concepts. In the laughably small bits of free time he has, Jack enjoys fancy food and even fancier whiskeys.
Capabilities
Creative
Advertising: Print & Rich Media
Branding & Identity Systems
Copywriting & Editing
Event Activation
Graphic Design
Illustration
Motion Graphics & Editing
Photography & Videography
Social Media Marketing
Interactive
Backend Architecture
Community Development
Content Management Systems
Custom Reporting & Analytics
E-commerce / Merchandising
Information Architecture & UX
Mobile/iOS Development
Programming. Lots of Programming
The Team
A recent transplant from the East Coast, Hannah brings her web and motion design skills to the Midwest - as well as a healthy appetite for mac'n'cheese and an uncontrollable urge to dance that only Dannys can satisfy.
Matt Harlan
DesignerArguably addicted to tumblr and animated gifs, Matt is a graphic connoisseur and photoshop junkie. On any given nice day, you might find him riding his bike down Milwaukee Ave, eating a Chicago dog and listening to WBEZ simultaneously.
Harold is from the Midwest, where he was taught that it's rude to talk about yourself.
Mary Alice has spent the better part of the past 10 years managing the semi-manageable. When she's not dealing with the Mess we’ve made, she's probably playing dress-up and heading out trying to make the world a more ridiculous place. Or baking.
Marissa Mare
DesignerAfter numerous internships, a job at a magazine, and a plethora of service industry jobs, Marissa landed at Mess on her spaceship of awesome to bring creativity to the world. She’s awfully loud, but we deal with it because she’s really good at what she does.
Lisa makes things and likes robots and techno. She is also capable of drinking stupefying amounts of coffee while filling our office with blips and beeps.
Dan Thomson
DeveloperDan codes in toe shoes, his keyboard looks like something from "The Last Starfighter", and we all think he's Dantastic.
Nick's cover letter stated that he makes a mean Old Fashioned, but he always takes off before we start drinking.
Snugglet was born in a lab in Mongolia, where an evil genius tried to cross a rabbit with a tribble. Snugglet is power, Snugglet is love.