Is TOKY That Good?

Yes, TOKY is that good. The best graphic and branding shop in STL.

"TOKY took home 19 out of 79 professional awards in the 11th annual AIGA Awards, more than any other firm." - from TOKY.com

What is important to me is they are good at web - way better at web than most shops. TOKY has risen from the ashes of Influence, which at one time was the leading web shop in town, and has eclipsed its success.

How?

1. Eric Thoelke, the leader, and great designer in his own right has built a team by thinking bigger than St. Louis. Most of his talented resources are from out of town.
2. They measure their work on a global scale.
3. Every project is executed as it if were a dream job. They make them dream jobs.
4. Style with substance that meets qualitative and quantitative measure.

Kudos to Kuhlmann-Leavitt, Inc. for also creating kick-ass design, but I don't think they do web as well as print. Too bad.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

It has always perplexed me to look at what is possible to bring to the marketplace compared to what is accepted. So much work sucks and so much more is so bland it has no meaning. Is it the fault of the creator or the buyer, perhaps both. On one hand the creator, because more often than not the person paying for it doesn't know better. On the other, companies should have more savvy buyers. It's a complex issue for which I have no answer other than don't do work you are not 100% proud of and put 100% effort into.

A Call to Arms

Let's use the caliber of work produced by these 2 firms as inspiration to help us do better work. Be proactive and take the expert approach to get good creative out of the conference room and into the public domain. Teach your clients what is good and what should be.

St. Louis is loosing ground in the world of creative communications. Agencies are closing. Talent is leaving. Clients are going out of town for work. No one can stop this cycle except the people doing the work. Do your part to do your best.