Not since Mr. Flint’s ninth-grade course has chemistry meant so much to me. This is not a torrid crush and intense memorization of the table of elements made in an effort to impress. This is stuff of alchemy.

At 1:15PM PST, Motive Design Research closed their doors. I am sad because that chemistry experiment is over.

I worked with this design firm since day one. For eight years, I watched them hire designers, fire designers, add a partner, get bigger, produce amazingly fresh work, downsize due to the tech bust and struggle to bring in new clients. And I just watched them close their doors for good.

They are responsible for the most beautiful, thoughtful and well-designed samples in my book. One partner went to Starbucks. The other is at a prominent design firm. I am still here, working from the top floor of my house, trying to figure out how I’m going to replace the Motive revenue stream. More importantly, will I have that type of creative chemistry again?