JUNIOR, the San Francisco-based design firm launched in August 2015 by several digital ad agency veterans, will be closing at the end of this month after approximately one and a half years in operation.
A spokesperson confirmed today that JUNIOR will be shutting down but declined to elaborate.
The unit, initially described as “the rapid invention company,” was part of the Project:Worldwide network and included staffers from one of its key agencies: co-founders Robbie Whiting and Conal O’Doherty were formerly tech director and head of growth & operations, respectively, at Argonaut. Their group later described itself as “a full-service, digitally native agency that creates communication strategies, cutting-edge products, services and experiences to activate brands in compelling new ways.”
The five-person team that founded JUNIOR also included Razorfish strategist Garrick Schmitt, former AKQA executive creative director Stephen Clements and Renna Al-Yassini, who was lead UX designer at dedicated Capital One design firm Adaptive Path.
A reliable source tells us that Clements and Al-Yassini left the agency several months ago. We also hear that its principals will be moving on while the larger Project:Worldwide organization helps remaining staffers find other positions in the area.
According to our sources, JUNIOR employed approximately 15-20 at its peak. Over time it worked on projects for such big-name clients as eBay (for which it recently designed a shopper bot) Kodak (a photo sharing app) and Amnesty International (a VR tour of the Syrian civil war).
Unfortunately, a majority of the agency’s work was project-based, and it could not bring in enough stable revenue to maintain its operations. Employees were alerted last Friday.