20-Year Anniversary

This year marks 20 years of 5 by 5 Design, two decades of building brands, systems, stories, and tools alongside organizations doing meaningful work in the world.

We had plans to celebrate that milestone in a bigger way. But here in Minneapolis and across Minnesota, many of us are navigating a time of real crisis in our communities. Like many of you, we find ourselves in a moment that calls for something different.

It calls for support.

Support is a small word for a big job. It is also a throughline in how we have worked since day one. Long before it was a theme, support looked like listening closely before offering solutions. It looked like helping teams find clarity in complexity. It meant designing tools that make important information easier to access, decisions easier to make, and change easier to navigate. Our work has never just been about how something looks. It has always been about helping people move forward.

Supporting our community

In recent weeks, that idea has extended beyond project work. As a team, we closed for the day in recognition of the Minnesota general strike, so people could show up for their communities, families, and neighbors. We added our name to the Women in Business letter. Each member of our team has been contributing in ways both visible and quiet to support local efforts during a heavy and uncertain time in our city, state, and country. These are not dramatic gestures. They are human ones. And they come from the same mindset we bring to our work every day.

Supporting strong brands

If 20 years has taught us anything, it is that strong brands are built on empathy, and good design is an act of care. The most effective communication does more than inform or persuade. It helps people feel seen, understood, and supported, especially when the path forward is unclear.

Supporting each other

We are grateful to work alongside clients and collaborators who share that belief. Thank you for trusting us to stand beside you, not just deliver to you. As we move into our next chapter, we remain committed to the same principle that has guided the first 20 years, supporting the people doing the work that matters.