Pros
Free lunches and dinners when working late or day of layout session. Wine Wednesdays. Nice outings. Opportunity to meet incredible, positive, and powerful people in the Chicagoland area. Worked with many great clients who appreciated your work and established a relationship. Health benefits. Work from home when needed. The owner always had a planned event for employees at the end of the year. Worked with some great people.
Cons
Last minute changes daily to the bitter end of a deadline. Not enough designers to cover the many projects even though business was growing. The balance of work between employees was way off. Having to travel out of state to do press checks that weren't always ready and usually hours after you've sent the files out for review. Had no project manager. The promise of bonuses or salary increases but never got them even after goals were made. No transportation benefits for pre-tax purposes. Not much of a team-like effort. Sometimes, a bit too Gossipy. 1-week vacation only and would reach out to you while on vacation.