Pros
Working in a small environment, it was easy to have heavy input in very interesting projects. As a job early in my career, I was able to lead large projects that were exciting, and I was not stuck in the mat room as I was at previous large agency jobs.
The owner, Nancy, is extremely business savvy and connected to big names in the city, which was great for introducing the company to new clients. The co-owner David has strong classical design skills, having had a large design presence back in the 80's branding scene.
Cons
The work infrastructure was painfully hierarchical, and management always gave me an uneasy feeling. They had private offices on the main floor while all the employees were crammed into one room on the second level. However, they were traveling quite often, leaving us to fend for ourselves for weeks at a time.
Nancy could be two-sided. She was a very sweet woman one minute, and a very undermining and demeaning boss the next. At times, I felt like a sweat shop worker, mindlessly pushing pixels. Other times, I felt like a child being talked down to over the most trivial things, such as forgetting a comma in an internal email or putting a document on the wrong table. On several occasions, she would even get snippy during client meetings, creating a very awkward atmosphere.
From a design lens, David was nice but quite aloof and stuck on out-of-date design trends. As a creative mentor, I was more-so told what to do and think, rather than being pushed to find solutions on my own.
Overall, the office culture at Otherwise was uncomfortable and gave me high anxiety on a regular basis.