When Design Week comes around each September, we’re reminded of the robust creative scene in our hometown of St. Louis, and we’re fortunate to take advantage of inspiring panels, outlandish parties and unique opportunities to learn from each other.

The Skunk’d Ping Pong Palooza hosted by the kind folks at Brennan’s was no exception. New to 2015, this inaugural event merged two of our favorite things – design and ping pong – into an evening of pure, booze-fueled shenanigans and sheer athleticism. To be entered into the tourney, we had to submit a custom paddle design. Piece of cake.

Blake, our newest Associate Creative Director, who also just so happens to top the Switch leaderboard in Office Pong, had a methodical approach. “I wanted to create a paddle that not only represents Switch, but also gives our agency a competitive edge,” Blake explained. Using this logic as a starting point, Switch logo dots were re-imagined as white circles sized precisely at 40mm, replicating the exact size of ping pong balls.

The Rising Sun motif, a subtle nod to Asian culture’s domination in the table tennis landscape, also served as a potential distraction to the competitors. “Individually, these factors might not have had an impact,” Blake said. “But put them all together, along with some strong ping pong skills, and the competition had no chance.” And bonus points to Blake for proudly tying in brand elements.

We Came, We Ponged, We Conquered

Naturally, Blake’s design earned him a slot on the playing field – or rather, table. With a couple dozen people packed into the Skunk’d Ping Pong Parlor in the basement of Brennan’s Bottle Shop and Bar, the tournament began. Long story short: Blake killed it.

Blake at the Skunk’d Ping Pong Tournament

So we raise our bruised pong paddles to the St. Louis design community and especially to Brennan’s for giving us yet another reason to anticipate Design Week 2016. Next time you’re at Brennan’s, make sure to check out the swanky Skunk’d Ping Pong Parlor and the new shared workspace, BHive. And we hope that you will begin to notice the design of things around you – whether an app, a city park … or even a ping pong paddle.