01.14.2025
What is Sundial?
I’ve spent roughly the last year wrapping my head around the idea of Sundial. At first, I imagined it as a creative studio — building an environment to help clients realize stories and bring clarity to either complicated or new ideas. And ultimately, that’s exactly what happened.
In 2024, the first year of Sundial, I was lucky to have great collaborators and produce work I can point to with pride. Of those collaborations, a few projects stand out.
In June, Sundial helped announce Light Phones latest product, The Light Phone 3. I believe that thoughtful digital experiences are the future of technology, and that sometimes what a device cannot do is what might matter most. Sundial led the strategy, messaging, and art direction for this heartfelt introduction — helping Light raise over a million dollars in pre-sales.
On a similar but different note, I was excited by the challenge of rebranding Magic Leap. They’re a company that has been finding its footing for nearly a decade. With a new focus on display technology and manufacturing, I feel like it is all starting to make sense. And its interesting thinking about both Light and Magic Leap working towards similar goals in such different ways — ideally we live in a world with choice and interact with content in a way that feels less invasive than the current situation.
These are areas of technology and culture that I care about and am for better or worse invested in. But last night, as I was updating the website for 2025 with new case studies, it became apparent to me that I’m running down the wrong road. The truth is, I just don’t care about owning an agency or a studio, whatever you want to call it. Even if its a product I can get behind or care about, I’m not interested in client services, in that version of networking, in the dance of the industry, or in the clients that signal success… in any of it, really. It’s just not who I am.
That’s not to say the last year was a total wash. A lot has come out of the experience. And I think it’s refreshing and healthy to land in a place where you realize you don’t want to be. Really, though, one particularly great thing has come out of it. And that great thing, and the feeling it gives me, is what I want to chase and explore. That thing is Cape Cod Compass — a magazine that went defunct years ago, which we lovingly revived this past summer. Something I am so proud of. Something myself and others made. Something that is part of what I imagine Sundial can do, or become — something that has nothing to do with technology. More on that soon...
And as I say that, I’m not sure what Sundial will become. I know, in my head and heart, that all I care about is that it is something I’m proud of, that I can sustain, that I can get lost in, something that is helpful. So, I’m taking a step back from the idea of it being a studio or agency. I still believe in the importance of good communications, championing thoughtful design, and responsible business practices. But if only a year into it, the excitement is already lost, you have to listen to the feeling.
I also don’t know if the world needs another agency or studio. And to that, I’m not entirely sure what the world needs right now. Or maybe what I should say is that I’m not so sure what I need.
So, for now, I’m going to let Sundial be a place for exploration. I’m going to let it evolve naturally. I’m going to focus on what I love — design, photography, nature, people, community, and travel. And I’m going to try to investigate what other people may love, want, and need.
I’ve set this new website up as a blog, and I’ll continue to post here. I want it to be a place I can share things, projects, ideas, stories, sketches — things that, I think, after a while, will start to make sense.
I’ve been thinking a lot about time and energy; it’s all we have, and how we use it is what matters most.
Thanks for reading and more soon,
Aaron