R2Integrated: tour Inner Harbor design agency’s colorful HQ [PHOTOS]

You already know what the outside of the headquarters of creative agency R2Integrated look like. After taking the 11th floor of 400 E. Pratt, r2i, one of the region’s largest design firms, raised its logo onto the west side of an Inner Harbor building that for years held the familiar Examiner newspaper brand.

It was the perfect symbol of how Baltimore is hoping to transition its economy from the 20th to the 21st century. With 80 employees, the Baltimore HQ is the company’s largest, joined by another in Seattle and smaller teams in New York, D.C. and St. Louis. In design and development for large brands, r2i is a $10 million business and a popular fixture of the region’s creative scene — they were voted as the favorite design agency during this fall’s Innovation Awards.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZpDbcTWla0
Like other offices aimed at retaining talent in the competitive and fashionable tech economy, the Baltimore offices are bright and unique. The elevators are painted to look like they have a buffering status bar and the bathroom mirrors have Natty Boh mustaches painted on them.
“It’s a place you like coming to do work,” said Natalie Staines, a company marketing director who gave Technical.ly Baltimore a tour.
Get a chance to visit the offices yourself by coming to our #notatSXSW party and Design Competition Thurs. March 6. RSVP here.
The bright orange accent walls make an otherwise traditional cubicle layout seem more welcoming and big windows offering skyline views toward the Harbor and north toward the lingering downtown skyline. There are huddle rooms and a lounge with a pool table, Storm Trooper and break-time snacks.
Take a tour of the r2i offices by clicking through the slideshow below using the arrows.
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