only for the "cool" kids - Designer Instrument Employee Review

2.0
Jan 28, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great clients and impactful work at times

Cons

very clique-y, if you're not part of the OG's or the cool design club you don't get any attention or opportunities

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Instrument Response
5y
Thank you for taking the time to write a review on your experience working with us. We agree with you that there is work to be done internally to ensure all employees are given the same level of attention, mentorship, and sponsorship in order to provide a space for opportunity here. We hope that our efforts are felt this year: in our embedding of the new Career Progression Framework (in reviews and in our conversations), our formalizing of mentorship assignments, and our deepening of what "Career Management" means internally for each employee. Thank you again for this feedback, and please feel free to reach out to your Discipline Lead or People Operations if you feel comfortable expressing any of this internally.

Explore other reviews about Instrument

5.0
Jun 26, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great company with great people. Seamless life, work balance, and a very nice company culture.

Cons

No big cons as far as my concern. The pay can be slightly better, but it's okay compared to other agencies' standards.

3.0
Jun 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The people here are great. Every team feels fairly connected, even for a 250+ person agency. Work/life balance is the best I've experienced at an agency so far. Pay is fair and scales depending on where you live and your experience overall. Work has the potential to be interesting, but most clients we bring in are not looking for ground-breaking work.

Cons

The benefits are not extraordinary, other than generous PTO. Recently removed a sabbatical program. Layoffs that come as a surprise, with scrambles only months later to fill the eliminated roles. Freelance hiring is hit or miss. Publicly-owned with a parent company that doesn't align with Instrument's morals. Leadership feels fairly disconnected and not genuinely interested in resolving the low morale amongst the larger team. Seemingly more interested in advertising themselves and using AI than in focusing on craft and high-quality projects. Constant leadership departures create anxiety.

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