Not what it was, but still a great place to be. - Associate Design Director Instrument Employee Review

4.0
Dec 14, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Wonderful people - Lots of cross-discipline collaboration - Fantastic work/life balance - Strong benefits - Incredible response to COVID

Cons

- Clearer path towards career advancement (has always felt like lots of talk, not actionable opportunities) - Improve project staffing (never felt like I was appropriately casted) - The quality of interesting work has decreased dramatically over the past few years, seemingly after Instrument's acquisition

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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