A small team, from first idea to finished work.
We design brands, websites, digital products and films. Our small team brings design and engineering together, from the first sketches to the files and systems your team will use after launch.
You work directly with the people making the work. We start by understanding what needs to change, agree the scope and fee, and review progress with you at clear checkpoints. We also publish our design principles, so you can see how we make decisions and use the same guidance in your own work.
Six habits. Checked throughout the work.
A habit needs a moment to happen and a way to check it. This example shows when we pause, what we review and what we record before moving on.
Example project · explore the checkpoints
Good work is a repeated practice.
3habits to check
during design
Choose a stage, then a habit to see what gets checked.
| The habit | Brief | Design | Review | Handover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | — | — | — | |
| — | ● | ○ | — | |
| ✓ | ● | ○ | ○ | |
| — | ● | ○ | — | |
| — | — | ○ | ○ | |
| — | — | — | ○ |
03 / At every milestone
Keep the limits visible
Write down the scope, supported devices, accessibility requirements and performance targets. Check decisions against them.
What we keep as a record
A shared brief, with a record of any agreed changes.
Illustrative tracker, not a live client report. On a project, each checkpoint needs an owner and a record of the review.
The people who do the work.
Four, on purpose. Everyone named below works on the work. We do not keep a front of house and a back of house.
Mira Ellison
Founder, design direction
Fifteen years across identity and product. Writes most of the canon, and argues with the rest of it.
IdentityTypographyCritique
Rafael Okonkwo
Motion & 3D direction
Came from film. Lights in grey clay before a material, and holds the budget as a constraint.
Motion3DLighting
Leah Park
Design engineering
Builds what we design. Owns the Remotion practice and the performance budgets nobody else enjoys enforcing.
RemotionFront-endSystems
Jonah Reeve
Product design
Designs the states nobody screenshots. Tests with real assistive technology, not a report.
ProductAccessResearch
Fixed fees against a described outcome.
Hourly billing rewards slowness and makes clients afraid to ask questions. That is a bad way to run a creative relationship.
Fixed fee, defined scope
We quote a number for a described outcome. Hourly billing rewards slowness and makes clients afraid to ask questions, which is a bad way to run a creative relationship.
The audit credits back
Commission a project within ninety days of an audit and the audit fee comes off it. We would rather you spend on the fix than on the diagnosis.
No markup on pass-through
Talent, licensing, stock and infrastructure are billed at cost with receipts. We make our money on design, not on procurement.
Accessibility is included
It is never a line item, because line items get cut. The base fee assumes WCAG 2.2 AA and testing with assistive technology.
How small a project will you take?
The focused audit at $4,500 is our smallest standard engagement. Below that we are usually the wrong choice, and we will point you to someone better suited rather than take the work.
Do you work with agencies?
Yes, as a specialist partner — usually for motion, 3D or Remotion work. We are credited by name in the final work, which is a condition rather than a preference.
What is your availability?
We run two to three concurrent projects. Lead time is typically four to eight weeks; audits can usually start within two.
Do you use AI tools?
Yes, for exploration and some production support, and every use is disclosed with the tool named and a person accountable for the output. Clause 03 of the Originality Charter sets out exactly how.
Can we license the canon for internal use?
You do not need to — it is CC BY 4.0. Use it, adapt it, teach from it, put it in your onboarding. Attribution is the only condition.
What if we disagree with a principle?
Send the argument. Several principles have been rewritten because a reader made a better case, and the correction is published with their name on it.
Still the right studio for you?
Tell us what you are making. We reply within two working days, and if we are the wrong choice we will say so and point you toward a better one.