The usual path for a design studio is to win work, hire juniors to make it, and promote the founders into selling and reviewing. We have watched it happen plenty of times. We decided against it.
What goes missing when a studio grows
In the pitch you meet the founders. In the project you meet an account manager. Your brief is retyped by someone who was not in the room, handed to someone who has never spoken to you, and comes back slightly off. Then you explain it again.
None of that is anyone's fault. It is just what happens when there are more layers between the person with the problem and the person making the thing.
The trade we made
Two people can only take on so much at once, so we turn work down. In exchange, whoever you speak to is the person opening the file. Nothing gets lost on the way, because there is no way for it to travel.
It also means we are honest early. If a project is not right for us, saying so on the first call is cheaper for everyone than finding out in week three.
Who this suits
It suits teams who want senior people actually doing the work and are happy to book time in advance. It does not suit anyone who needs forty assets by Friday. We would rather tell you that now than take the money.
Less faff. More feeling. Better design.
Chloe Stewart
Co-founder
One half of Pronto Productions, a two-person design and motion studio in Kent.