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Now streamingVol. VII · Reel 02
—:— CETFrame 001 / 084
▶ An independent studio

Design that outlasts
the trend cycle.

An independent studio building brand identities, digital products and editorial systems for founders and cultural teams who care about the craft as much as the result.

Founded
2019

07 quiet years

Reels shipped
84

Culture · Editorial

Recognition
12×

Awwwards · FWA

Studio size
07

CPH · Tokyo

AWWWARDS · Site of the Day
CSS Design Awards · SOTD
FWA · Site of the Day
Type Directors Club · 2025
Brand New · Featured 2025
Communication Arts · 2024
AWWWARDS · Site of the Day
CSS Design Awards · SOTD
FWA · Site of the Day
Type Directors Club · 2025
Brand New · Featured 2025
Communication Arts · 2024
AWWWARDS · Site of the Day
CSS Design Awards · SOTD
FWA · Site of the Day
Type Directors Club · 2025
Brand New · Featured 2025
Communication Arts · 2024
Design studio interior with warm daylight and printed reference material
Fig. 02 · The studio, Bredgade — Copenhagen
▶ Reel 02 · The studio

A small studio, on purpose.

We are seven people working from a single room in Copenhagen and a second desk in Tokyo. Intentionally small since 2019 — small enough that the founders are in every meeting, and every drawing that leaves the studio has been seen by the same eyes.

The work is quiet, considered, and slower than the industry standard. We think that suits it. Our clients tend to agree.

Founded
·2019
Team
·07
Cities
·CPH · TYO
Projects
·84
▶ Reel 03 · Method

A twelve-week rhythm, held with care.

Most engagements move through the same four movements. Slower than the industry standard — and, we think, better for it.

  1. IWeek 1

    Read the room

    Discovery is a conversation, not a form. We read, listen, and ask what never made the brief.

    Interviews · Audience map

  2. IIWeek 2 – 3

    Sharpen the story

    Before a line is drawn, we agree on positioning and voice — a one-page narrative that holds.

    Positioning · Narrative

  3. IIIWeek 4 – 8

    Design in public

    Daily Figma access, weekly reviews, no big-reveal theatre. Best decisions come from the middle.

    Visual system · Motion

  4. IVWeek 9 – 12

    Land it well

    Handover isn't hand-off. We stay past launch to measure, adjust, and document what changed.

    Build · Guidelines

▶ Reel 04 · What we do

Six practices, one point of view.

Every engagement is anchored in one of these — sometimes two, occasionally three.

▶ Reel 05 · Manifesto

Six things we believe, without exception.

Operating principles that shape how we choose work, how we run the studio, and how we ship.

  1. I

    Say fewer things, better.

    An identity that tries to say everything ends up saying nothing. We prune ruthlessly, and defend what remains.

  2. II

    Craft is not a phase.

    Every artefact that leaves the studio, from a business card to a full product, gets the same attention as the pitch deck.

  3. III

    Slow is a strategy.

    We move at the pace the work deserves. Considered work needs considered hours. No crunch, no shortcuts.

  4. IV

    Design in the open.

    No big-reveal theatre. Clients see the process daily, and the best decisions are made in the middle, together.

  5. V

    Age well, not fast.

    We build systems designed to be recognisable in ten years, not just recognised at launch.

  6. VI

    Say no, often.

    We turn away roughly a third of the briefs we receive. The best thing we can do for a bad fit is refer it on.

▶ Reel 06 · Voice

In their words, on the record.

A few notes from people we’ve made things with — quoted verbatim, published with permission.

Take01/ 03

Oaler built us an identity that has aged rather than dated — three years in, we haven't wanted to change a single line of it.

SF
Sofia Ferrer
Founder · Atelier Noire · 2022
▶ Reel 08 · Trusted by
  • Atelier NoireSince 2022
  • Kinfolk QuarterlySince 2023
  • Verdant StudioSince 2024
  • North PostSince 2024
  • Moro CeramicsSince 2024
  • Field Notes FMSince 2023
  • House of ÖlandSince 2022
  • Rive ÉditionsSince 2021
  • Studio WerkSince 2020
  • Papier & Co.Since 2021
  • Maison OvestSince 2020
  • Norr JournalSince 2023
AWWWARDS · Site of the Day
CSS Design Awards · SOTD
FWA · Site of the Day
Type Directors Club · 2025
Brand New · Featured 2025
Communication Arts · 2024
AWWWARDS · Site of the Day
CSS Design Awards · SOTD
FWA · Site of the Day
Type Directors Club · 2025
Brand New · Featured 2025
Communication Arts · 2024
▶ Reel 07 · Notebook

Loose ends we’ve been carrying around.

A monthly-updated shelf of found things, half-thoughts, reference material and the songs that got the work done.

  • Paint colour swatches laid out on paper

    A weekend spent narrowing 84 swatches down to five.

    Studio · Feb 18

    ◇ image
  • ◇ quote · Aya, on client timelines

    “You cannot rush a bread that wants to rise.”

    — overheard in the kitchen
  • Craft◇ note

    Rule of three, again

    If you can name three specific reasons a decision is good, ship it. If you can't, don't.

    From the internal wiki

  • Open type specimen book

    Type specimens are still the best reference.

    Reading

    ◇ image
  • ◇ bookmark

    In praise of small screens

    Are.na · elin

    Bookmarked · 04 Feb

  • Sound◇ note

    Currently listening

    Studio playlist · Feb

  • Handmade ceramic vessels drying on a shelf

    Moro Ceramics — kiln day.

    On the shelf

    ◇ image
  • Send a brief — a paragraph is enough. We reply within 48 hours with either a fit assessment, a few sharper questions, or a friendly referral to a studio we trust for that kind of work.

  • Full identity engagements start at €48,000. Digital product work starts at €65,000. Retainer arrangements start at €12,000 / month. We are happy to scope smaller pieces of work when the fit is right.

  • A standard identity engagement runs 10 to 14 weeks. Digital projects run 12 to 20 weeks depending on scope. We do not accept briefs on shorter timelines than the work needs — better fit than rushed calendar.

  • Yes — roughly a third of our work is with founders in their first year. We can flex on scope and payment schedule when the mission is right, but never on the standard of the work itself.

  • We do not take on crypto, gambling, defense, or fossil-fuel work. We are also unlikely to be a good fit for very fast-moving consumer products where the design system will be rewritten in six months.

  • Often the best engagements are collaborations with internal teams. We bring an outside eye and system-level thinking; you bring the deep context. We have shipped this way with editorial and cultural clients for years.

▶ Reel 11 · Next

Have a brief?
We’d love to read it.

We take on a small number of engagements each quarter. Currently booking briefs for late 2026 — earlier availability for cultural and editorial projects.

Currently

Booking Autumn 2026

Response time

Within 48 hours

Not for us

Crypto, gambling, defense — we happily refer these on.