Notes fromthe studio.
How we think about brand, product, and AI — written directly, with examples drawn from real client work.
- 02
The Five-Minute Brief Test
If you can’t describe what your company does in five minutes to a stranger without jargon, your brand is leaking revenue. A diagnostic any founder can run today.
Brand & Design2026.04.114 minBrand & Design2026.04.11 · 4 min - 03
The 350-Brand Threshold
Nine years, 350+ brands. What changes about how you see the work once you’re on the far side of a number that big.
Founder’s Log2026.03.284 minFounder’s Log2026.03.28 · 4 min - 04
The Two Skills Converging: Designer + AI Operator
Every strong AI product I’ve seen in the last year had a designer inside the loop. Every weak one didn’t. That’s a pattern worth naming.
AI × Business2026.03.054 minAI × Business2026.03.05 · 4 min - 05
Ship AI. Don’t Sell Decks About AI.
The AI strategy deck industry is booming. The AI shipping industry is not. Something’s off.
AI × Business2026.02.223 minAI × Business2026.02.22 · 3 min - 06
What AI Can’t Do in Brand Strategy
I use AI every day. I still don’t let it make strategy decisions. Here’s the line that hasn’t moved.
AI × Business2026.02.104 minAI × Business2026.02.10 · 4 min - 07
When Your AI Launch Fails the Design Sniff Test
The product works. The launch flopped. Before blaming distribution, check the three design signals that scare users off AI products.
Brand & Design2026.02.043 minBrand & Design2026.02.04 · 3 min - 08
AI Agents for Small Business: What Actually Works in 2026
After building agents for a dozen small businesses this year, here’s the honest shortlist of what earns its place — and what doesn’t.
AI × Business2026.01.285 minAI × Business2026.01.28 · 5 min - 09
Design Debt Is Cheap. AI Debt Is Expensive.
You can out-design your way out of design debt in a quarter. You cannot out-engineer your way out of bad AI decisions that quickly.
AI × Business2026.01.254 minAI × Business2026.01.25 · 4 min - 10
The 10-Second Brand Test Still Applies to AI Products
A good brand lets someone understand what you do in ten seconds. AI didn’t change that rule — AI just made it harder to pass.
Brand & Design2026.01.183 minBrand & Design2026.01.18 · 3 min
Talk it through first.
The call is free and usually takes 30 minutes. You bring where things stand; together we work out what the first thread should be — and we’ll say so if it’s not a fit.