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a small studio

@asmallstudioco

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a collection of creatives using our identity-driven design philosophy to build powerful brands & products for impactful leaders.
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77% of mid-career creatives are burnt out đŸ«Ș @creativeboom published a survey in June where they collected responses from 882 creative professionals and the results were shocking. We spend a lot of time talking about junior creatives and their struggles with the ever-changing industry. But fewer people are checking in on the ones that built the industry. The people we expect to do the mentoring are asking to be mentored, and nobody has been assigned to them. Stop booking people to 100%. Leave room to think and recover. Put the invisible hours somewhere visible. Find the mentor a mentor. Check on your friends. đŸ«¶ Read our latest Ding! article ‘The Missing Middle’ out now!
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The same pair of Dr. Martens can mean one thing on one side of the world and something completely different on the other side. Always 👏 know 👏 your 👏 audience 👏 For most of the last century, “global brands” only needed one campaign that they could dub, translate, and subtitle across different regions. Now, it’s crucial to be specific and curated. Describe who is standing in which corner, what they already believe about you, and what your category means on their street. Read our latest Ding! ‘Culture Doesn’t Carry a Passport’ out now! 🌎
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Tbh
 what even is a “competitive salary?” đŸ€š The EU thought the same thing and worked to end the phrase “competitive salary.” They gave member states three years to write it into national law, but only 4 out of 27 countries actually followed through. Vague pay isn’t discretion. It’s a system running without a spec. Having a salary band is brand communication, and it may be the most closely read sentence your studio publishes this year. Read more in our latest Ding! ‘What’s The Number?’ out now!
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Generative AI tools learn from what has been digitized. This is rendered useless when most of a company’s real history never was. Some of the greatest brands started as lettering on an old van or the founder’s handwriting on a napkin. You can’t fake that. You can’t replicate authenticity. Your own archive is material nobody else has: where you grew up, what your family made, the strange obsession you’ve had since you were eleven. Cling to that. And blow it out of the water. Read our latest Ding! article ‘Dig, Don’t Invent’ out now!
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POV: you name your child Monarcha đŸ‘¶ (kinda has a nice ring to it) New companies would agree. “Cute” names are out; they feel disingenuous and careless. New age companies are opting for names that feel a bit more industrial and serious, like “Arcten.” A name signals how a business sees itself, which is why they move with confidence rather than strategy. There’s a trend toward less fun and tasteful names and more evidence-based names. But get this: the best-scoring name in the data last year belonged to a dog care company called Mud. Someone had the nerve to propose the plainest word available and the authority to keep it in. That is most of the job. Read more in our latest Ding! article ‘Sounding Pharmaceutical’ out now!
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Class is (not) in session! đŸ€“ Despite money for art and design education still existing, these programs continue to be underfunded, or, in the case of California College of the Arts, not funded at all. This school was the last private nonprofit art and design school in Northern California. When funds are completely cut off from art schools, what does that mean for future artists? Read more in our Ding! article out now!
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In 2025, vinyl sales crossed $1 billion. The last time this happened was 1983 đŸŽ™ïž U.S. physical album sales rose 6.5% last year while digital album sales fell 15.9%. It makes sense when you think about it. With the popularization of streaming apps on our mobile devices, why would you digitally buy the same album you could listen to for free with your current subscription? But we still need to fulfill that need of owning something, which is where the ever-so trendy vinyl comes into play. It helps that artists and record labels continue releasing limited edition versions with unique colors and posters to incentive fans to make repeat purchases of the same album. Ask yourself this today 💭: What is the version of your work that somebody would pay to hold? Read more in our latest Ding! article ‘Paying to Own It’ out now! 💰
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48% of American teens said social media negatively effects their age group. Yet no one is willing to put the phone down. This gap in what people say vs. what they actually do brings up an interesting conversation that can be applied to most things in society, commerce, business, you name it. Why is it that most people carry strong opinions that they’re not willing to act on? What is the risk they’re not ready to take? Don’t ask whether your audience means what they say. Ask them what acting on their beliefs would cost them: in money, time, social risk, or the effort of switching. Read more in this week’s Ding! article, ‘Said-Not-Done’ out now!
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Close your eyes. Think of a ketchup bottle. What does it look like? What brand is it? And why is it Heinz? đŸ€š Heinz spent 40 years making sure they were the default. But this doesn’t automatically equate to being the most bought. Just because it’s familiar, doesn’t mean it’s stable. Check out our latest article ‘The Ketchup Problem’ out now!
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Typography is being promoted from detail to infrastructure 👏 As generative AI tools commoditize imagery, copy, and layout, custom type is becoming one of the last brand assets that is provably, defensively yours. A commissioned typeface cannot be prompted into a competitor’s pitch deck. Type provides recognition that lands beneath conscious attention, before a single word is read. Fund the people drawing it. ✍ Read more in our latest Ding! article, ‘Type is Back’ out now!
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JUMP IN SOME WATER BEFORE THE DATA CENTERS RUIN IT!! (we wish that were a joke) This summer campaign, The Best of Summer is Analog, by Polaroid is beautifully provocative. It calls out the elephant in the room and lets you think on it. It also taps into a generational resurgence in getting outside and away from our addictive screens that is a hot topic among Gen Z and Millennials. People are craving nostalgia, authentic experiences, and human connection now more than ever in this age of digital overpopulation. Read more in our latest Ding! article ‘Pro-Human Position’ out now!
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Vibe Check! 🎧 Every month we pick one song to tune our whole team into the same creative and emotional frequency. It’s our way of syncing up as a studio, setting the tone for the culture, the work, and the energy we bring to everything that month. August belongs to Auspicious Rain by Zhejiang Conservatory of Music. Put it on and tell us what it makes you feel. 🍃
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