In 2020, during the first lockdown, we started building a brand from scratch. Not for a client — for ourselves. Storigraphic began as an idea conceived by our studio founders: a sustainable brand rooted in good design, UK manufacturing, and a genuine commitment to giving something back.

Five years later, it has had over 250 retail stockists including: many independents, Somerset House, Royal Academy, Selfridges, Barbican, Getty Museum, Papersmiths, Museum of the Home, National Galleries Scotland; it has sold to thousands of direct-to-consumer customers, recognised in industry awards, exhibited at international trade shows; and has had over 250 press features across titles such as Observer Magazine, Architectural Digest, The Independent, House Beautiful, Evening Standard, Financial Times, Prima, Metro, Home & Interiors, Good Homes, English Home, Good Housekeeping and Ideal Home.

The learning exceeded our expectations.

As designers, we have always understood brand. We understood how to build an identity that holds together across different media, how to write copy that sounds like a real person rather than a committee, how to design packaging that works at scale. What we had to learn — and learn quickly — was everything that has to work seamlessly in between: product development and manufacturing (sustainably in the UK), how a retail buyer and merchandiser actually decides what to stock, what a trade show stand needs to do in the first three seconds, what a Shopify product page genuinely needs to convert, how to price for wholesale margins without collapsing a DTC business, and what it takes to approach a retailer directly without sounding like you’ve sent the same email to many others.

Some of this knowledge exists in books and courses. Most of it, in our experience, you acquire firsthand by doing it — by packing your first trade show stand at all hours and being present at the event itself (from build to breakdown), by listening to your customers’ feedback, by reading a buyer’s rejection email carefully and understanding what it’s actually telling you, by analysing your metrics and realising that the product page you were proudest of has a thirty per cent bounce rate. And so much more.

We are not suggesting that every design studio should go and run its own brand. That can be a particular kind of expensive education. But we are saying that having done it has changed how we work with every brand client we take on.

We’ve formalised this into a service, Brand to Market, which is designed specifically for independent product brands who need more from a creative studio partner. If that sounds like it might be relevant to where you are, we’d be very happy to have a conversation.

In the meantime: if you’re building a product brand and have a question we might be able to help with, just ask. With five years dedicated experience of doing this means we have probably encountered it, and can help with your unique journey.

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Photography: Billie Scheepers for Superdrug’s ‘The Edit’ Magazine — featuring Storigraphic wrapping papers: Sweetpea, Lovebug, Bountiful Festive Bloom, Candy Hearts, Boho Red 3, Symphony 2 and 6.

Recently completed: corporate identity, visual language, UI/UX design and implementation for a specialist law firm.

Read our full work study here.

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Recently completed: comprehensive brand identity refresh and positioning programme for a not-for-profit that fights for writers’ rights.

Refreshing and repositioning a much-respected membership organisation.

Read our full work study here.

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Recently completed: designing and building the Camden Meeting Predictable Needs Toolkit.

We were approached by the London Borough of Camden to design and develop their Meeting Predictable Needs School Age Toolkit. An online resource to serve a diverse audience: parents, carers, educators, and support professionals, many of whom rely on assistive technologies. Our brief was to create an online resource that was usable by everyone, meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA standard.

The Design Challenge

Designing for accessibility from the outset means rethinking some conventional UI patterns. We focused on:

• Creating a clear, logical heading structure that would make sense to screen reader users navigating the content
• Ensuring sufficient colour contrast whilst maintaining Camden’s brand identity
• Designing responsive layouts that worked across devices without compromising accessibility features
• Building navigation that was keyboard-friendly and clearly signposted

A priority challenge was balancing the client’s initial aspirations for WCAG 2.2 Level AAA compliance against practical implementation. Whilst AAA is admirable, it’s often unachievable for all content types. We worked collaboratively to identify where AAA enhancements could be implemented and where Level AA provided appropriate, compliant accessibility.

Development and Testing

The technical build required meticulous attention to semantic HTML structure, ARIA labels, and ensuring all interactive elements were accessible via keyboard navigation. We implemented responsive design principles that maintained accessibility across all breakpoints.

Testing was iterative and comprehensive. We worked with Camden to catch common issues like colour contrast and missing alt text, but the real work came from manual testing with screen readers. This revealed nuances that automated tools miss — such as headings that appeared correct visually but were announced awkwardly or out of sequence by assistive technology.

Working with Stakeholders

Close collaboration with Camden’s team was essential throughout the project. Their subject matter expertise and understanding of their users’ needs informed every design decision. We worked together to:

• Prioritise content hierarchy based on how families and professionals would actually use the toolkit
• Review and refine accessibility features based on the team’s feedback and testing
• Navigate the balance between regulatory compliance and practical usability
• Address specific technical challenges as they emerged during development

This collaborative approach meant we could make informed decisions quickly, ensuring the project stayed on track whilst maintaining the high accessibility standards required.

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It’s our last working day of 2025, and we wanted to take a moment to say thank you.

It’s been a good year. We’ve worked with valued clients, delivered projects we’re proud of, and collaborated closely with people who’ve trusted us with their creative briefs. That means a great deal to us.

As we switch off the lights and step away for a well-earned break, we’re grateful for the partnerships, conversations, and collaborations that have made this year what it was.

Wishing you a peaceful end to the year and a healthy, successful 2026.

We’ll be back on 5th January.

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Recently completed: refreshed identity and comprehensive brand scheme for an established firm of forensic genealogists and researchers.

Read our full work study here.

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Recently completed: a new visual identity for a non-profit creator initiative.

Read our full work study here.

#newwork #visualidentity #motion #designstudio #illustration #branding

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Recently completed: client work for leading London based SaaS financial software firm, Cytec.

Comprising brand architecture, UI design with style guide, iconography, graphic assets, and product launch campaign. Full work study coming soon.

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Peace, equality and freedom.

#IWD2024

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#internationalwomensday #womenindesign #femalefounders #community #socialchange #inspireinclusion #equality #womenlifefreedom

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February will mark our third full year of running Mentoring Sessions, our studio initiative designed to help Graphic Designers of all levels through expert guidance, feedback, and mentoring.

Over the past year, we hosted 25 mentees – a vibrant mix of emerging and established designers from across the world. Our 60-minute sessions tackled specific challenges, explored future ambitions, and ignited personalised action plans, aiding each mentee to make strides towards their future goals.

While online resources are abound, the overwhelming feedback we have received highlights the value of face-to-face interaction with a seasoned creative mind. Mentees cited overcoming common hurdles and challenges as a key motivator for seeking mentorship, including:

• Navigating career transitions — finding the perfect job, breaking into the industry, or transitioning to agency, in-house or freelance roles.
• Building confidence and self-belief — conquering self-doubt and effectively showcasing skills and potential.
• Expanding design expertise — mastering new skillsets, refining existing ones, and staying ahead of the curve.
• Demystifying career paths — understanding different design roles, responsibilities, and expectations within creative environments.
• Charting a course for growth — taking a current role to the next level and achieving long-term career goals.

As we embark on a sabbatical year from the Mentoring Sessions initiative, we have been keenly aware that our programme has focused beyond technical critique — it has been primarily about human connection, the genuine conversations that can spark self-belief, empowering designers to set goals and realise them. We’ve been privileged to see many find their unique path forward.

We shall resume our initiative in 2025.

Q&A

We asked some of our 2023 mentees why they looked for a mentor and how it helped.

Beatriz Carvalho — Graphic Designer

Why did you look for a mentor?
It’s really easy to feel lost in the industry when we are freshly out of the academic world and to not know how to get to the next stage and evolve into the best professional we can be. I felt the need to have some guidance on what I’m doing wrong or how could I improve to get some call backs.

How did it help?
Having the opportunity to speak with Roz and have some advice and even some reassurance that I can make it when I’m just starting my career was truly valuable to keep me moving forward. After putting the advice to work I got great results and hopefully I’ll find that dream job where I can be challenged and surrounded by creative minds.

Yelyzaveta Berestova — Illustrator and Designer

Why did you look for a mentor?
Upon graduating, I felt a bit overwhelmed with the job search and started to reach out to designers and studios I admired for a chat, help with portfolio, pointers with hiring etc. Roz and Charlotte from Minx Creative were one of the few people who got back to me and offered a mentorship session, where I didn’t only get to share my work but also practice speaking about it, which is so important in preparation for job interviews.

How did it help?
At the time, I was looking for a helping hand, but what I found was so much more. The Mentoring Session gave me confidence to reach out to new people and essentially became the basis for building my professional network, which is especially important when you are fresh out of university. I’ve also learnt that a chat with someone you admire can go a long way and can be more rewarding than asking for a favour right away.

Emilie Lim — Graphic Designer

Why did you look for a mentor?
I looked for a mentor, specifically a creative mentor because I needed assistance in my design journey to get insights and guidance.

How did it help?
The mentorship has been incredibly beneficial, and I’ve made improvements to my CV and portfolio based on the valuable feedback provided.

Matthew Russell — Graphic Designer

Why did you look for a mentor?
I had a portfolio that I put together from my time at Shillington, and thought it would help to get some input on my projects and what I could improve. I had been job searching for a while without much response and it was making me doubt my portfolio and whether it was any good. When I saw the mentorship opportunity from Minx Creative, I was delighted and thought it would be really useful to get some input from other industry creatives. There’s not many studios that offer mentoring and I think lots of entry-level designers would benefit from interacting with more experienced designers, as it can be challenging to start out in the industry.

How did it help?
Roz and Charlotte were really great to speak to in the virtual portfolio review, and I instantly felt relief in knowing that my portfolio was well received and that there were projects I could edit without needing to redo too much. The feedback was really concise so I was able to implement the changes with ease, and being able to resend them the updated portfolio for further feedback was incredibly reassuring.

They also helped me with my confidence, and it’s made me feel that I can better present myself in interviews with potential studios. This mentorship experience came at a crucial time as I didn’t have much faith in getting into the industry and needed the validation to keep pursuing to get my first full-time design role. Of all the interactions I have had in my job searching period, this has by far been the best experience.

Lizzie Emrich-Mills — Graphic Designer

Why did you look for a mentor?
I sought out a mentor to gain a better understanding of the design industry and what it takes to become a part of it. Graphic design job listings can be quite varied in what they require from candidates so I always aim to speak to real people (recruiters or otherwise) to ask them what they think of my skill set and portfolio projects.

How did it help?
I felt encouraged, motivated by the specificity of the feedback given and confident that I had the ability to improve. I had reached out to a number of different creatives looking for advice, but this session was particularly helpful because it went into detail about the responsibilities of a design agency intern or junior designer.

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