G–W Studios’ diversely talented team has discovered the secret to creating practical yet long-lasting designs for fast-growing startups. With a history just shy of five years, G–W has introduced Design for Scale services as a solution to one of the biggest challenges to scaling digital brands and products.
A recent study by McKinsey tracked the financial data of 300 publicly listed companies over a five year period sorting them into four quartiles in terms of design performance. Strikingly the top quartile increased their revenues and shareholder returns at nearly twice the rate of their industry counterparts.
For large corporations, executing a rebrand or crafting a user-friendly product design takes years and possibly millions of dollars. This approach may be suitable for companies with a big budget and plenty of time on their hands, but startups are looking for something different.
When you move at the speed of startup, you want a design process that inherently adapts to your needs. However, that’s easier said than done, especially if the company wants world-class design.
The founders of G–W Studios, a small but skilled bunch of senior designers and copywriters distributed across Scandinavia and the United States with years of experience at the world’s biggest tech companies and global agencies with prestigious reputations, sought to fix this problem. By flattening hierarchies, taking out the middlemen, and keeping teams small, they’ve done just that.
The company’s proprietary Design for Scale approach was fueled by the team’s entrepreneurial lessons. The majority of the team has launched startups and intimately understands the priorities of a fast-growing company. This insight allows G–W to translate this reservoir of knowledge into a frill-free results-based studio.
G–W’s services are open to companies spanning across earlier stages to the elusive billion dollar valuation, all the way to the IPO. The company prides itself on creating brand identities and digital products for established companies such as Spotify, Airbnb, Klarna and Google Ventures as well as the next generation aspiring brands people will discover soon.
G–W’s Design for Scale services helps businesses present stunning brand and product design that is practical and adaptable. Instead of rebranding bi-yearly, G–W ensures that clients can keep the aesthetics and systems that define them while they continue to grow.
David Prentell, co-founder and strategic partner says, “That's a lot of what inspires Design for Scale—the emphasis on removing unnecessary parts, and getting down to the heart of the problem. Then building a design system up from the ground shaped as better customer experiences, conversion rates, performing websites, as well as aligning our client’s employees towards their common purpose. The design touches everything. That's why we work so well for these early companies”.
David Prentell and Maria Bjorklund, Strategic Partner and Head of Studio of G-W Studio respectively
Rather than attaching to a particular design trend, the company pins their design methodology to their client's strategy, target audience, core values and vision. By focusing exclusively on creative excellence, and removing additional overhead like dedicated project managers and fancy offices, G–W are able to offer their services at a much more affordable cost than their equivalent competitors in the range of $50-70k, without sacrificing quality. G–W executes a typical brand and website in less than 90 days.
G–W designs for ambitious startups, and sometimes also invests in them, says David Prentell–with the belief that giving back to the ecosystem is essential for future success and innovation to continue.
Throughout its history, G–W has collected several awards including three Fast Company Innovation by Design awards collaborating with its clients Hummingbird, Dandi and Sealed. G—W was also awarded Agency of the Year for having the most satisfied clients in all of Sweden, and they plan to continue this streak.
Maria Björklund, Head of Studio attributes its success to Scandinavia's design heritage and the team’s seniority, craftsmanship and emphasis on cultivating trust with clients. The company pledges to continue to use its expertise to continuously uplift and support fast growing companies with incredible brands and customer experiences.
Media Contact
Name: David Prentell
Email: hi@g-w.studio
Published by: Pathos Communications Ltd