There really are many positives to launching things on your own terms, like the freedom to pick and choose the type of work you want to onboard, or the people you’d like to collaborate with. Both Ania and Lucie are in awe of this newfound sense of freedom that’s been elevated since setting up the studio; they’re their own bosses, meaning they can try out things, make mistakes and “see what sticks”. Ania adds: “We didn’t necessarily want to work with the most prestigious and biggest brands, but work with clients that would trust us and respond to our sensibility.”
In other news, Ania and Lucie have also designed the brand identity, product packaging and website for sustainable haircare brand Sándor – a project inspired by sustainability and “making sure the planetary footprint of Sándor is as low as possible”. This equated to product bottles crafted from recyclable, 100% post-industrial aluminium scrap, and the shipping boxes made from mushroom packaging and algae-based ink – suffused with signature earthy tones. Amid their small but mighty portfolio, these two projects symbolise the high level, ethical and forward-thinking work of the studio and what it promises to bring as it grows.
One of the studio’s most recently completed projects is the rebrand for luxury bag and shoe boutique Mansur Gabriel, a brief that saw the duo brought on to initially just work on a few UX updates on the website. The result is a colourful, artistic and nature-rich identity, fuelled by a primary colour palette, expressive painterly touches and a “monogram that symbolises the strength of the founders’ relationship”, says Ania. All of which transfers across to the physical store and packaging.
Now, Ania and Lucie direct a holistic design vision towards a variety of “emotional, elevated and highly detailed” projects, says Lucie. Having hailed from a more digital-centred background previously, the duo have steered steadily towards working in the realms of branding, print packaging, art direction and environments. “We love infusing tactility into our work through drawing, painting and experiencing with different mediums,” she adds. Another pivotal moment is that – like many – they’ve both had to adapt to working from home over the course of lockdown. And not too long ago, Lucie moved to France – a plan that’s been long in the making and only quickened due to the circumstances. Consequently, they left their previous physical studio on Canal Street and moved to a new location just a stone’s throw away from Ania’s apartment in Brooklyn, with plans to open up a second space near to Lucie.