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Ritupriya BasuAin’t no challenge new enough: 247Studio on why their appetite for the new is their secret sauce
Polish design agency 247Studio never shies away from new adventures. Based in Gdynia, the eight-person team has crafted entire visual worlds for an impressive mix of brands. Whether they’re working with a pioneering company in the fashion and NFT space, a restaurant celebrating Polish flavours, or a brand making the best diving gear in the business, the team approaches each project with bottomless curiosity, immersing themselves in each industry and its intricacies. It’s this hunger for the new that helps the team to keep expanding their horizons, and allows them to bring a fresh perspective to the table.
“One of the most important values in our studio is courage and the desire to learn about new topics,” Co-founder & Art Director Oskar Podolski tells us as we delve into a conversation about their incredible range. Co-founder & Senior Designer Karol Imiałkowski, Senior Designer Marcin Maciega, and Web Developer Bartosz Kruszynski also join the chat to throw some light on their research-driven process, their appetite for exploration, and why they’re always looking to make work that’s ready to go the distance.
RB Hi Oskar, Karol, Marcin and Bartosz! How have things been at the 247Studio HQ lately?
KI Hey there, all good, thanks for asking!
MM Hi, gotta say, it’s been pretty hectic lately :P
BK Loads happening! Tons of exciting new projects keeping us on our toes.
OP Hey everyone, things are really busy here! This year has brought us a bunch of challenges, not only in design but also on the business front. Hopefully, we’ll have the chance to discuss it more next year!
RB For those unfamiliar with your studio, could you tell us a bit about what you do and why you do it?
KI We’re a crew from Poland, specifically Gdynia, and we’ve been doing our thing for about eight years now. We’re all about crafting brand identities and giving them that extra sparkle, but there’s more to us than that. I reckon our work goes beyond the usual branding gig. When we team up with brands, we don’t stop at visuals – we’re into animation, product design, UI/UX, you name it. We strive to provide unique solutions for the companies we team up with.
BK Over the years, we’ve assembled a team that’s incredibly versatile and experienced. Their skills allow us not only to design distinctive visual identities but, most importantly, to empathise with our clients. This enables us to offer an effective process that helps develop brands in the desired direction – from brand strategy, through branding and all kinds of marketing materials, to designing and implementing the most sophisticated websites using cutting-edge technologies. What always drives us is the satisfaction of a well-executed project and the business growth of our clients who have entrusted us with their brand.
RB You’ve crafted identities for a diverse range of brands. What allows you this flexibility to work across disparate industries?
KI From my perspective, experience is all about diversity – I believe it’s what gives us the ability to adapt and thrive in various fields and industries. Strong strategic work and open communication within our team make it easier to navigate this rapidly changing world.
MM We’re big on workshops and extensive research, which gives us the confidence to explore new territories and dive into different industries. This openness often lands us in exciting new situations, keeping the work fresh and exciting.
BK It’s that very diversity that allows us to execute great projects. By delving into industries that are new to us, we can offer a fresh perspective on brand image, free from industry bias. Remembering that we’re not creating an image just for the company itself, but for its customers, helps us to better see the details from their perspective. This ties into what Marcin mentioned earlier about our openness to exploring new territories and industries, which keeps our work exciting and dynamic.
OP I think sheer design quality and knowledge sometimes aren’t enough. I’m convinced that one of the most important values in our studio is courage and the desire to learn about new topics. Every time, we aim to delve deeply into the businesses that come to us – to understand, and only then begin designing. Courage, on the other hand, helps us to target brands that often have diverse directions.
By delving into industries that are new to us, we can offer a fresh perspective on brand image.
RB What kind of projects do you find yourself gravitating towards?
KI I believe that even the strangest industry has its creative potential.
BK From my point of view, it’s about being ‘comprehensive.’ We’re drawn towards projects where we can create the brand image on multiple levels while ensuring consistency in communication across all brand channels. These are the biggest challenges, but also they offer the greatest satisfaction in their implementation. Whether we’re working with a local artisan brand, a large manufacturing company, or a futuristic AI startup – we value the complexity of the project and the client’s trust in the outcome of our work the most.
OP Completely subjectively, I’m most drawn to projects that are based on physicality. I’m referring to branding that includes an object, a product, or an interior. During the digitisation of almost everything, the opportunity to work on such materials and the knowledge about them is the beauty of design. Intelligent and functional translation of the brand onto such an object is the perfect finale.
RB Has there been a standout project you’ve worked on recently that threw some challenges at you, which you overcame?
KI Every project comes with its challenges. From my perspective, there have been several recent ones with their unique hurdles ;) I’m thinking here about Hape, Santi, Hubmed, Vellis, and Airtrade. Take Hape, for example, which is an NFT brand with animated avatars. It kicked off before the NFT technology wave hit. When I first heard about NFTs, it blew my mind. One big challenge was creating a robust product for a different target audience. But looking back, I’m proud to say the project still holds up, meeting all the technical needs across different fields and still looking great visually.
MM From my point of view, our own rebrand was the toughest project recently. We took on a wide range of tasks, from communication and logo to web design, revamping our entire portfolio, creating a showreel, and even designing a custom font. Plus, everyone had their own ideas and memories of what came before. But somehow, we managed to blend it all into something cohesive and cool. And now, each of us feels pretty proud about taking this big leap into the future.
BK For me, such a project was Santi. They’re a top producer of diving gear with a strong market position. The challenge was to create a new, unique visual identity. On one hand, it needed to showcase the brand’s continuous technological growth, while on the other hand, we needed to ensure that it didn’t disconnect from the well-known industry elements recognised by customers. Additionally, the project involved developing new processes and consolidating several service platforms into a well-thought-out corporate portal, set to premiere soon. It was a very niche product, with a specific target group and the use of modern technologies both in diving suit design and in the implementation of the corporate portal. This made the project a significant challenge – but we believe we’ve achieved great results.
OP One more point for Santi – collaborating with this brand gave us the opportunity to create a sub-brand for technical diving, Avatar. The branding for Avatar was summed up by designing a diving suit. Our studio, together with the Santi team, created a product that was so innovative and well-thought-out that it now serves as a very strong selling point.
The cornerstone of our creative process is a deep understanding of the brand we’re working with.
RB How do you ensure that an identity stands the test of time?
MM We’re all about building projects on strong foundations, like grids, layouts, and typography. We mix classic techniques with new elements, all filtered through our sense of style. Knowing we’re using tried-and-true methods gives us confidence that our work will stand the test of time and will help each brand shine for years to come.
BK When it comes to the nitty-gritty tech stuff, we’re all about keeping things modern and secure. In today’s fast-paced world, every second counts, especially when it comes to loading websites packed with content. That’s why we use the latest tech tools to make sure our products are super-optimised and ready to go the distance.
RB Could you take us through your creative process, right from when something new lands on your desk?
KI Hah, I’m not sure if we have enough time, but I think Bartosz Kruszynski, who went through quite the transformation in our studio from being a Project Manager to a Web Developer, will be the right person to answer this.
BK Sure thing. The cornerstone of our creative process is a deep understanding of the brand we’re working with. Every project starts with workshops with the client, where representatives from various departments are invited; this approach allows us to get to know the brand from different perspectives. However, we don’t solely rely on the information gathered at these workshops – to provide the aforementioned “fresh perspective,” we conduct our own in-depth research, verifying countless brands from direct and indirect competitors, often interviewing representatives of target groups and delving into the verbal and visual communication of the industry. The result is a brand communication strategy that highlights key, yet unique brand values, which in subsequent stages form the foundation of the project.
In the following stages, work progresses on multiple fronts – on one hand, designers focus on creating visual identities, while on the other, copywriting continues, which together allows for the creation of branding presentations presented to the client – this is another milestone in our process. The latter part of the project varies greatly depending on the client and their needs, but once we have the final branding in place, work begins on designing all kinds of marketing materials, products, or websites; continuous communication with the client and ongoing discussion of the results of planned sprints are crucial. This way, we ensure that all project elements meet not only our expectations or that of the target group, but also of the client – after all, they are the most important influencers of their brand.
RB How has the team grown over the years? Have you had to adapt your process as you’ve evolved?
KI Currently, we’re working in an eight-person team consisting of five designers/generalists/motion designers, two web developers, and a project manager. If this year picks up momentum as it did in the first quarter, we’re planning to expand the creative department by adding one senior designer and a traffic manager to ensure better information flow around projects.
MM Some of our team members have been working remotely for some time now, so we’ve adjusted our work method to ensure everyone knows where the project stands and what the next steps are. Naturally, the number of online meetings and status update processes has increased as well.
BK It’s worth mentioning that we recently decided to introduce a hybrid work model. Previously, we were advocates of working from the office as it provided a more fluid flow of information within the team, but it also came with certain limitations. Transitioning partially to remote work allowed us to recruit even more talented members to our team, and although it required significant changes to our processes, which we’re constantly optimising, it’s working out great.
RB How important is it for you to find the time and space to work on personal projects?
KI We like to approach our commercial projects as if they were personal endeavours, which works pretty well considering how busy we always are. Usually, we present our clients with more than one creative direction, giving us room to experiment with new technologies and ideas.
MM It’s super important to have time for exploring new things. We have some cool projects, and while we spend a lot of time researching, not everything fits into commercial projects. That’s where personal projects come in handy – they let us explore without limits, even if they don’t always make it into the spotlight.
BK You won’t be surprised to hear that we often struggle to find time for personal projects, but we know they’re crucial for growth. That’s why we’re always sharing inspiration and cool ideas within the team. Plus, we’ve started doing short internal presentations to keep everyone in the loop. They’re always interesting and keep us on our toes!
OP This is something close to my heart. I’m all about letters. After work, I love creating my own alphabets, which eventually find their way onto canvas. It’s a passion project that’s closely linked to what we do at the studio. Also, mixing analogue and digital techniques has always been my jam.
Trust and professionalism help us handle multiple projects simultaneously.
RB Do you often find yourselves juggling multiple projects and deadlines at once? If so, what helps the team stay on top of things?
KI Sure, we usually have about eight to 10 projects running simultaneously.
BK The key is managing the team’s time effectively and scheduling projects wisely. With so many stages and projects lasting from a few months to several years, it’s necessary to handle multiple projects at once. We know each other very well, understand our working pace, and the time needed for each project component. This allows us to schedule everything smoothly, ensuring everyone has enough time to work on their part before moving on to the next.
OP That’s the absolute strength of our team. Trust and professionalism help us handle multiple projects simultaneously at the highest level.
RB Since you’re in the business of building identities, is there one legacy brand or an identity of even a fictional brand (think Dunder Mifflin Paper from The Office) that is endlessly fascinating to you?
MM Being a fan of sci-fi and the Alien series, the visual aesthetic of Weyland Corp has always fascinated me. Its simplicity and industrial character, despite being part of a ruthless corporation, had an incredible impact on me ever since I first saw it in the series.
BK From my perspective, there are a few inspirations. Over the years, I’ve been observing brands like Apple or Nike and how their communication has evolved. Other designers like Virgil Abloh (R.I.P) or even Jony Ive have also been sources of inspiration, although I don’t always draw inspiration directly from their work.
OP I prefer not to reference specific brands or names. There are just too many. I think what endlessly fascinates me is the merging of worlds, competencies, and ways of thinking. For example, combining design with art. Additionally, working with letters is an endless journey for me.
RB Is there one dream project at the studio that’s yet to be realised?
KI Definitely. From my perspective, working on a project for a bicycle brand would be super fascinating. However, the gaming industry also sounds intriguing to me.
MM I agree with Karol, I think any project that taps into our passions and allows for creative expression is the most desirable. I could add an electronic music festival to that mix.
BK Following the principle of “learning from the best,” I’d gladly participate in a project for a large, global brand like Apple, Nike, or Disney. As a pragmatist, every project with a unique focus provides me with a wealth of knowledge and experience, which then allows me to streamline processes in our studio.
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