How To Set Up A Design Studio

How-do-you-do! Who are you lot and what business did yous starting time?

Hey, I'm Abb-d Choudhury, cofounder of Curate Labs, The Annual Digest and Driftime®. We are a creative practice focused around ethical and sustainable design, an annual publication that champions good business organization, transparency, entrepreneurship and startup civilization, and a travel platform that advocates conscious travel through editorial and interactive experiences.

I started the business back in 2022 with my partner Sara, and we've been going strength to forcefulness for nearly four years. Since the beginning, nosotros've been entirely bootstrapped, and have funded all our ventures with the support of client work over the years. Currently, the studio is the foreground of the business, with editorial beingness the supportive element.

We're currently in the procedure of developing our experiences side and during the year, we're aiming to shift our focus to be a culmination of service, experience, and editorial for travel, hospitality and lifestyle brands.

What'due south your backstory and how did y'all come up with the idea?

Curate Labs stemmed from an initial publication we created called Curate Magazine. The concept behind CM was, 'one theme, many interpretations – Challenging perspectives through conversation, expression, and curiosity'. Traditionally, I and Sara had worked in large agencies working with big international brands.

Through our roles, we hitting a saturation point and fell out of love with the work. From hither we decided to set up our ain practice, launching from the popularity of Curate Magazine, and creating Curate Labs as a creative, experimental design practice focused on ethics and pattern for skillful.

Links to previous issues of Curate Magazine…Effect four, Effect 5, Issue 6.

Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first production.

Every project is different, and nosotros approach it based on its value proposition and objectives. We typically have a long, in-depth onboarding procedure that largely deepens our cognition of the client and understanding their goals.

We are doers by eye, and approach each projection with actionable and measurable things that impact the client/partner business. Our philosophy has been to non charge for services, but for tangible results.

From an internal perspective, we launch ideas apace and seek existent feedback from users as this has been the most valuable way to move frontward, progress and improve. We took this approach with Curate Magazine, where each issue was a fundamental learning curve for how we present manufactures for high engagement, create navigational structures, ease of UX, etc.

This process of 'launch quick and iterate' allows us to listen and acquire more effectively. It allows us to practise creative ideas and give us room to undergo the messy procedure of experimenting and failing. It also means we don't take typical client restraints that some projects come with, letting us flex our artistic ideas and ultimately use as case studies to win similar work.

We're using the same process for our Driftime® App, initially launching the publishing platform around summer this twelvemonth, with the app and experiences to follow by the cease of 2022.

Describe the process of launching the business.

Every bit designers, in that location's a lot we can do upfront with less reliance on sourcing external expertise. We designed the brand, website, and built everything ourselves from the footing up. Whilst we were withal working for agencies, nosotros saved enough money to give us some runway for setting up the business organisation, and fortunately, we were able to secure a couple of projects to start the day we left our bureau roles.

From the beginning, nosotros wanted the blueprint to be more responsible. The work we did in agencies didn't hold much purpose and sometimes was ethically challenging. We believe that values shouldn't be compromised and when nosotros started the concern, we merely wanted to piece of work with brands and companies that positively impacted social, economic or ecology standards. Nosotros positioned ourselves to be an ethical blueprint do, that advocated sustainability and using design for good.

From there, we focused on service, high-value design output, support and simply doing skilful work. As a upshot, we were very fortunate in consistent referrals that helped sustain the business.

From a financial perspective, nosotros did virtually of the groundwork meaning the cost in setting up was minimal. Our investment was mostly that of fourth dimension, and one of the lessons we learned early on was 'try non to do everything' and bring in expertise (i.east. accounting) to help united states of america spend our time on what nosotros did best… design.

Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?

Nosotros take always been focused on creative output and letting our piece of work speak for itself. Traditionally, nosotros always came upward with ideas and created digital content to showcase our capabilities, sense of taste, values, and behavior. This ranged from digital publications and interactive travel guides, through to side projects and social experiments.

Over the last 3 years, we accept been producing the Annual Digest which has proven a great conversation starter. The publication gives the states an opportunity to abet business organization doing 'good' and championing their stories, perspectives, lessons, and efforts to a global audition. In turn, this shows our own idea leadership and how nosotros continually challenge what it ways to exist a business for good, giving the next generation real stories to learn from.

Aside from this, we continually endeavor to practise work that pushes conventional limits. With all customer work, side projects and experiments, nosotros advocate through our Instagram account, seek features on websites or magazines, and occasionally submit for awards.

Partners & Networks section of our Culture Transmission

How are yous doing today and what does the hereafter look like?

Currently, we're in the process of consolidating all aspects of our concern. What was traditionally 3 separate businesses (Curate Labs, Annual Digest & Driftime®), we're in the process of turning into one business concern with 3 departments – service, product, and editorial.

Once foundational structures are in place, we're hoping to hitting our highest turnaround this year (l-100% increment in revenue) and let multiple revenue streams to open upward by offering new products and services. Our biggest investment will be that of resources, equally nosotros're hoping to bootstrap all evolution and would consider external investment only if necessary (dependent on goals and objectives).

Curate Labs and the Annual Digest will merge into Driftime® – keeping Driftime® equally the chief business with the 3 departments mentioned above. Nosotros're hoping to accept this in place by summer 2022 and launch the editorial side of the platform at the same fourth dimension.

Through starting the business, have you learned anything especially helpful or advantageous?

Early on we learned that bringing in the correct people is fundamental. When we beginning started, we tried to practice too much ourselves, fifty-fifty certain things outside of our skillset such equally accounting. We realized that it makes more than sense to bring in a professional person that knows what they're doing. This may cost united states of america a piffling, but saves valuable fourth dimension that we tin can use for what nosotros do all-time, pattern.

From a customer perspective, our procedure has always been to bring in the right resources for each project and build our teams flexibly depending on the objectives. If a customer needs a particular kind of website or a bespoke typeface designed, etc. we'd find the all-time people for each of those skills.

Internally, nosotros're now aiming to spend our time focusing on the business and keeping it on the right path, whilst bringing in resources for design, management, etc. to help with the twenty-four hour period-to-twenty-four hours.

What platform/tools exercise you use for your business?

We apply multiple tools to help united states do what nosotros do. Currently, we use Figma, Notion, and web building tools such as Readymag or Webflow quite regularly. Our tool stack sometimes changes based on new software and what it is we're trying to achieve.

Our nature is to do things quickly, examination, iterate and refine. Tools like Figma and Principle assistance the states image, animated and examination ideas quickly and obtain valuable feedback. Other tools such equally Grand Suite or Notion, assistance continue things managed and organized.

For social, we utilize Subsequently for scheduling and tools similar Chatra to help with leads, or Slack for internal communication.

Procedure, Services & Onboarding department in our Culture Transmission

What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?

Zero to One by Peter Thiel

A really good volume for understanding business and the competitive landscape of your sector or industry.

Win Without Pitching Manifesto past Blair Enns

For an industry that has its services largely undervalued, this book is great for reassociating the importance (and reinstate value) of design.

Kickoff with Why by Simon Sinek – currently reading

Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard - currently reading

Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are merely starting out?

Invest in people as early equally you can. Bring in skillsets and resources to help with heavy lifting, and so that yous tin can free up time to focus on running your business organisation past leading it in the correct direction and seeing the bigger picture.

Like many others, we've fallen victim to doing too much by ourselves. A familiar African Proverb reads, "If you want to get quickly, become lonely. If you want to go far, get together."

Are you looking to rent for certain positions right now?

Currently, we are nonetheless working on foundational structures and we'll likely look to hire a relationships/account manager. This role would consist of working directly with clients and management overall projects, every bit well as maintaining the human relationship over the years. This would help us focus on sales and marketing whilst notwithstanding existence able to provide a high standard of service.

Where tin we get to larn more?

• Website
• Instagram
• Medium
• Newsletter
• Annual Assimilate
• Driftime®

If you take whatever questions or comments, driblet a comment beneath!

-

Abb-d Choudhury, Founder of Driftime® Media

Driftime® Media has provided an update on their business!

Most 1 twelvemonth ago, nosotros followed up with Driftime® Media to meet how they've been doing since we published this article.

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