Startup tactics
Strategy
Unbounded Artistry
Startup tactics
Strategy
Unbounded Artistry
Most agencies and freelancers work on the surface. We are a tactical partner that gets inside your business to transform it.
We combine world-class design taste, precise execution, with years of lived business experience to level up ambitious companies that want to become household names. Whether you are looking to build trust, credibility, or stand out in a crowded market, or simply refine existing values and reflect it across your sites, we would love to partner with you. We help you:
Most agencies and freelancers work on the surface. We get inside your business to truly transform it.
We combine high design taste, precise execution, with years of lived business experience to level up ambitious companies that want to become household names. Whether you are looking to build trust, credibility, or stand out in a crowded market, or simply refine existing values and reflect it across your sites, we would love to partner with you. We help you:
▪ Launch, level-up, or evolve
▪ Launch, level-up, or evolve
▪ Design structures for scale
▪ Design structures for scale
▪ Close the gap between company vision and customer perception
▪ Change positioning and perception
The problem we solve
The problem we solve
Businesses your size get stuck in the middle. Too experienced for freelancers, too agile for agencies, too busy for DIY.
Agencies are slow and expensive, chasing awards over outcomes. Freelancers are order-takers who won't improve your brief or ask you questions.
You know your business has outgrown your brand—and the indecision is costing you deals. We ask the right questions, to get the right answers, cut through the chaos and decision paralysis, and deliver outcomes that make you proud of your business again.
We do this because we love the energy and momentum we create, and this keeps us in our treasured cycle of learning and teaching.
Businesses your size get stuck in the middle. Too big for freelancers, too small for agencies, too busy for DIY.
Agencies are slow and expensive, chasing awards over outcomes. Freelancers are order-takers who won't improve your brief. DIY gets you started, and we applaud leveraging all technology, but that can hit a ceiling and won't get you across to discerning audiences in 2025.
You know your business has outgrown your brand—and the indecision is costing you. We ask the right questions, cut through the chaos and decision paralysis, and deliver outcomes that make you proud of your business again.
We do this work because we love the energy and momentum we create, and this keeps us in our treasured cycle of learning and teaching.
Our unique combo
Our unique combo
▪ Artistic foundation (Drawing, animation, fine art, real world, natural inspiration vs plastic design and regurgitation)
▪ Diverse experience in varied roles (Hiring manager, stakeholder management, design leadership, founder)
▪ 13 Years of pattern recognition across industries and growth stages
▪ Entrepreneurial approach and speed (We've been in the trenches ourselves)
▪ Artistic foundation (Drawing, animation, fine art, real world, natural inspiration vs plastic design and regurgitation)
▪ Diverse experience in varied roles (Hiring manager, stakeholder management, design leadership, founder)
▪ 13 Years of pattern recognition across industries and growth stages
▪ Entrepreneurial approach and speed (We've been in the trenches ourselves)
Services
For growth-stage
Prototyping
Research and testing
Brand strategy & re-positioning
Naming and linguistics
Brand architecture
High-conversion websites
For enterprise
Brand transformation
Fractional design leadership
Model & brand alignment
Model x brand alignment
TAM expansion
Design, product team evaluations
Landing pages
Character witnesses
Branding
❝
She inspired creativity and led the often messy path to finding impactful creative solutions within constraints. Laura's approach was unique in that she tested the creative boundaries and didn't compromise on quality. She elevated design quality, direction and our brand.
Laura is the reason we have our brand today, which appeals much more broadly to our new TAM of non-event verticals, gender inclusive, and more up-market/high end.
—Daniel B. Head of Product Innovation
❝
Laura has clear vision and a refined creative approach that allow her to bring abstract ideas to life in district and beautiful ways. She’s also wicked funny and has a pulse on the popular zeitgeist which allows her work to break through the noise and ring true.
—Natalie W. Head of Content
More
Branding
❝
She inspired creativity and led the often messy path to finding impactful creative solutions within constraints. Laura's approach was unique in that she tested the creative boundaries and didn't compromise on quality. She elevated design quality, direction and our brand.
Laura is the reason we have our brand today, which appeals much more broadly to our new TAM of non-event verticals, gender inclusive, and more up-market/high end.
—Daniel B. Head of Product Innovation
❝
Laura has clear vision and a refined creative approach that allow her to bring abstract ideas to life in district and beautiful ways. She’s also wicked funny and has a pulse on the popular zeitgeist which allows her work to break through the noise and ring true.
—Natalie W. Head of Content
More
A strategic design partner can look around corners for you. DBA means we transform your business from the inside out, acting as if it were our own.
What we do
For growth-stage companies
Prototyping
Naming and linguistics testing
Research and testing
Brand strategy and positioning
Brand architecture
High-conversion websites
For established businesses
Brand transformation
Fractional design leadership
Model x brand alignment
TAM expansion
Design, product team evaluations
Landing pages
FAQs
FAQs
How it works
What makes us different?
We are not a traditional agency. Our years spent leading design in startups ingrained within us (read, beat into us) an entrepreneurial approach. That means we move fast, think strategically, and ask better questions—of you, and your audience. Where many studios focus on sensationalism, we’re obsessed with resonance. We dig deep into your audience, your offering, and your internal strengths to design with you—not at you.
Yes, we make beautiful things. But in 2025 that’s table stakes. What sets us apart is how we ground creative work in insight, instinct, and human-made cultural appeal. We research. We get into the trenches of your business so the work doesn’t just look good—it lands, resonates, and performs in the real world.
What's your pricing?
We charge based on complexity and scope, with most projects set up and launched within weeks. After launch, we take a different approach to most teams. We proactively monitor and manage your sites and charge a lowered fee. We provide insights and visual tracking, and helpful intel. Stewarding everything on the sites gives our clients complete peace of mind.
We work with clients from seed round to approaching exit.
Starting out: $9,500/mo
Growth: $16,000/mo
Scale up: $28,000+/mo
Get in touch with us and we'll walk through your unique needs.
Do you take equity?
For projects of larger scope, we have taken a mix of payment and equity. We evaluate based on mutual fit, alignment on longer term strategies, and most importantly, we interrogate our unique ability to supercharge the trajectory of the company.
What makes us different?
We are not a traditional agency. Our years spent leading design in startups ingrained within us (read, beat into us) an entrepreneurial approach. That means we move fast, think strategically, and ask better questions—of you, and your audience. Where many studios focus on sensationalism, we’re obsessed with resonance. We dig deep into your audience, your offering, and your internal strengths to design with you—not at you.
Yes, we make beautiful things. But in 2025 that’s table stakes. What sets us apart is how we ground creative work in insight, instinct, and human-made cultural appeal. We research. We get into the trenches of your business so the work doesn’t just look good—it lands, resonates, and performs in the real world.
What's your pricing?
We charge based on complexity and scope, with most projects set up and launched within weeks. After launch, we take a different approach to most teams. We proactively monitor and manage your sites and charge a lowered fee. We provide insights and visual tracking, and helpful intel. Stewarding everything on the sites gives our clients complete peace of mind.
We work with clients from seed round to approaching exit.
Starting out: $9,500/mo
Growth: $16,000/mo
Scale up: $28,000+/mo
Get in touch with us and we'll walk through your unique needs.
Do you take equity?
For projects of larger scope, we have taken a mix of payment and equity. We evaluate based on mutual fit, alignment on longer term strategies, and most importantly, we interrogate our unique ability to supercharge the trajectory of the company.
What makes us different?
We are not a traditional agency. Our years spent leading design in startups ingrained within us (read, beat into us) an entrepreneurial approach. That means we move fast, think strategically, and ask better questions—of you, and your audience. Where many studios focus on sensationalism, we’re obsessed with resonance. We dig deep into your audience, your offering, and your internal strengths to design with you—not at you.
Yes, we make beautiful things. But in 2025 that’s table stakes. What sets us apart is how we ground creative work in insight, instinct, and human-made cultural appeal. We research. We get into the trenches of your business so the work doesn’t just look good—it lands, resonates, and performs in the real world.
What's your pricing?
We charge based on complexity and scope, with most projects set up and launched within weeks. After launch, we take a different approach to most teams. We proactively monitor and manage your sites and charge a lowered fee. We provide insights and visual tracking, and helpful intel. Stewarding everything on the sites gives our clients complete peace of mind.
We work with clients from seed round to approaching exit.
Starting out: $9,500/mo
Growth: $16,000/mo
Scale up: $28,000+/mo
Get in touch with us and we'll walk through your unique needs.
Do you take equity?
For projects of larger scope, we have taken a mix of payment and equity. We evaluate based on mutual fit, alignment on longer term strategies, and most importantly, we interrogate our unique ability to supercharge the trajectory of the company.
About Laura, our Chief Creative Officer
What are your qualifications?
13 years of leveling up businesses from the inside. Having worked up from a UI designer to design leadership, and having been on the other side of the hiring table making decisions based on ROI, I have a unique perspective on how to provide the most value possible.
I have a background in fine art, traditional animation, social gaming, early advent social media. Every app I've ever worked on has been featured in the App Store. As a founder myself, I understand the chaos and speed of that building real businesses require. The understanding of reality is a differentiator.
Being a self taught designer, I honed all my skills on the job by dropping myself in the deep ends, with support from the best mentors.
For more background checks, and learn about my network, see linkedin.com/in/laurazheng
What are your qualifications?
13 years of leveling up businesses from the inside. Having worked up from a UI designer to design leadership, and having been on the other side of the hiring table making decisions based on ROI, I have a unique perspective on how to provide the most value possible.
I have a background in fine art, traditional animation, social gaming, early advent social media. Every app I've ever worked on has been featured in the App Store. As a founder myself, I understand the chaos and speed of that building real businesses require. The understanding of reality is a differentiator.
Being a self taught designer, I honed all my skills on the job by dropping myself in the deep ends, with support from the best mentors.
For more background checks, and learn about my network, see linkedin.com/in/laurazheng
What are your qualifications?
13 years of leveling up businesses from the inside. Having worked up from a UI designer to design leadership, and having been on the other side of the hiring table making decisions based on ROI, I have a unique perspective on how to provide the most value possible.
I have a background in fine art, traditional animation, social gaming, early advent social media. Every app I've ever worked on has been featured in the App Store. As a founder myself, I understand the chaos and speed of that building real businesses require. The understanding of reality is a differentiator.
Being a self taught designer, I honed all my skills on the job by dropping myself in the deep ends, with support from the best mentors.
For more background checks, and learn about my network, see linkedin.com/in/laurazheng
What's it like to work with you?
You get a partner who's both ambitious and empathetic. We tackle big problems fast.
To quote one of my favorite artists:
"Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week." —Jay-Z
What's it like to work with you?
You get a partner who's both ambitious and empathetic. We tackle big problems fast.
To quote one of my favorite artists:
"Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week." —Jay-Z
What's it like to work with you?
You get a partner who's both ambitious and empathetic. We tackle big problems fast.
To quote one of my favorite artists:
"Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week." —Jay-Z
Secret nerd manifesto
Laura: You could say I'm a bit of an interaction design purist. I don't like busy artsy design work that gets in the way of accessibility. There's a reason for that.
My foray into UX/UI began in the early 2000s (I’m very old), when I was working as a game concept artist—painting monsters, muscle-y dudes, and weapons, when the Apple App Store was just coming alive. That era drilled into me a deep respect for behavioral psychology and the foundations of human-centered design. Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines weren’t just aesthetic — they were strategy disguised as standardization. Accessible, intuitive, and frictionless by design.
Web design, by contrast, still feels like the Wild Wild West—lawless, bloated, and driven more by ego than utility. I love expressive, experimental sites as much as the next Cool Person™, but when you’re designing for real people—with real decisions to make and limited time to make them—prioritizing aesthetic stunts over usability isn’t clever. It’s disrespectful. If you’re not showing up for your users, you’re just showing off.
Here’s the contradiction that allows my work to stand apart: I’m obsessive about visual polish and interaction nuance—but only in service of clarity, trust, and real business results. I see the forest and the trees. I know the value of surprise and delight, which details are worth sweating, and which ones are for vanity.
I love when my work sits right in the delta between precision and performance. Good design tells the right story, plants the right seeds, earns trust—and gets the hell out of the way when people show up in droves.
Secret nerd manifesto
Laura: You could say I'm a bit of an interaction design purist. I don't like busy artsy design work that gets in the way of accessibility. There's a reason for that.
My foray into UX/UI began in the early 2000s (I’m very old), when I was working as a game concept artist—painting monsters, muscle-y dudes, and weapons, when the Apple App Store was just coming alive. That era drilled into me a deep respect for behavioral psychology and the foundations of human-centered design. Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines weren’t just aesthetic — they were strategy disguised as standardization. Accessible, intuitive, and frictionless by design.
Web design, by contrast, still feels like the Wild Wild West—lawless, bloated, and driven more by ego than utility. I love expressive, experimental sites as much as the next Cool Person™, but when you’re designing for real people—with real decisions to make and limited time to make them—prioritizing aesthetic stunts over usability isn’t clever. It’s disrespectful. If you’re not showing up for your users, you’re just showing off.
Here’s the contradiction that allows my work to stand apart: I’m obsessive about visual polish and interaction nuance—but only in service of clarity, trust, and real business results. I see the forest and the trees. I know the value of surprise and delight, which details are worth sweating, and which ones are for vanity.
I love when my work sits right in the delta between precision and performance. Good design tells the right story, plants the right seeds, earns trust—and gets the hell out of the way when people show up in droves.
Secret nerd manifesto
Laura: You could say I'm a bit of an interaction design purist. I don't like busy artsy design work that gets in the way of accessibility. There's a reason for that.
My foray into UX/UI began in the early 2000s (I’m very old), when I was working as a game concept artist—painting monsters, muscle-y dudes, and weapons, when the App Store was just coming alive. That era drilled into me a deep respect for behavioral psychology and the foundations of human-centered design. Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines weren’t just aesthetic — they were strategy disguised as standardization. Accessible, intuitive, and frictionless by design.
Web design, by contrast, still feels like the Wild Wild West—lawless, bloated, and driven more by ego than utility. I love expressive, experimental sites as much as the next Cool Person™, but when you’re designing for real people—with real decisions to make and limited time to make them—prioritizing aesthetic stunts over usability isn’t clever. It’s disrespectful. If you’re not showing up for your users, you’re just showing off.
Here’s the contradiction that allows my work to stand apart: I’m obsessive about visual polish and interaction nuance—but only in service of clarity, trust, and real business results. I see the forest and the trees. I know the value of surprise and delight, which details are worth sweating, and which ones are for vanity.
I love when my work sits right in the delta between precision and performance. Good design tells the right story, plants the right seeds, earns trust—and gets the hell out of the way when people show up in droves.
Let us help
Our Chief Creative Officer, Laura offers complimentary calls to help shape your project or vision. Many clients find this process useful in itself. Just bring your raw questions, opportunities, ideas, and a sense of timing. In just a few conversations, we'll translate it all into a smart path forward and tailored engagement options.
Let us help
Our Chief Creative Officer, Laura offers complimentary calls to help shape your project or vision. Many clients find this process useful in itself. Just bring your raw questions, opportunities, ideas, and a sense of timing. In just a few conversations, we'll translate it all into a smart path forward and tailored engagement options.
Let us help
Our Chief Creative Officer, Laura offers complimentary calls to help shape your project or vision. Many clients find this process useful in itself. Just bring your raw questions, opportunities, ideas, and a sense of timing. In just a few conversations, we'll translate it all into a smart path forward and tailored engagement options.
© 2025 Made in NYC, serving globally.
Site Version 1.0
© 2025 Made in NYC, serving globally.
Site Version 1.0
© 2025 Made in NYC, serving globally.
Site Version 1.0
© 2025 Made in NYC, serving globally.
Site Version 0.5
© 2025 Made in NYC, serving globally.