Small Studio is a nimble strategy and design practice, built on a belief in the power of small.
Before founding Small, I ran brand and innovation projects for global brands, leading strategy within both fast-paced agency walls and the vast halls of Deloitte Digital. I loved it, but after twelve years, I needed to take some time out.
Somewhere between studying for a Foundation in couples psychotherapy, digging a wildlife pond, and moving to the south coast (little things that helped me come back to life) I realised what I wanted my next venture to look like:
Both who I wanted to work with – the founders and leaders of organisations with the guts to question norms, the speed to experiment with new ideas, and the real belief that their work could create a positive ripple in the world. And how I wanted to work – tight teams of independent talent, obsessed by their craft, with lots of f*cks given, and very little faff.
So, in a nutshell, that's what we do. A small way of working, with disproportionately big impact.
Tash Richardson
Brands
1664 Blanc
Arla
Astellas
All Saints
Arden Strategies
BARDO
Carlsberg
CBTS
DCC Energy
England Rugby
GSK
Harley Street
Liberty Global
Moonbounce
MSC Cruises
Priory Group
Samsung
Somersby
Three
Uber
Agencies
AUK
ACNE
C Space
Deloitte Digital
Ladyship
Haines
Interbrand
Siegel + Gale
ZPB
How we work
Every client project gets senior brains from day one. We build our teams from a close circle of independent, specialist partners – researchers, designers, writers, developers – all at the top of their game, without the big agency price tag.
We draw on our experience with some of the world's biggest (and smallest) brands across tech, healthcare, sport, arts, culture, politics, travel, and food & drink. And some of the UK's sharpest agencies, many of who we still work with today.
Recent partners
Adam Ding, Design Director
Bethany Plummer, Senior Designer
Shaheena Pooloo, Senior Designer
Stephen Royle, Creative Director
Zoe Pearson-Coles, Senior Designer
Wondermake, Digital Design Studio
Who we're for
We work with imaginative upstarts – challengers, changemakers and charities (typically between 2 and 200 people) at four stages of growth:
01 Launch
You need to tell your story to get the first clients, customers, users, or investors through the door.
02 Scale
You need a more 'grown up' or expansive brand, or a campaign to help supercharge new growth.
03 Pivot
You need to reposition because your audiences, competition or corporate strategy has changed.
04 Sell
You need to create a clearer value story for acquirers or VCs. Or agree a direction post-merger.
Questions
A few things we're often asked. If you have others, just drop us an email.
Drop us an email to say hello. Then let's chat. We'll want to understand what's going on in your organisation and ask some questions. If we don't think we're the right fit, or that you don't need to spend the money right now, we'll let you know.
It's our job to turn that conversation into a plan, so we'll come back with our take on your objectives, a recommended approach, the right team to deliver it, and what it will cost. Hopefully this will be pretty close to what you need, but scoping is a team sport – we're big on back and forth to get it bang on.
If it's pure strategy, it might just need me – Tash. If it's broader, we'll build a team of trusted specialists we've worked with before. We consider the obvious things like skills and seniority, but we also think hard about team dynamics: who'll challenge each other, who'll click with you, and who brings a perspective you don't already have.
Sometimes the best person for the job knows your industry inside out. Sometimes it's someone with fresh eyes who'll ask the annoying questions.
To keep our teams lean, everyone is hands on. Typically our strategist(s) will also project manage, but for particularly complex briefs we may have a dedicated PM.
They run as smoothly as a baby otter. Every piece starts with a proper kickoff – aligning on objectives, mapping stakeholders, and finding out how you like to work (email or slack, daily updates or weekly, reviewing docs live or in your own time etc.).
We include stakeholders early on in almost every project, with a workshop or series of interviews, to get their insight and buy-in. Our approach is open and iterative, sharing thinking as it develops, rather than a 'big reveal' jazz hands moment.
Each week we review our time and scoping internally and flag any risks.
Thoughtfully.
AI helps us move faster on research, synthesis and early-stage thinking, saving you time and money. For strategy, we sometimes use it as a sparring partner, and for design, as a technical enabler, but the work itself is done by real life human brains. There's no replacement for the judgement that comes with experience.
The specific tools we most frequently use are Granola (for notetaking), Claude (for synthesis and strategy sparring), SpringboardsAI (for lateral leaps), and inbuilt AI functionality across design tools.
Along with AI, we find other acronyms equally helpful for great work: LWOB (long walks on the beach) and RSW (random shower thoughts) to name a couple.
We don't believe in fixed rate packages. Each proposal is built around you. Our model means you only pay for what you need – the right people, for the right amount of time, with no overhead baked in. More bang for your buck, basically.
For direct client work, we charge on a project basis, with typical fees ranging between £5k – £75k. Scope is the main driver of price, but we offer considerably lower rates for charities, nonprofits and start ups with clear social purpose.