About us

A small studio with a loud body of work.

We're 22 strategists, designers, writers and media buyers who believe great creative should be measured, not just admired.

Our story

Started in a garage. Still allergic to boring.

Brightfold began in 2014 when Nora Vance, a brand designer, and Sam Okafor, a performance marketer, got tired of watching their work get split between agencies that never talked to each other. The brand team made it beautiful. The media team made it convert. Nobody made it both.

So they built one team that does. Today we work out of a converted print shop downtown, partnering with startups, consumer brands and a few brave institutions that are ready to be seen differently.

  • 2014founded in a two-car garage
  • 22makers under one roof
  • 120+brands launched
  • 3studio dogs on payroll(paid in treats)

What we believe

Our manifesto, in five lines.

  1. Clarity beats clever.

    If people don't get it in three seconds, it doesn't matter how clever it is.

  2. Brand and performance are one job.

    The most beautiful ad in the world is a failure if nobody acts on it.

  3. Small teams, senior people.

    The people who pitch your project are the people who make it.

  4. Show the numbers.

    Every engagement has goals we agree on up front and report against honestly.

  5. Make it a little weird.

    Safe is invisible. We push for the idea that makes your team slightly nervous.

The team

The people behind the work.

A few of the faces you'll meet on day one. No hand-offs to juniors after the pitch.

NV

Nora Vance

Co-founder · Creative Director

Fifteen years shaping identities for consumer brands. Collects vintage matchbooks.

SO

Sam Okafor

Co-founder · Head of Growth

Has managed more than $60M in ad spend. Will talk about attribution for hours.

LR

Lena Ruiz

Design Director

Leads our web and product design team. Owns too many typefaces to count.

JK

Jonah Kim

Strategy Lead

Turns customer research into positioning that sticks. Former journalist.

Recognition

Shelf space we're proud of.

Awards are nice. Client results are better. We're lucky to have earned a few of both.

  • 2025Regional Design AwardsGold · Fernway Coffee packaging
  • 2025Independent Web AwardsSite of the Year · Kinetic Labs
  • 2024Short-Form Video AwardsBest Launch · Halo Skin
  • 2024Financial Brand ForumRebrand of the Year · Northbeam
  • 2023Best Places to WorkSmall business category

Got a big idea?

Let's make it loud.

Start a projecthello@example.com