studio1500 was founded in 2007 by Erik Schmitt and Julio Martínez, two former Pentagram designers. We work to build long-term client relationships and develop thoughtful solutions that endure and evolve over time. We excel at addressing critical challenges by building intelligent, engaging design systems, and we carry out ideas with attention to detail and craftsmanship to ensure effective results.

Process
We believe designers generate impact through action. Our process is, at the core, one of iteration. We listen carefully to the problems at hand, and then we explore broadly to arrive at a wide range of options.

Approach
Our core team—comprised of the partners—is personally engaged in all aspects of the work, from the top-level creative direction down to production details. Our scale allows us to focus on non-profits, civic institutions, and arts organizations—clients whose efforts align with our aims of using design to help enrich culture, foster education, and explore the role of designers as citizens.

Capabilities
We focus on Brand Development, Brand Identities, Communications Systems, Campaigns, Collateral, Digital Design, Packaging, Environments, and Signage. Our extended collaborative team can expand to handle Naming, Copywriting, Illustration, Motion, Web development, and Photography.

studio1500 was founded in 2007 by Erik Schmitt and Julio Martínez, two former Pentagram designers. We work to build long-term client relationships and develop thoughtful solutions that endure and evolve over time. We excel at addressing critical challenges by building intelligent, engaging design systems, and we carry out ideas with attention to detail to ensure compelling, effective results.

Process
We believe designers generate impact through action. Our process is, at the core, one of iteration. We listen carefully to the problems being presented, them we explore broadly to arrive at a wide range of options. 

Approach
Our team is deliberately small so that we can personally handle all aspects of the work, from the top-level creative direction down to the micro details of production. Our scale also allows us to focus on non-profits, civic institutions, and arts organizations—clients whose efforts align with our aims of using design to help preserve culture, foster education, and explore the role of designers as citizens.

Selected Clients
Aspen Digital
Avenidas
BART
Berkeley Art Center
Center for Developing Adolescent
Computer History Museum
Destiny Arts Center
Fatted Calf
Fuego
Golden Gate Park
Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley
La Cocina
Latino Community Foundation
Magnes Museum
Merola Opera Program
NSquare
Other Minds
Participant Observer
Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center
San Francisco Arts Commission
San Francisco Indiefest
San Francisco Unified School District
San Francisco Zoo
SFJAZZ
Stupski Foundation
UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
World Business Council of Sustainable Development
WritersCorps
Xerox PARC
YTH
Zephyr

Our Clients
Aspen Policy Tech
Berkeley Art Center
Computer History Museum
Destiny Arts Center
Fatted Calf
Fuego
Golden Gate Park
Haas School of Business
Illustrative Mathematics
La Cocina
Latino Community Foundation
Magnes Museum
Market Street Prototyping Festival
Merola Opera Program
NSquare
Other Minds
Participant Observer
Red Herring
Renaissance
San Francisco Arts Commission
San Francisco Indiefest
San Francisco Zoo
SFJAZZ
SFUSD
Shelter Network
Stupski Foundation
WritersCorps
YTH
Xerox PARC
Zephyr

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