About the Studio
A small, deliberate studio based in Brooklyn. We've been doing this since 2017 — not because design is glamorous, but because we genuinely believe good visual thinking makes things better.
Why We Exist
Folk Heart started because the studio's founder, Maya Chen, kept noticing the same pattern at the agencies she worked at: projects moved too fast for decisions to be made carefully. Clients were left with work that looked fine but didn't quite fit.
The studio was built around one central idea — that the design process, when done with enough time and attention, produces work that holds together for years rather than months. Not because we're precious about design, but because shortcuts tend to compound into problems.
We take on fewer projects than we could. We ask more questions than most studios. We say no when the fit isn't right. These aren't policies — they're just how we work.
How We Think
Visual decisions should follow from thinking, not precede it. We spend more time understanding a problem than most clients expect — because the time spent there shows up in everything afterward.
Design trends move in cycles. The underlying principles of clarity, hierarchy, and communication are more stable. We aim for work that is current but not fashionable.
Beautiful work that doesn't function well is incomplete. We test, iterate, and consider the person on the other side of every design decision — whether that's a packaging label or an app screen.
We tell clients when something isn't working, when a direction is wrong, or when a brief needs to be reconsidered. That kind of honesty is part of the value of working with a studio that cares.
We want work that lasts. A brand identity that feels right in five years. A website that doesn't feel dated in two. This requires resisting certain impulses — and we have learned to resist them well.
The best projects come from genuine interest in the subject. We ask about your business not because it's in the intake form, but because understanding it is what makes the design good.
How We Got Here
2017
Maya Chen left a senior role at a Manhattan branding agency to start Folk Heart — two clients, a shared co-working space, and a clear sense of what she wanted to do differently.
2018
James Osei joined as lead designer after three years in editorial design. The studio's range expanded into brand systems and typography-led identity work.
2020
With more clients needing web and digital work, the studio added web design as a core service. Sarah and Luca joined, bringing UX and front-end expertise.
2022
Formalized a design systems offering for digital products — component libraries, token documentation, and long-term design infrastructure. Became the studio's fastest-growing area.
Today
Four people, a studio in Williamsburg, and a considered roster of clients. Growth hasn't been the goal — quality has. The two things are harder to hold together than most people admit.
Design is not decoration. It is thinking made visible — and that means the thinking has to happen first.
Maya Chen, FounderThe People
Creative Director
Leads strategy and creative direction. Has worked with clients ranging from independent food producers to mid-size financial services firms. Believes strongly that design briefs are a conversation, not a document.
Lead Designer
Typography obsessive, systems thinker. James approaches every identity project by establishing the typographic logic first, then letting it inform color and layout decisions. His work is consistently precise.
UX Designer
Research-led and patient. Sarah runs user sessions, builds journey maps, and argues — diplomatically but persistently — that testing saves more time than it costs. She is usually right.
Web & Digital
Equally at home in Figma and a code editor. Luca's dual fluency means the gap between what we design and what gets built is smaller than it is at most studios. He takes the handoff personally.
We keep our project load deliberately manageable. If we take on your project, you'll have our full attention.
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