Design solutions that help tech companies unlock hyper-growth

Clunky interfaces frustrate users. 
Forgettable brands gets ignored. 
Great ideas deserve great execution.
That’s where we come in.

We help early-stage tech startups to build 0→1, launch fast, figure out growth, and raise capital.

Portrait photo of Călin, founder of studio Contrast
Schedule free consult

Don’t take our word for it.
Here’s what our customers say.

Portrait photo of Simon Laurent, former CEO of HavrPortrait of Sarosh Mawani, former Product Manager at InvisiblyPortrait photo of Matt Mochary, coach to top tech CEOs

The work Contrast has done for us resulted in a 53% quarterly growth rate

Simon Laurent
Founder @ Havr

Contrast had an incredible design eye, and all the screens were beautiful

Sarosh Mawani
Product Manager @ Invisibly

Contrast is an amazing design partner for any start-up looking to level up

Matt Mochary
Founder @ Mochary Method

Contrast is a design studio founded by designer Călin Balea after over a decade of working with start-ups to turn founder visions into delightful products.

Experience? Plenty.

10+ years

We helped raise over

$25mm in funding

Customers rate us

5 stars on Clutch

Get to know us.

Not strings attached.
Portrait photo of Călin, founder of studio Contrast
Schedule free consult

Execution? Fast.
Design? World-class.
Value-add? Max.

A website concept for workspaces.xyz presented on a laptop screen Website concept for Justin Welsh presented on an iPad tabletOnboarding screen from the Invisibly mobile app presented on a handheld phoneMobile app design for a job board for the construction industry showing the job application flow

Web Apps
iOS & Android Apps
High-Converting Websites
Design Systems
Interaction Design
Brand Guidelines
Pitch Deck Design
Social Media Graphics
and more...

No more unreliable freelancers.
We’re the design copilot founders need.

World-class design, deep expertise, powered by industry-leading tools.

Expertise
  • UI Design
  • Interaction Design
  • Design Systems
  • User Research
  • Rapid Prototyping
  • Lean UX
Tools
  • Figma
  • Webflow
  • Wordpress
  • Jitter
  • Adobe Suite
"High quality, fast, day in and day out"
Regina Gerbeaux
COO @ Mochary Method
Portrait photo of Regina Gerbeaux, former Chief of Staff at Mochary Method

We get those questions a lot.
They might help you too.

How do you work? Tell me about your project management process.

We move fast and work in short iteration cycles. That's the start-up way. You'll receive updates on prioritized tasks every 48 hours on average. An update can be a completed task or a progress report towards a larger one. Updates come in the form of a video recording and a comment in Slack and/or Notion. That brings us to the next point.

We use Notion for project management. We'll set up a page for your company. This is where you'll be able to add product documentation, brand guidelines, graphic assets, etc. This is also where you'll use a kanban board to list out all the tasks you want us to work on.

Finally, as you probably expect, we use Figma for all interface design work. You'll have full transparency into what we're doing. For all other design work (brand identity, print materials, social media assets) we use the Adobe Creative Cloud apps.

How much can you get done in a month?

We typically deliver around 2 tasks per week. The exact timing depends on the scope, but when tasks are well-defined, we move quickly. For instance, we completed 80+ design tasks over 10 months for Invisibly—some big, some small.

Here's an example. Say you needed a new landing page and you provide us all the necessary materials (text, requirements, creative direction, brand assets), we can deliver the first iteration within 48 hrs.

We understand these are just estimates. To ensure we meet your expectations and help you minimize risk, we offer a 2-week trial period. This allows you to test our service, complete some tasks, and see if we're the right fit—all at a moderate cost.

Why should I work with you?

Firstly, we pride ourselves on our efficiency and focus. We deliver 80% of the value with 20% of the effort, which means that we can work quickly and remain focused on achieving results.

Secondly, we believe in speaking our minds and keeping our clients in check. Sometimes, employees may feel uncomfortable about speaking up, but we do not have that issue. As we are not dependent on any single client, we can express our opinions in a respectful manner without fear of negative consequences.

Finally, we are more than just a service provider. With over a decade of experience, we have the expertise to be a valuable thought partner. We are not only here to complete projects, but also to contribute to strategy and decision making.

What do you do best?

We're great at building 0-1 and 1-10. The startup game is our jam. We're the perfect founding designer, helping you set a strong foundation for your product from day 1. It's not just talk. So far we've designed apps, and websites that helped our clients raise over $25 mil. in funding.

How are you different from other design agencies?

We're not a one-and-done service provider. We don't build you a cool website, take your money, and go on to the next thing. We're long-term partners in your journey. That means we become embedded in your team, take ownership, and self-organize to deliver on projects that help achieve business goals.

We showed you some cool pixels and talked a big game but our knowledge goes deep. Try us. Book a free consultation.

Start outdesigning your competition. Book a call.

Portrait photo of Călin, founder of studio Contrast
Schedule free consult