Start with what users need.
People usually come to me because they have a problem that's specific to their business. Rather than forcing a round peg into a square hole, I start every new relationship by understanding the problems you're actually having, then work through the solutions with you as a team. Whether it's a new brand, digital software, paid campaigns or anything else digital, the most important step is the first one.
The short version
First Principles Studio is an independent design and development studio based in Nottinghamshire. Every piece of work starts from the same premise: understand the client and their customers, and build things because they're genuinely needed. I approach each project differently, focusing on the problem first.
I believe in the first principles of design: understanding a problem by breaking it down to its core truths, rather than leaning on received wisdom or preconceived ideas. So every strategy starts by understanding the problem, breaking it down, researching it, and only then building the solution.
Agencies and consultants often lead with the tools and solutions they think are right, before they understand the problem. I make understanding the user and their problems a fundamental part of the journey. I'd rather talk the problem through first, because the answer isn't always the obvious one. I'm not interested in building a website just because "we need a website"; I want to understand what you actually need, and how you'd like to approach it.
The designer does not, as a rule, begin with some preconceived idea. Rather, the idea is the result of careful study and observation, and the design a product of that idea.
How I work
Start with the need, not the deliverable
I don't begin with a website or a rebrand. I begin with who your users are and what they're really trying to do, then reason the solution up from there. The format follows the need, not the other way round.
Decisions from evidence, not taste
What I suggest comes from how people actually use your product and what the data shows, not from whatever's in fashion. Opinions are cheap; behaviour is the brief.
Build around purpose and pragmatism
The right answer is the one your users need and one you can realistically run. I get something solid in front of real people, watch how it performs, and sharpen it from there.
Tools I work with
A sample of the stack I use day to day across analytics, design, build and marketing.
Analytics & tracking
- Google Analytics (GA4)
- Google Tag Manager
- Hotjar
- Plausible
- Search Console
Design & build
- Figma
- Vue
- Nuxt
- React
- WordPress
- ProcessWire
- Laravel
- Tailwind CSS
Marketing & comms
- Google Ads
- Meta Ads
- Microsoft Advertising
- Litmus
- Google Business Profile
Everything starts with what your users need.
Tell me what you're trying to do and who it's for. I'll tell you what I think your users actually need, and how I'd build up from there.
Get in touch