The traditional agency model is linear: Strategy writes a brief, Design draws a picture, and Engineering builds the picture. At every stage, there is a "handoff." And at every handoff, context dies.
Strategy knows *why* we are building it. Design knows *how* it should feel. Engineering knows *what* is possible. By the time the code is written, the engineer has never spoken to the strategist, and the "why" is lost.
"The goal isn't to transfer a Figma file. The goal is to transfer understanding. A zip file is a terrible vessel for empathy."
Designers in the Codebase
We don't believe designers should stop at pixels. In our process, designers are expected to understand the medium they are designing for. This means understanding CSS Grid, knowing how React components compose, and being able to inspect the DOM.
When a designer knows *how* the layout will be implemented, they design systems that are robust, not just pretty pictures that break on mobile.
Engineers in the Design Process
Conversely, engineers are brought in *before* the pixels are polished. An engineer can look at a wireframe and say, "That data structure is going to require three API calls and will slow down the load time by 500ms."
Catching that constraint early saves weeks of wasted design time. It turns "constraints" into creative parameters rather than late-stage blockers.
Continuous Collaboration
We replace "handoffs" with "pairing." Designers and developers sit together (virtually or physically) to tweak animations, adjust spacing, and refine interactions in the browser.
The final product isn't what was in the Figma file. It's what feels right in the user's hand. And you can only find that by building it together.