Working with us
Shaped around your product. Real from the first weeks.
No two products are at the same stage, so no two engagements look the same. What stays constant is how we work — end to end, fast, and always with something you can see and try.
End-to-end product design
We look after the whole product, not just the screens: how it works for your customers, how it stays consistent as it grows, and how you’ll measure that it’s succeeding once it’s live.
Something real from the first weeks
You’ll click through your product long before anything is built. Interactive prototypes replace static mockups, so every decision is made on how the product actually feels — and testing with real customers starts early.
Through to shipped
Designs that never ship help nobody. We work directly with your development team to get the product built as designed — or bring our own developers when you don’t have a team yet.
An Engagement, Step by Step
What actually happens when you work with us.
It starts with a conversation
Tell us about your product — an idea on a napkin, something half-built, or something live that isn’t working hard enough. We’ll tell you honestly whether and how we can help, and shape an engagement that fits your product and your stage. No fixed packages, no forcing your situation into someone else’s process.
Within weeks, something you can try
Early on you’ll be clicking through your own product on your own phone or laptop — and so will the people who’ll actually use it. Our AI-accelerated way of working is what makes this pace possible without cutting corners.
A rhythm you can see
You’ll never wonder where things stand. We walk you through working screens on a regular cadence, and every piece of feedback lands somewhere visible. Along the way we design in the measurement — so when your product ships, you’ll know how it’s performing, not just how it looks.
When it’s time to build
We don’t hand over a folder and wish you luck — we stay through the build, so what ships is what you approved.
The Studio
A studio built the way modern products are built.
The Forge is led by Sam Blandford, a product designer who has designed software for companies across energy, insurance, health, and education — from first idea to shipped product. The studio exists for one kind of work: helping startups, scale-ups, and small companies turn ideas into software their customers love.
Deliberately Small
No account managers, no juniors learning on your budget. The people you meet are the people doing the work.
Senior by Default
Every project is led hands-on by the studio’s founder — your product never gets passed down the line.
A Team Shaped to You
When your product needs more hands — research, extra design, development — trusted specialists join for exactly as long as they’re needed. No bench, no padding.