Hott Studio

Brand Strategy

Product Marketing

UI/UX Design

User Research

Web Design

Available for hire fromNegotiable

Contracts

Specializing in Brand Design, Brand Strategy, Product Marketing, Website UI/UX Design, and User Research & Insights

Hott Studio helps companies stand out online. We help companies go to market with the branding, messaging, sales collateral, and strategies needed to drive growth. Founded by Stanford d.school-trained designers Darel Scott and Brandon Hightower, Hott Studio brings nearly two decades of combined experience as marketing consultants and operators. Key Capabilities: Brand Design, Brand Strategy, Content Marketing, Product Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Website UI/UX Design, User Research & Insights

Projects

Altro: Brand Launch

Launching a radically inclusive financial services brand, purpose-built for Generation Z. Altro, formerly known as Perch, is a Series A fintech startup that transforms uncounted payments like rent and subscriptions into credit-building opportunities. Backed by Jay-Z’s endorsement and a 150,000-person waitlist, Altro needed a distinctive brand to meet the expectations of its target audience: socially conscious Gen Z users aged 18–25. Key Project Highlights: Brand Strategy: Following a market analysis, the team identified Gen Z’s skepticism toward traditional financial institutions and their preference for socially conscious investments. This insight guided the creation of a human-centered and empowering brand. Name Creation: Proposed the name "Altro," meaning "other" in Italian, to represent marginalized groups overlooked by traditional financial systems. Visual and Verbal Identity: Developed a bold and inclusive visual identity paired with a values-driven verbal tone. Assets included a website, manifesto video, user audio stories, and original brand photography. Copywriting & Content Creation: Scripted the manifesto video, crafted web copy, and conducted user interviews featured as audio stories on the website.See More

Honeybook: Brand Strategy

Defining a new category of business software and a proud new identity for more liberated, more creative, and intentionally smaller, small business customers— The Independents. In 2021, HoneyBook sought to redefine its brand, target customers, and unique position in the growing freelance and small business software market. The goal was to create a cohesive category and identity that distinguished HoneyBook from competitors while fostering a sense of community for its users. Key Project Highlights: Customer Definition: Conducted extensive research into the mindset of independent business owners who provide contracted services. This insight led to naming the target audience “The Independents”—a proud identity that encapsulates their entrepreneurial spirit, differentiating them from terms like "freelancers" or "gig workers." Category Creation: Positioned HoneyBook as the market leader for “The Independents,” establishing a holistic view of their services and differentiating them from competitors in a saturated market. Brand Development: Designed a visual and verbal identity applied across all HoneyBook-branded touchpoints, from digital assets to video campaigns. Video Campaign: Wrote the script for a manifesto video, further solidifying the brand’s voice and vision. Strategic Leadership: Served as the research, strategy, and project management lead, ensuring alignment across stakeholders during the 18+ month collaboration. This strategic redefinition of HoneyBook’s brand and target audience resulted in a strengthened market position and a significant increase in the company’s valuation—more than 8x during the engagement.See More

Earth in Color: Brand & Website Launch

Bringing to life a digital home for Blackness and Greenness. Earth in Color, a media company and food club focused on connecting Blackness and Greenness, sought to expand its reach after launching its print publication Radicle. The goal was to refresh its brand identity and create an engaging editorial website as a digital hub for its growing community of Black early adults. Key Project Highlights: Creative Direction & Brand Evolution: Enhanced the original visual identity by updating typefaces, logos, and color palettes while maintaining the brand’s personality. Iconography was introduced to differentiate editorial themes. Youthful Aesthetic: Developed a photography and illustration style to emphasize Earth in Color’s joyful, unapologetic, and community-focused ethos. Digital Expansion: Drove the production of a vibrant, editorial website to showcase long-form storytelling, along with short-form social media content to amplify engagement on Instagram. The result is a cohesive and dynamic brand identity that deepens Earth in Color’s connection with its community, emphasizing the intersection of Blackness, Greenness, and storytelling.See More

Eatin’ Good: Brand & Asset Design

Branding a bold editorial campaign and food experience focused on climate-friendly eating, foodways of the African diaspora, food justice, and sustainable agricultural practices in New York. In partnership with Grist, Earth in Color launched Eatin’ Good, an campaign focused on climate-friendly eating, African diaspora foodways, food justice, and sustainable agriculture. The initiative combined recipes, stories, social content, and a community-focused dinner to highlight sustainable nourishment for individuals and the planet. Key Project Highlights: Visual Identity: Developed a bold, stylish, and energetic visual identity, including a custom logo, vibrant color palette, and dynamic photography, to reflect the project's casual yet elevated tone. Engagement Assets: Created physical takeaways for attendees, including dinner menus, a foldable poster zine, tote bags, and manifesto postcards, ensuring the event’s impact extended beyond the evening. This multifaceted project blended editorial storytelling and immersive dining to foster connections between food, culture, sustainability, and community-building. See More

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