(87) Studio
We help leaders turn big vision into brands people understand, trust, and choose. EightySeven is an independent, founder-led branding studio based in Chicago and built to work anywhere.
We partner directly with founders and leadership teams navigating launch, growth, and meaningful change. Through strategy, story, and design, we bring clarity to the business and create a distinctive brand capable of moving it forward.
Big change starts with a clear idea. EightySeven began with a simple realization. Branding is not decoration added to the business after the important decisions are made. Done well, it helps leaders make those decisions with greater clarity and bring others along with confidence.
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What started in 2014 as Maxwell Billings’s independent creative practice evolved into a more focused way of working. Strategy, story, and design came together around one goal: turning ambitious ideas into brands that could create real movement.
In 2019, that approach became EightySeven. Today, we work directly with founders and leadership teams preparing to launch, navigating growth, or redefining what comes next.
Across every engagement, our purpose remains the same. Find the spark inside the business and build a brand capable of carrying it forward. Our work is guided by four constants: Clarity, Creativity, Confidence, and Connection. They shape how we think, how we collaborate, and what we create.
The strongest brands are not built one piece at a time. We bring strategy, storytelling, and design together from the beginning, giving every decision a shared direction.
Strategy & Vision
We work with leadership to clarify the ideas at the heart of the business. Together, we define the vision, audience, positioning, purpose, and priorities that will guide the brand.
Story & Identity
We translate that strategy into a visual and verbal system people can recognize, understand, and remember. This may include naming, messaging, identity, typography, illustration, motion, and brand guidelines.
Activation & Momentum
We apply the brand to the places where it needs to create movement. From websites and packaging to campaigns, environments, and sales tools, every expression is designed to strengthen the larger story.
Our Stats
Founded in 2019
Based in Chicago
Brands built across industries and borders
Chicago-based, built to work anywhere.
EightySeven is a remote-first studio with space to meet and collaborate in person when the work calls for it. We assemble a focused team around each engagement, giving clients direct access to senior creative leadership and the flexibility to work together in Chicago or remotely.
Founder-led, specialist-supported.
Every EightySeven engagement is led directly by our founder and creative director, Maxwell Billings, with strategy and client experience supported by Cat Martin.
From there, we build a focused team around the specific needs of the brand. That may include writers, designers, developers, researchers, illustrators, photographers, or other trusted specialists.
Clients work directly with the senior people shaping the work. There are no layers of account management, no handoff from a sales team to a junior team, and no oversized roster added simply to make the engagement feel bigger.
The team may adapt to the scope, but leadership and accountability stay consistent from the first conversation through final activation.
Senior Access
You work directly with the people responsible for the strategy, creative direction, and final decisions.
A Focused Team
We bring in the expertise the engagement needs without adding unnecessary layers, meetings, or overhead.
Consistent Leadership
Specialists may shift with the scope, but the people guiding the engagement remain accountable from beginning to end.
Selected Recognition 🏆
We do not create brands for awards. But we are proud when the work we build with our clients earns recognition from the broader creative community.
2024 Davey Awards
Gold, Brand Identity - Boundaries Coffee
2024 Davey Awards
Gold, Brand Identity - MiSide Community Network
2024 Davey Awards
Gold, Brand Identity - SF Tools
2023 DesignRush
Branding Agency of The Month
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2024 Davey Awards, Gold Branding
2024 Davey Awards, Silver Branding
2024 Davey Awards, Silver Branding
2024 Davey Awards, Gold Branding
2024 Davey Awards, Gold Branding2023 DesignRush Branding Agency of The Month (Jun.)
2023 DesignRush Branding Agency of The Month (Feb.)2022 Davey Awards, Gold Branding
2022 Davey Awards, Silver Branding
2022 Davey Awards, Silver Brand Voice
2022 World Brand Society, Silver Brand Voice2021 Muse Creative Awards, Platinum Branding
2021 Muse Creative Awards, Gold Branding
2021 Davey Awards, Best In Show Branding
2021 Davey Awards, Best In Show Branding
2021 Davey Awards, Gold Packaging Design
2021 NYX Awards, Grand Award Corporate Identity
2021 Marcom Awards, Gold Branding & Identity
2021 Marcom Awards, Platinum Branding & Identity
2021 Marcom Awards, Gold Pro Bono
2021 Marcom Awards, Platinum Packaging
2021 International Visual Identity Awards, Gold
2021 International Visual Identity Awards, Best-In-Category
2021 Creativity International Awards, Silver Packaging
2021 Creativity International Awards, Silver Branding2020 Best Brand Awards, Award of Excellence
2020 Best Brand Awards, Best in Asia Runner Up
2020 Best Brand Awards, Best in Americas Runner Up
2020 Best Brand Awards, Best in Americas Runner Up
2020 Davey Awards, Best In Show Branding
2020 Davey Awards, Silver Branding
2020 Davey Awards, Gold Branding2018 Davey Awards, Gold Branding
2018 Davey Awards, Gold Print Advertising
Before We Begin
A few practical answers for founders and leaders considering working together.
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We could certainly describe our process in detail, but we feel it’s more powerful to hear about our clients' experiences directly.
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We help founders and leadership teams clarify what their brand stands for, express it through a distinctive visual and verbal system, and put it to work across the moments that matter. Our engagements combine strategy, storytelling, identity, and activation within one focused process.
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This depends on which of our brand engagements are best for your business. We offer a range of workshops to brand sprints, depending on your situation.
(87)BrandLaunch - 5 weeks
(87)BrandLift - 10 weeks
(87)BrandLegacy - 20 weeks -
While each engagement varies in depth and duration, our work follows three core phases:
Focus - We begin with onboarding, learning, and leadership alignment. Together, we clarify the vision, audience, positioning, and strategic direction.
Design - We translate the strategy into a distinctive visual and verbal brand system.
Activation - We finalize the system, apply it to priority touchpoints, and equip your team to move forward with confidence.
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If you’re considering a branding engagement in the next one to three months, book a Brand Vision Call. We’ll discuss what is changing in the business, what the brand needs now, and whether EightySeven is the right partner.
Our branding engagements begin at $30k:
BrandLaunch is a five-week engagement priced at $30k.
BrandLift is a ten-week engagement starting at $60k.
BrandLegacy is a 16–20-week engagement starting at $100k. -
We can typically begin within two to four weeks of confirming the scope, signing the agreement, and receiving the initial payment. Timing varies based on the engagement and current availability.
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