We work directly with leaders as value-driving brand storytellers.

Led by Maxwell Billings, our studio is an ever-evolving team of remote superstars, brand designers, and professional problem solvers.

We create a right-sized solution to transform your vision into lasting brand value. Transforming your strategy, story, and design into creative equity that drives results.

Our Services

Strategy & Vision

We begin with a knowledge exchange with your leadership team to learn about your business, industry, and storytelling, igniting a strategic and creative spark that guides our collective creativity and sets the stage for innovative ideas.

Vision, Purpose, Mission
Brand Values & Behaviors
Brand Feeling & Empathy
Audience Research & Insights
Positioning & Alignment

Design & Storytelling

Our team will create a unique and engaging visual and verbal design systems that consistently and creatively tell your larger story while leaving people with a lasting feeling and impression unique to you.

Visual & Verbal Identity
Brand & Product Naming
Sound & Motion Design
Typography & Illustration
Brand Guidelines

Activation & Support

With creative thinking in place, we work directly with you and your team to implement our ideas through consistent and innovative solutions that engage, inform, and foster long-term relationships with people.

Website Design
Brand Campaigns
Packaging Design
Retail & Environmental
Sales Materials

Our Spirit

Through our shared experiences, we’ve created a core set of principles we bring to everything we do.

Boldly creative.

Change is rarely achieved through the status quo and repeating the same actions. To grab attention, you need big ideas, bold actions, and brave leaps that break expectations without going out of bounds.

Purposeful perspective.

Everything in the experiences we create is intentional and serves the brand’s greater purpose. Even the small details can make an enormous difference.

Empathy everywhere.

Successful branding speaks to the human experience. Whether it’s in brand design, business, or day-to-day interactions, we prioritize relationships and putting ourselves in the shoes of others.

Powered by positivity.

We’re a team of optimists creating new experiences out in the world. We want our work to be part of a better future for our clients, their audiences, and the planet. We love working with people that feel the same.

Collaborative and curious.

As a group of relentlessly curious creative thinkers with unique skill sets and experiences, we believe in the power of learning, exploration, experimentation, and asking thoughtful questions to spark big ideas.

Our Stats

Black background with the year 2019 and the number 87 inside a circle.

Founded in 2019

Sewing pattern with markings and four star-shaped stitch symbols for sewing instructions.

Based in Chicago, IL

Black background with white digital globe centered, showing the continents of Africa, Europe, and parts of Asia, with grid lines depicting longitude and latitude.

Clients & Talent Worldwide

Our Specialists

We’re remote first, with creative spaces to meet and collaborate in person.

While we’re proudly based in Chicago, we have a remote-first culture with creative hubs where we can collaborate in person. We leverage modern tools and dynamic workspaces to provide our creative collective and clients the most flexibility and value while working with our studio.

Meeting in person? Remote via Zoom? Yes.

A smiling man with glasses and a short beard, wearing a black shirt, against a white background.

Maxwell Billings
Creative Director, Founder

A portrait of a woman with long, curly brown hair, light skin, and hazel eyes, smiling slightly, wearing a black polka dot top, earrings, and a gold necklace.

Cat Martin
Studio Manager, Strategist

Our Spaces

We’re remote first, with creative spaces in Chicago and NYC to collaborate in person.

While we’re proudly based in Chicago, we are remote-first culture with creative hubs where we can collaborate in person. We leverage modern tools and dynamic workspaces to provide our creative collective and clients the most flexibility and value while working with our studio. Meeting in person? Remote via Zoom? Yes.

Our Showcase 🏆

We don’t do this for the awards, but we love it when the brands we create with our clients get the recognition they deserve.

2024 Davey Awards, Gold Branding
2024 Davey Awards, Silver Branding
2024 Davey Awards, Silver Branding
2024 Davey Awards, Gold Branding
2024 Davey Awards, Gold Branding

2023 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 Voice

2021 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 Branding
2020 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 Branding
2018 Davey Awards, Gold Branding
2018 Davey Awards, Gold Print Advertising

Our Specifics

Some frequently asked questions by founders and leaders.

We could certainly describe our process in detail, but we feel it’s more powerful to hear about our clients' experiences directly.
Click here to read our testimonials →
We create brands that spark clarity of vision, confidence in mission, creativity in communication, and connection with the people these brands were made for.
Our process focuses on building a strong foundation for leaders and founders to build from so they can bring their brand visions to life. We help identify and encourage the moments of insight and inspiration that can help brands capture attention and reinforce the right feelings with their audiences.
This depends on which of our brand engagements are best for your business.
We offer workshops that can be completed within a week while our more comprehensive branding projects with (87)BrandFusion typically take between three and six months.
While our engagements can vary in depth and duration depending on your needs, they are all executed in four key phases:
Onboarding & Learning
Brand Focus (Strategy & Alignment)
Brand Design (Creative Development)
Brand Activation (Finalization)
If you’re looking to start a branding project in the next 1-2 months, feel free to contact us and we’ll set up a time to talk.
Our minimum investment for full branding services starts at $70k, and can be adjusted depending on your specific needs and objectives. We do not do spec work, trial engagements, or white labeling services.
However, we are big fans of paid pitches.
Depending on our availability, we are typically able to schedule and start our engagements within 2-3 weeks of formalizing scope and signing the project contract.