Two people who care too much about this stuff to do it any other way.
Dallas Design Co. is a boutique brand and identity studio founded in 2020 by Tabitha Ayers and Stuart Crawford. Small by choice. Focused by design. Obsessive by nature.
“Most agencies sell you the A-team and then hand you off to a junior. With Dallas Design Co., what you see is what you get. They challenged our assumptions, prioritised our business goals over ‘pretty’ pictures, and delivered a brand identity that actually moves the needle. They are the strategic partner every North Texas founder needs.”
David Sterling, CEO
Why we started this and why it still matters.
Dallas Design Co. launched in 2020. The timing wasn’t ideal, but the reason was clear enough to start anyway.
Between us, we’d spent years inside studios and agencies that treated brand design like a production line: take the brief, execute the brief, invoice, repeat. We’d seen good businesses get average identities because no one slowed down enough to think. We’d watched founders settle for logos that looked fine but said nothing.
We wanted to build something different. A studio small enough to actually care about every client. Senior enough that every project gets the thinking it deserves. Honest enough to tell you when you’re heading in the wrong direction – even when that’s uncomfortable to hear.
Six years in, that’s still the studio we’re trying to be.
Tabitha Ayers
Co-Founder & Creative Director
Tabitha leads creative at Dallas Design Co. The person in the room who can tell you exactly why something isn’t working and exactly what to do instead.
Her background spans brand identity, art direction, and visual systems across industries from professional services to consumer goods. She thinks in systems, which means the brands she builds don’t just look right on launch day – they hold together three years later across every medium.
She has a particular gift for taking complicated, intangible things – a firm’s reputation, a founder’s instinct, a company’s culture – and translating them into something you can see. That translation is the hardest part of this work. It’s also her favourite part.
Brand identity · Art direction · Visual systems · Creative strategy
Stuart Crawford
Co-Founder & Brand Strategist
Stuart is the strategic half of Dallas Design Co. – the person asking why before anyone asks how, and making sure the work is built on a foundation that will last.
He brings years of experience in brand strategy, positioning, and market thinking that guides design. Where Tabitha turns ideas into visual form, Stuart is the one who makes sure those ideas are the right ones – rooted in your market, differentiated from your competitors, and honest about what your business actually is.
He’s particularly focused on the gap between how good businesses look and how good they actually are – and closing it. Most clients come in knowing they need to look better. Stuart’s job is to make sure the end result earns that.
Brand strategy · Positioning · Messaging · Market research
What we believe — studio values
Things we won’t compromise on.
Branding is more than a creative exercise; it’s a business lever. We’ve built DDCo. on the principle that every pixel must serve a purpose and every strategy must drive growth. We don’t just follow trends; we lay the foundations that enable North Texas businesses to dominate their markets.
Ethos
Strategy before aesthetics.
A brand that looks beautiful but says nothing is a missed opportunity. We insist on knowing what a brand needs to communicate before we decide how it should look. Beautiful follows purposeful, never the other way around.
Truth
Honesty over comfort.
If you’re heading in the wrong direction, we’ll let you know. If the brief has a problem, we’ll name it. We’d rather have an uncomfortable conversation early than deliver work that doesn’t serve you. Clients hire us for our judgement – using it is part of the job.
Focus
Small enough to care. Senior enough to deliver.
We’re a two-person studio by choice. That means every project has our names on it – literally. There’s no junior team doing the work while we take the credit. What you see in a proposal is what you get in the room.
Results
Work that holds up.
Trends are a trap. We’re not interested in what’s popular this quarter – we’re interested in what will still represent you well in five years. The brands we build are designed for longevity, not the award-show cycle.
Trust
The relationship matters.
We work with a small number of clients at a time because we think relationships are part of the product. The best work we’ve ever done has come from clients who trusted us enough to push back, ask hard questions, and go somewhere unexpected together. We protect space for that.
Who we work with
We don’t work with everyone. We work with the right people.
Our clients are founders, business owners, and marketing leaders who’ve reached a point where they know their brand is holding them back and are ready to do something about it.
They tend to share a few traits: high standards, respect for the craft, and a willingness to be challenged. They don’t want a vendor. They want a partner who’ll tell them the truth.
We work with businesses across professional services, technology, hospitality, and consumer brands – primarily in Dallas and across Texas, with clients nationally when the fit is right.
We’re not the cheapest option, and we’re upfront about that. We’re the option for businesses that understand what a strong brand is actually worth.
FAQs
Things people want to know before they reach out.
Still on the fence? Have questions we didn’t include? Message our creative directors, and we will get back to you personally within a day.
How many clients do you take on at once?
We typically run two to three active projects at any given time. That limit is intentional – it means every client gets our full attention, not a fraction of it.
Do you work with businesses outside Dallas?
Yes. Our process works remotely – most of it has always been that way. If you’re in Dallas, we’d love to meet in person. If you’re not, distance has never been a barrier to great work together.
Can I work directly with Tabitha and Stuart, or will the project be handed off?
You work with us. Directly. That’s the point of keeping the studio small. We don’t have a team of juniors who do the work while we manage the relationship. Your project has our names on it from the first call to the final file.
What industries do you specialise in?
We’ve worked across professional services, financial services, technology, hospitality, and consumer goods. We don’t gatekeep by industry – we’re more interested in a business’s ambition than its sector. If the brief is interesting and the fit is right, we’ll have a conversation.
How do I know if we’re a good fit before committing?
That’s exactly what the first call is for. Twenty minutes, no pressure, no pitch. We ask about your business, you ask about us. If it’s a fit, we’ll know. If it’s not, we’ll tell you – and point you somewhere that might work better.
If this sounds like the kind of studio you’ve been looking for, let’s talk.
We’re not trying to work with everyone. We’re trying to work with the right people, do the work properly, and build something both sides are proud of. If that’s you, reach out. We respond within one business day.
Currently accepting new projects for Q3 2026. Enquire early as availability is limited.
