Trust Design Shop

A Year in Review

Year Four

A true 50/50 year

Trust has only been around for 4 years, but running a business in this industry is a crash course in ups and downs. We like to think we’ve gotten used to the rollercoaster, but this year was unlike anything we’ve experienced so far. Instead of moving through high and low seasons, everything happened simultaneously with no breathing room in between. Every bit of professional recognition came at a slow time for the business, and every financial win was met with personal stress, sickness, and familial loss (more on this later.)

It made for an extremely weird year; a collision of every extreme. March feels like it was 3 years ago, but also several months are lost in a blur. We can look back and see a lot of successes, but we were never able to fully celebrate them in the moment, so they don’t quite feel real.

A brand new adventure

Late in 2024 Josh from Creative Works reached out about us leading a workshop at the Spring 2025 conference. We were honored and immediately terrified. The prospect of standing on stage as professional designers and teaching people felt like a direct IV drip of imposter syndrome. Shortly after, John Boran from Texas A&M reached out and asked if we’d like to speak to their design students a few weeks before CW. The timing felt almost too good to be true, but we couldn’t deny the serendipity so we said yes to both and began trying to figure out what we actually had to say to the design world.

In the end, we landed on something we take great pride in: punching above our weight. We scrapped and brainstormed and outlined and wrote, and in the end we built a presentation with an absurd amount of slides that broke down all the things we do behind the scenes to make the work as big and powerful as it can be.

Man and woman standing in a room with a laptop on a chair and a screen behind displaying the word 'WELCOME' repeatedly.

Two people, a woman and a man, engaged in conversation in front of a large green screen displaying the word 'WELCOME' twice, with an audience seated watching them.

Both events went off without a hitch. We had wonderful audiences: engaged, excited, and full of great questions. We dove into our strategy and presentation methods, worked through creative problem solving together, and got real about the struggles and joys of running a small studio. The engagement and feedback we got was the perfect antidote to the imposter syndrome, and we left energized, excited, and accomplished.

Group of seven smiling young adults standing close together outside a building with large windows, some holding drinks.

Black poster on a window with text: Workshop Punch Above Your Weight with Hannah Smith & Jesse Mackenzie, and a blurred man walking behind it.

The Work

Through it all, our best yet

If we block the rest out and focus on our work in 2025, there’s only one conclusion to be made: it was our best year yet. We continued to refine our teamwork and collaboration, finding new levels of synergy between strategy, messaging, design, and development. We had a lot of end-to-end victories, projects where each step was smooth, successful, and seamless.

Periods of stress outside the office often left one or both of us short on energy, bandwidth, and sleep; but they also created laser focus. We didn’t have the time or energy to be anything but efficient, communicative, and clear. We desperately hope 2026 is a breeze in comparison, but we know the lessons we learned and the skills we built through the stress will help us make the most of whatever comes next.

Let's look at some design!

Modern house with a dark roof surrounded by dense green trees in a hilly forested landscape at sunset.

Read the Case Study

Southtown Design + Build

Southtown is a family owned and operated luxury home builder in the Austin area, creating beautiful homes with incredible collaboration and craftsmanship.

They came to us with our favorite kind of problem: a successful, growing business with a brand that didn’t match their quality and experience. They wanted to “level up” their brand presence to match the quality of the homes, build more trust in potential clients, and create a better customer experience that would wow their new homeowners at every step of the process.

Read the Case Study

Text 'Powering stellar web experiences' on a pink and orange abstract blurred background.

Bits&Letters

Bits&Letters is a new venture from industry veteran David Demaree. David has shaped platforms at Google, Adobe, Stripe, and Webflow; and with B&L he is looking to make the web easier for businesses by designing and implementing powerful systems.

David got down in the weeds with us and we had so much fun exploring concepts, geeking out over new fonts, and bringing in inspiration from everywhere we could find it. The eventual brand combines the aesthetics of the extremely modern tech B&L works in with classic industry, nature, and as much humanity as we could fit. We are still evolving and growing the brand together and we can't wait to see all that it turns into.

Three potato chips placed in front of the word POTALLOW in large stylized white letters on a red background.

Potallow Potato Chips

Potallow is a brand new chip company focused on delicious tallow-fried flavor, simple ingredients, and high quality potatoes. Daniel came to us with the western concept and we ran with it; creating the character of Chip the Cowboy and following through with imagery, illustration, and messaging. We even got to do our own product photography; using every lamp in Jesse's house, a cardboard box, and some pieces of felt.

Keep an eye out for Potallow, launching soon!

Word 'DÉRIVE' in stylized white font on a dark green background.

Pack of Derive Wayfarer coffee blend resting among green foliage.

Dérive Coffee Roasters

New work for old friends! Josh and Mary Hanna from Fort Worth Coffee Co. approached us to help launch their new coffee roastery, Dérive. We delivered a warm, inviting brand with a focus on adventure and curiosity.

If you're local, go get yourself some beans. We can confirm that they are delicious!

Quill & Cauldron

It's always exciting when an email comes through from Amy and Jen at Hoodzpah, and this was no exception. They were finishing up a brand and website design for Quill & Cauldron, the new editing and coaching business of Jenny Ely. Jenny is an entertainment industry veteran who has worked on films for Star Wars and Marvel (!!!).

We were brought on to bring the designs to life, developing a Webflow site for Q&C with a focus on functionality, legibility, and moments of joy and excitement through animation.

Datalily

Datalily is another wonderful Hoodzpah collaboration. We worked together on their main website in 2024, and this year we helped create their new blog, Creative Roots. Hoodzpah provided the initial web design, and we handled development as well as creating a full suite of article thumbnails.

We also pushed our Figma skills to the limits, building a fully customizable thumbnail generator that Datalily can use to create endless new images fully in-brand.

& All the Rest

A small sampling of ideas and designs that we are proud of from 2025. Some didn't make it to production, and some of them will be collected and put into case studies. Very soon. Promise.

Abstract background with layered, curved shapes in a gradient of pink, purple, and orange hues.

Hand wearing a worn leather glove holding a red card that reads 'Tallow-Fried POTALLOW Potato Chips' against a clear blue sky.

Abstract blurry pattern of glowing pink and orange rectangular shapes on a dark background.

Abstract blurred pattern with yellow shapes radiating on a purple background.

Indoor scene with a Canon camera mounted on a tripod pointing downwards near a bed with a gray quilt and blue pillow, a black jacket with two yellow chips, and two lit lamps.

Outdoor digital sign with text reading 'Over 59 years of home building excellence' against a stone wall background.

Black jacket with front text 'HOMETEAM' and back text 'HOMETEAM PREMIUM FILM CONTENT COMPANY 2020' in white.

Colorful stylized illustration featuring mountains, trees, a river, a sun, and a rainbow with the text 'Real Thread' below.

Abstract close-up of green and blue textured patterns resembling organic or natural forms.

Vintage-style illustration of a person carving wood with a chisel and mallet.

3D abstract shape composed of vertically stacked rounded blocks in orange and pink gradient on a dark green to black background.

Pixel art style video game screen with 'Tater Showdown' title in red block letters, a cowboy silhouette, cacti, and falling potatoes.

Abstract blurred pattern with irregular green shapes on a blue background.

Multiple bags of Potallow Chip Co potato chips with orange and black packaging, featuring the slogan 'Darn Good'.

Close-up of letters 'Z' and 'A' created with small white circular dots on a black background.

Two T-shirts on an orange background; one in orange with 'DEDICATED to the pursuit of the PERFECT SHOT' text and a swimmer graphic, the other in black with 'I ROOT FOR THE HOMETEAM' text on the back.

Orange abstract geometric shapes arranged symmetrically on a purple background.

Partial view of a green-themed word search puzzle with words like PUNCH, TRUST, STRATEGY, and a black boxing glove illustration at the bottom.

Yellow cursive text on black background reading 'Create Wow!' with a small circled lowercase 'r' below.

Three colorful vertical panels with quotes: pink panel with red text says 'Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. Judy Blume'; green panel shows an open book on a pedestal with rays and text 'Dust off an old book'; brown and pink panel says 'God damn it, you've got to be kind. Kurt Vonnegut.'

Laptop screen showing a YouTube video call with three participants, two men and one woman wearing headphones.

Abstract artwork with swirling dark green lines over a blue and white cloudy background.

Let's get real

This was a year that put everything into perspective, for better or worse. Each of us had our own periods of stress, loss, and pain; and each time, the other stepped up and carried the weight of the business. We got incredible support from our clients and friends, who treated us with patience and kindness through delays and disruptions. A silver lining to life intruding in your business is that it forces you to be human, and reminds you that “business” is just a bunch of humans interacting and working together, all with their own stories and families and lives.

A word from Hannah. In honor of her dad, Terry.

Collage of photos of Hannah's Dad, Terry

My dad was one of those people who could do anything he could think of, first try, with expert approach and precision. He could rebuild a car from the ground up, he could paint you a beautiful portrait, he could scientifically mix a custom blend of soil for your garden to thrive in, he could design and fabricate anything you could dream up, he could engineer a solve (genius and jerryrigged) for a really specific problem you keep running into. And he’d make sure to learn anything he didn’t yet already know in order to help you with whatever it was you needed. He was everyone’s hero.

My very first teacher was my dad. In the obvious ways that your dad shows you the ropes of the world, how to walk and talk, how to drive, yes – but more specifically (oddly specifically) my dad taught me the foundations of being the designer I am today. He taught me how to hold a paintbrush. He taught me how use the pen tool to recreate logos for walk-ins who wanted decals. He showed me how to match a Pantone. How to burn my vector masterpieces to a CD-R. And I was met with encouragement in every iteration of myself to chase creativity, in whatever way I wanted to pursue it. Since I can remember – I was his biggest fan, and he was mine.

He showed me what it meant to be a trustworthy and reliable friend to everyone. (Our ‘Old Pals’ sentiment was inspired by him and how he treated his clients who always turned into friends) He showed me that I could build a career for myself doing what I truly love. He taught me to cherish the process, to always be curious, to enjoy the figuring-out.

There are an incalculable amount of things I loved and admired about my dad, and I’m honored to possess even a few of them in myself. I’m so lucky to have had him, to be his shadow. Our continual bond will never leave me, I carry him in every little thing that I do –especially this.

I do this because of him, and I do this for him. Take it easy.

Life outside the container

Alongside the heaviness of the year, we also had a lot of joy. We are fortunate to have a job that gives us flexibility and lets us have full lives, here's a little window into that.

Hand holding two fresh, wet green parsley leaves with a kitchen floor and cabinets in the background.

Red and pink striped rug on wooden floor with sunlight casting shadow of a small dog.

Hand holding a brown metal toolbox with orange and blue letters 'HS' on the lid and a latch labeled 'JAPAN.'

Woman crouching and holding a toddler as they look out over a body of water through metal railings.

Two women hugging on a wooden pier with a large Ferris wheel, ocean, and cruise ship in the background under a blue sky.

Laptop displaying text 'HEY THERE! WE'RE TRUST DESIGN SHOP' on a desk in an empty lecture hall with multicolored chairs.

Toddler wearing a beige jacket and black pants standing on a sunny suburban street with houses and clear blue sky in the background.

Jesse in a black singlet lifting a 465lb barbell on a stage with USA Powerlifting banner in the background.

Hand-knit green baby bonnet with tie strings placed on a wooden surface next to a pink and white woven textile.

Jesse holding a smiling toddler dressed in white shirt with suspenders and bow tie, standing outdoors by a wooden fence near water.

Hand holding a wrinkled red chili pepper with a green stem outdoors over grass and stones.

Smiling young boy holding and showing a dandelion seed head outdoors in front of a house.

Hand holding a black badge for Chop Con in Austin, featuring a horseshoe design, in a room with people and chairs.

Jesse holding a young child who is holding two Bosch windshield wiper blade packages outside an auto parts store.

Video call screen showing Hannah holding a blue mug, with another person smiling in the smaller inset window.

Child standing behind a metal railing on a curved wooden platform overlooking a calm body of water surrounded by trees.

TDS in the conference notebook for Creative Works, showing our workshop listing.

Young child wearing a hooded sweater playing and sitting in a pile of autumn leaves outdoors.

Brandon from Hometeam and Hannah posing outdoors with greenery in the background.

Smiling woman wearing sunglasses holding a child dressed in a red Elmo costume at an outdoor event.

Interior wall with two framed artworks, a metal coat rack holding a beige and a black bag, and a tall arched window showing clear sky.

Man in a gray cap and red jacket holding a green drawing while sitting at a table covered with a green and white striped tablecloth at an outdoor craft fair.

Jesse and his family sitting on playground equipment with a yellow slide and climbing structure in the background.

Upward view of the Space Needle in Seattle against a clear blue sky with tree branches on the left.

Young boy wearing a bow tie, suspenders, and brown shoes stands on a sidewalk near a wooden fence holding a yellow flower with a neighborhood street in the background.

Jesse and Hannah standing near a screen displaying the word 'Trust', during our Creative Works workshop.

Our Punch Above Your Weight sticker packs, with various illustrations and badges.

Toddler in a yellow raincoat and penguin rain boots sitting on a small ride-on toy on grass near a wet sidewalk in a suburban neighborhood.

Poster for Trust Design Shop event titled 'Small Team Perspective: How to Succeed as a Small Studio or Freelancer' featuring a man and woman standing side by side, stickers, and handwritten thank you notes.

Three friends sitting closely together in a restaurant booth, smiling with drinks and napkins on the table.

Jesse and Justin smiling and clinking cocktails with others in a lively bar interior featuring warm lighting and wall decorations.

Jesse taking a mirror selfie inside a graffiti-covered, blue-tinted public restroom with a sink and toilet visible.

Laptop with 'PUNCH ABOVE YOUR WEIGHT' on screen, coffee cups, and bread roll on a table by a window overlooking a street.

Toddler sitting in a high chair holding a partially eaten cupcake under a blue and orange Happy Birthday banner.

Hannah wearing sunglasses and a brown coat posing with arms crossed in front of a green alien figure with large eyes displayed in a dark museum exhibit.

A young child watching a puma walking inside a zoo enclosure with trees and rocks.

Person knitting a blue textured fabric with circular needles inside a car on their lap near the steering wheel.

Person standing in an art museum gallery looking at framed abstract artwork with black shapes on a yellow background on the wall.

Thanks for reading! Sorry we got a little serious in this one, but it was a serious year and it didn't feel right to ignore the tough parts.

We are looking forward to 2026 with excitement and determination. This year gave us perspective, it made us tougher, scrappier, and more efficient. We gained confidence in our abilities and our teamwork.

If you or anyone you know is looking for high quality creative work—built on strategy, designed with humanity, and executed with precision—click one of the links below and give us a shout. We'd love to talk.

Website

Instagram

Work with Us

A 50/50 Year

New Adventures

Our Best Work Yet

Getting Real

Outside the Office