The Made Shop is a shape-shifting design studio of makers and shakers.

We make art, build brands, and design spaces.

Practiced separately, these distinct disciplines have earned us a reputation as creative generalists making an astonishing variety of work.

But taken together, they form a unique practice we call placemaking. Placemaking is the seamless combination of art, brand, and space in the real world, and it's our sweet spot. The results are substantial experiences designed with care, filled with delightful art, and guided by extraordinary branding.

Our shop is based in Denver with people in Nashville and L.A. We collaborate internationally with clients of all kinds, and reserve much of our time for small creative businesses and substantial local projects.

All of our work is guided by three principles:

Curiosity over comfort

We've always been a bit suspicious about efficiency. It's useful on assembly lines, but the unique people and projects we work with aren't mass-produced or interchangeable. What we already know matters less than our approach to what we don't know. So we start every project with more questions than answers.

Ideas before images

Ansel Adams said, "There’s nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept." We've found that good ideas lead reliably to good design, but rarely the reverse. We think big ideas are powerful but rare, can come from anywhere and anyone, and are more valuable than "sharp" images.

Clients are Co-Conspirators

We're all on the same team. At its worst, design can feel like two opposing teams: the client reluctantly acting as goalie and the designers trying to shoot ideas past them. We've always thought of our clients as co-conspirators—all working together on a shared mission to make things that are beautiful, meaningful, and substantial.