About
Design is listening. Images, fonts, and colors are just the artifacts. We believe that when we listen to one another, our connections deepen and our ability to solve complex problems expands. We know that the context that a brand is designed in can have as large of an impact on the world as the way it’s manufactured or marketed.
We are a Black- & queer-owned design studio specializing in brand identity, UX/UI, and print & packaging. See examples of our work here.
Firebrand (n.): A person who is passionate enough to incite change and inspire others to take radical action.
Firebrand is hiring an Administrative Assistant. Learn more & apply here.
Design is a social practice.
About the Founder & Creative Director
Schessa Garbutt (they/them) is a first-generation Belizean-American artist & designer living in Inglewood, CA on unceded Tongva land. They tell stories of the past, present, and future through carefully-researched visual and craft histories which they incorporate into their identity design work. Their practice transcends mediums—combining intuition, type, illustration and UX in print and digital design. While attending the University of Southern California, they got their start in social impact design by rebranding a beloved local non-profit called Troy Camp. Post graduation, they led design at several tech start-ups and worked at a boutique firm in Santa Monica, CA.
In 2020, they founded Firebrand Creative House, a design studio that works alongside activists, non-profits, and social impact initiatives. They’ve created in collaboration with The Nap Ministry, March for Black Women San Diego, Harvard University, Mindfulness for the People, The California Endowment, Black Wealth Data Center, Target, and more. Recently, they began teaching at Type Electives, bringing a Black, queer, and intersectional lens to type history and theory. They are a published essayist (see: The Black Experience in Design anthology) and lecturer, speaking on diversifying design history and co-design practices at universities and organizations such as IDEO, SF Design Week, Where are the Black Designers, Yale, and Adobe’s Wireframe podcast.
In June 2023, Garbutt was recognized as a recipient of the Los Angeles Design Festival’s EMERGE award.
Garbutt holds a B.A. in Design from the University of Southern California, and a certificate in Type Design from Type West.
“We have the power to create the world we want to live in. It’s important now more than ever that queer, trans, and BIPOC creatives make sure that our cultures, histories, and futures are not forgotten.”
Read more of their thoughts and essays on design here.
The Fire Code
1. Context is Qing.
We respect the fact that our creative practice is part of the ongoing continuum of graphic design across time. We give proper credit to those who preceded us when we reference their works, and we craft processes and products that are sustainable for the future.
2. We don’t design trash.
We create with a cradle-to-cradle mindset. We’re not interested in creating something that will be discarded in a week or a year. We design with thoughtfulness and quality that impacts people’s perspectives.
3. Nothing is lost by sharing information;
with our partners, our clients, or our peers. To that end, we actively educate our clients in how best to apply their branding, encourage learning new skills and theory through programming for our firefolk, and open source our best practices regularly as part of our ongoing commitment to strengthen our community. A rising tide lifts all ships.
4. We are not afraid to evolve.
While our core values will always inform our actions, context changes. We pivot our company culture and our approach to client work as new knowledge, practices, and technologies emerge. We resist the comfort of ‘it’s always been this way’ by continually challenging our own processes to keep the work fresh, relevant, and striving toward equity.
5. We honor the humanity in everyone.
Active listening is our competitive advantage; not just to the needs of our clients, but to the needs of our fellow firefolk—we are a collective, not a hierarchy. This means that we leave our clients with energy and clarity after each interaction and ensure that our team and partners have a thriving wage and proper compensation to flourish. Every year we hold space for activist groups and community organizations by contributing pro bono design to those that are fighting to create a more equitable world.
To those that loved us into being; thank you.
Thank you Louise L. Thank you Eerie S. Thank you Jason E.C.W. Thank you Jason H. Thank you Amy W.
Thank you Andrew K. Thank you Jean P. Thank you Celso W. Thank you Matt M. Thank you Solange K.
Thank you Rob Y. Thank you Kelly W. Thank you Juan V. Thank you Nina S. Thank you Dr. Angela RB.
Thank you Izel D. Thank you Esperanza S.