About D21 Studio

Recently, while discussing the development of a new brand—especially in cases where it is connected to a specific place and needs to address very diverse audiences—I came to an important conclusion.
Very often, clients who come for the service of brand and visual identity development have not fully considered what happens afterward. Many believe that once a logo is created, a color palette defined, and fonts selected, the work is done. In reality, that is only the beginning.
Creating a new brand is the first step. What follows is a much longer and often more complex process – brand development. This process ultimately determines whether a brand becomes recognizable, trustworthy, and truly alive.
Of course, it is very important to design a brand that reflects:
your values, your audience, and the direction of your business.
But that is only where it starts. For a brand to work, it needs to be consistently shown, used, and developed over time.
A good example is our own experience with building the D21 Studio brand. We chose what is probably one of the most challenging paths—starting from a blank page, without a predefined story. Our motto was simple: “Let the work speak.”
This is not an easy path. It requires time, patience, and consistent effort. But in our case, it turned out to be the right choice. Over time, the story of the studio developed naturally through experience, projects, people, and situations. It became layered, sometimes even unusual, and at the beginning we did not fully realize that it was forming in this way.
Today I can confidently say that the studio is alive precisely because of this approach. The team is part of the studio’s story, and the studio’s story reflects the team.
Of course, this is just one example.
So what is the main point?
It is very simple — brand creation is not the destination. It is the beginning.
If you want your brand to work for you, it needs to be continuously developed, used, and shown.
A brand lives in your communication, your work, your client experience, your social media, and your daily activities.
And there is a very simple comparison that explains it well.
A flower in a pot does not bloom on its own. From time to time it needs to be watered, cared for, and placed in the light. Only then will it continue to grow and bring joy to both you and your guests.
The same is true for a brand.
If you take care of it, it grows.
If you forget about it, it slowly fades.


Mārtiņš Strods – Creative Director

In our daily work with client-supplied files, we increasingly encounter the same situation, the design has been created in the Canva platform, which creates challenges in further professional processing and production. From the client’s perspective, this is understandable, as Canva is a convenient, fast, and accessible tool that allows visually appealing materials to be created without in-depth design knowledge. However, when these files enter real-world execution, a significant difference appears between “looks good on screen” and “is correctly reproducible in material.”
One of the most common issues is fonts. Clients choose fonts within Canva because they are available there and visually suitable, yet these fonts often do not exist outside Canva as installable font files. They may be licensed or modified variants that cannot be legally or technically used in professional design software. As a result, a situation arises where the client expects the final result to look exactly like the Canva layout, but the designer cannot even find or correctly apply that font.
In physical material production, a font must be available as an actual font file, properly installed in the design software, and technically stable for processing — cutting, CNC routing, engraving, or printing. If the font is unavailable, it becomes necessary to search for a similar alternative, redraw the lettering, recreate it in vector graphics, or even modify the design. This means additional time, cost, and the risk that the result will differ from the original intent.
It is important to understand that Canva is primarily intended for digital communication and simple visual materials, not for complex physical fabrication or precise visual identity implementation. For a design to be accurately realized in material, files are required that allow control over vector precision, stroke thickness, font integrity, scale, and other technical parameters. In the Canva environment, this level of control is often limited.
To avoid problems, if material production or physical realization is planned, it is advisable to consult a designer before creating the layout, use professionally licensed fonts, or prepare the design in a professional design environment. This helps save both time and cost, while preventing disappointment in the final result.
Canva is an excellent tool for everyday visual communication. However, when it comes to realizing design in physical materials, a professional design environment remains essential. In practice, we often see situations where the client’s idea is strong and the design visually appealing, but technically difficult to execute due to chosen fonts or Canva limitations. The goal is not to criticize tools, but to ensure that the final result in reality looks as good as intended.


Līva Soltuma
Project Manager

We truly believe that every client is unique. Behind every brand, company, or idea stand people, values, and goals that deserve attention and respect. That is why we approach every project individually, with curiosity, conversation, and a genuine effort to understand what matters most in each situation.
At the same time, the format of collaboration is equally important. There are clients with whom relationships develop naturally over the long term – growing together, developing the brand, and step by step creating new things. In such partnerships, a deeper understanding and trust emerge, allowing us to work not only on projects but also strategically and with a shared direction.
There are also projects that are one-time engagemen, a clearly defined task, a specific result, and a fixed timeframe. These collaborations are valuable as well.
We consciously evaluate what type of cooperation works best for both sides. Not every collaboration needs to become a long-term partnership, and not every project is only a one-time task. What matters most is clarity, honesty, and mutual understanding from the very beginning.
Our goal is not the number of collaborations. Our goal is the quality of collaboration, regardless of whether it is a single project or a shared journey over many years.
For us, every client is special  and every collaboration is meaningful.



Daniela Bula
Assistant Project Manager
Public Relations Specialist