About
Who we are
Folk has built a multidisciplinary team of researchers, designers, technologists and strategic thinkers since 1996, the year of our foundation in Sydney’s inner west. Extending today far beyond our origins in industrial design, Folk is now recognised as one of Australia’s leading design consultancies.
Studio
In the public sector, Folk works at every level of government and has led an extensive range of digital transformation and service delivery optimisation projects across the health, education, social services and justice sectors.
In business, we work with clients from a spectrum of industries including professional services, technology and talent.
Working with us
What we believe in.
A little understanding goes a long way.
Good working relationships lead to great work.
The more open, honest and timely the chats, the more rewarding the journey and outcome.
Sharing is caring.
A lot of understanding goes even further.
Vague problem, vague solution. Clear problem, clear solution. And so on.
We ask a lot of questions before attempting an answer.
If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t yet understand it well enough.
We think, critically.
It’s not what you know... it’s what you do with it.
When probed, prioritised and played back, rigorous research provides the foundation for creative leaps that solve the real problem, the best way.
The what, plus the why, before the how.
Straight forwards.
Clear is clever. And crucial.
Once they are truly and comprehensively understood, problems – even big ones – can be simplified.
Easy? No. Vital? Yes.
Do sweat the small stuff.
While big-picture thinking, big ideas, and big hairy audacious goals are huge, little is much bigger.
Whether guiding discovery or informing design, it’s the details that make the difference.
Surprisingly obvious.
The best solution seems at once surprising, yet inevitable. Fresh and familiar; engaging, pleasingly elegant, and hard-working.
It connects the brief to its audience in a way that seems “So obvious!”.
Daring is caring.
People
Michael enjoys lifting the lid on a client’s business and understanding the dynamics of the sector they operate in. He is a strong believer in the power of design to create positive business and social impact - looking at issues through a different lens.
He studied marketing management at the Australian Graduate School of Management, completed the L21 Leadership Program at Mt Eliza Business School, the Behavioural Economics program at Harvard Business School and the Leading Professional Services Firms program at Harvard Business School. He is a trustee of the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia, a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a non-executive Board member of MTC Australia, a social enterprise providing training, education and employment services and the Chair of Health Justice Australia.
Michael has global and regional experience with multi-nationals and start-ups in Australia, United States, Singapore and China and has also worked with Federal, NSW, QLD and Tasmanian Government agencies. In his spare time he reads, walks and surfs.
Lou brings 12 years of experience as a creative problem solver spanning across commercial, government, NFP and cultural clients.
Lou is a confident designer who can shape the direction and approach of projects, conduct design research and translate findings into insights and opportunities. With extensive experience of leading teams, Lou uses the design process to create both physical and digital experiences, services and products that positively impact people and shift their thinking.
Graham has enjoyed direct involvement in all aspects brand strategy and design – in London and Sydney – for over twenty-five years.
Since arriving in Australia in late 2000, he’s worked on iconic brands, big and small, including NRMA Motoring & Services, Australian Museum, Sydney Symphony, Deloitte, APEC (Australia 2007), and University of NSW. Most recently, Graham and his team have created brand and campaign identities for LinkedIn, McGrathNicol, Deloitte Consulting, and Xenith IP Group.
Graham collected a BA (Hons) degree (and a national student design award win) at University of Central Lancashire, and a handful of awards here and there since. He’s a curious and critical thinker, a skill that’s evident in every aspect of the design process he’s put in place at Folk. He actively engages in the development of brand strategy, believing it to go hand-in-glove with successful design outcomes. Insights into ideas.
He’s been invited to judge at various design industry awards including the AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association) Awards Biennale in 2015; speaks on occasion in NSW (and interstate) on thinking, creativity and design; and was vice-chair then chair of AGDA NSW Council for a while.
As creative director at Folk – thinking, writing and designing – he’s still enjoying it.
Omri is a seasoned professional with a strong track record in leading teams across diverse industries. His enthusiasm for his work is matched only by his appetite for immersing himself in the intricacies of each project. Omri thrives when collaborating with purpose-driven organisations committed to understanding their customers through a human-centered design approach.
With a solid background in strategic design consultancies over the past decade, Omri possesses a wealth of knowledge spanning digital products, service design, and CX methodologies. His true passion lies in crafting experiences that delight customers.
Omri's forte is problem-solving. He revels in dissecting complex challenges and transforming them into refined solutions. In doing so, he not only uncovers hidden value in the present but also establishes a resilient framework for the ever-evolving future.
Tim helps to connect Folk with potential partners and drive positive outcomes for our projects. He cares for how organisations engage, and thrives on models that are more open and collaborative.
He’s spent the majority of his 12+ years engaging with organisations that are purpose-driven and conscious of their impact on the world. He's interested in the evolving models and application of strategic and organisational design, the advancement of technology and how this impacts and reshapes the way we think about the future. On the side, he has an ambitious food and technology project that sits in the hospitality space.
Being an adventurer at heart, he loves nothing more than conquering a mountain climb.
Michael has spent his career helping organisations to define and shape how they create value for their customers. He has an inquiring mind and enjoys getting to the heart of problems and finding creative responses to the challenges presented. He works with an intuitive balance between creativity and pragmatic commercial thinking and champions co-creation processes.
Bringing 15 years’ experience to the Folk team, Michael has worked as a Design and Strategy practitioner in the UK and Australia: building brands, re-structuring portfolios, reimagining customer experiences and services and galvanising internal cultures around change. He has honed his ability to facilitate stakeholder groups and create the kind of alignment and momentum required to make meaningful change.
Michael has consulted across a diverse range of industries from telecommunications and entertainment to not-for-profit, government, finance, FMCG and health.
Gemma brings to Folk 14 years of experience within client service, spanning across employee communications, branding, marketing and advertising.
Gemma has built strong and extremely positive relationships with her clients, always striving to solve any problem, aiming to deliver the best possible outcome. Detail, determination and enthusiasm are hallmarks of her client service style.
Amelia is a graduate from the University of Technology of Sydney with a Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication and has been working in the design industry for the past 3+ years. Through her education and industry experience she has a solid understanding of the creative process and now utilises these skills in her account management role.
Amelia enjoys a challenge and is naturally eager to ask questions and really get into the nitty gritty of the projects that she is involved in- making sure that she understands the problem that clients are trying to solve.
She has worked on a broad range of projects, including corporate identity, corporate communications, advertising campaigns, direct marketing, video and website design for private sector and government clients in Sydney and Brisbane. Clients include, QLD Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services, Orica, Infrastructure Australia, Amadeus IT Pacific and Class Super.
Dom has helped businesses and organisations build better tools and products that inspire and delight their audience. He loves to delve deep into discovering a problem, and co-creating to produce thoughtful, compelling and lasting experiences.
Since completing his qualifications in Academy Xi User Experience Design and BA (Hons) in Design, he has collaborated and led projects across multiple industries from health, education and finance to FMCG, eCommerce and non-for-profit.
Dom believes in design for good and that everything produced should be in pursuit of that goal, for clients and for the audience. He strives to inspire, challenge and improve the world around us.
Outside of Folk, Dom’s pastime is as a keen cyclist, of the gravel variety, and any other outdoor adventuring he can get involved in.
Mel is a keen, determined and naturally inquisitive member of the Folk team.
In her role as a Senior Strategic Designer, Mel’s creativity and empathetic approach drives her discovery of the attitudes, behaviours and motivations behind people’s choices to surface meaningful opportunities for our clients and the people they serve.
She brings insightful value to research, product and service design and branding for clients in a variety of sectors – including health, aged care, education, professional services, not-for-profit and Government agencies.
Mel holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts in Graphic Design and a Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies in Journalism and Professional Writing from the University of Wollongong – where she collected a number of Academic awards.
Her keen eye for detail has also seen her become an award-winning visual artist, displaying her artwork at the Art Gallery of NSW and the Margaret Whitlam galleries.
Ranjeet has extensive experience in the digital industry and has been instrumental in the delivery of award winning web & mobile sites, complex content management systems, native iOS & Android applications, interactive TV apps, intranets, integrated campaigns, interactive kiosks & installations, Augmented Reality applications, digital projections, CRM and eLearning tools.
Ranjeet has a healthy mix of business acumen, a passion for holistic UX, sound grasp of technology, an eye for design, programming hard-skills and relentless customer focus. Ranjeet adds value at various parts of the product life-cycle.
Ranjeet’s experience spans various sectors such as Government, Education, Media, Publishers, Real Estate / Property Development, Telcos, Retail, Automotive, Healthcare / Wellbeing, Pharmaceuticals, disruptive startups and big banner media agencies.
Ranjeet is User / Human Centered Design (UCD) practitioner, inspired by Lean startup, Agile UXD and Design thinking. He is passionate about emergent technologies, holistic user experience and service design. He possesses tertiary qualifications in Interactive Multimedia and IT PM, as well as Agile Scrum certifications (PSM and CSPO). He teaches at post graduate level at UTS and guest lectures at GA Syd.
Nikki is a highly organised, creative problem solver who brings 8+ years of client service experience to Folk.
Process-driven and motivated, Nikki is passionate about building strong relationships with clients and team members to deliver high quality work, that matters.
Nikki’s education in Marketing and Public Relations has led to her working across a range of agency disciplines such as advertising, brand identity, activations and experience design where she has been able to build strong project management skills, and apply them to her role as Senior Account Manager at Folk.
Away from work, Nikki loves to spend time with her family on the South Coast, or chances are you’ll find her with a good book, or a crisp glass of wine in hand.
Laurence originally started his design career as an Architectural draftsman which then led to a career in various industries which allowed him to flex his problem solving, technical and customer service skills.
Upon completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design at UTS, Laurence became an Industrial Designer, serving the events and exhibitions industry by developing and designing eco-friendly physical products.
After spending several years in this role, Laurence saw an opportunity to pivot careers and took the leap into the digital product space. He is most enthusiastic about rapid prototyping and solving customer problems by understanding their needs.
He is on the brink of a coffee addiction and loves spending time with family and friends. If he’s not behind the computer, he’s probably reading a book on personal development or dreaming of his next snowboarding trip.
As a strategic designer at Folk, Joanne is excited by complex problems. Her skillset in creative problem solving and design research enables her to uncover the deeper ‘why’ behind problems her clients are experiencing, to develop meaningful and customer-led solutions.
Joanne has led a range of large-scale digital transformation programs and service design projects at Folk, with clients from state and federal government agencies, and the corporate sector, including the Department of Health Tasmania, NSW Department of Education, the NSW Ombudsman and the Australian Department of Health.
She completed her bachelors in 2015 at UTS in Creative Intelligence and Innovation, and Journalism, and is currently completing her Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Sydney.
With 5 years of experience as a Science teacher, Helen has recently made the career change into Design.
She completed her Diploma of Graphic Design at Billy Blue in 2020 and was awarded several AGDA Design Awards. Before joining Folk Helen worked as a freelancer, her clients have ranged from small businesses to cultural institutions, from a diverse range of industries.
As a designer, Helen enjoys solving creative problems through empathy, strategy and communication, with key skills in branding, illustration and editorial design. This experience has helped shape her thinking and problem-solving skills, which she now brings to solving any design brief.
Helen loves to travel to experience other cultures, see the world, and eat amazing food. When at home she enjoys spending time with friends and family, playing basketball, and tuning into a good Netflix series.
Beatrix has an enthusiastic approach, bringing to Folk experience in digital transformation and client management. As a digital project manager, she manages user experience and service design projects, where she enjoys working collaboratively with both Folk and client teams.
Beatrix spent 8 years in the UK working with the Government Equalities Office on their Gender Pay Gap digital service and on various NHS digital transformation programs. During this time, she developed skills in relationship management, team leadership and collaboration. She particularly thrives on supporting her colleagues to be confident, enjoy their work and achieve great results.
When not at Folk, you'll often catch Beatrix with an ice cream at the cinema, or sipping a delicious negroni.
Steph has over 10 years’ experience designing, developing and managing digital products and services, working on digital transformation, operational business improvements and software products for a range of industries: Government, Financial Services, Consumer Banking, Media, Telco and start-ups.
Steph has a Diploma in IT Website design and development and completed the Service design and Customer experience design elevate courses at Academy XI.
Steph isn’t afraid of a challenge and has worked with many early-stage founders on their start-ups and enjoys helping others get clarity and bring their vision to life. In her spare time, she continues to mentor and support others in this space.
Ana brings her deep experience as a Digital Project Manager to Folk and our clients. She has managed a diverse portfolio of brand design and website development projects, leading design and delivery teams throughout all project phases from proposal through to delivery. Ana enjoys collaborating with project teams to solve complex problems for clients, building strong relationships and delivering projects that create change and influence.
Ana has a Bachelor of Behavioural Science and a Master of Public Relations. From her education she has been able to combine her interests in human behaviour with corporate governance. This has shaped how she applies her critical thinking skills with her human-centred approach to project management.
In her free time Ana enjoys expanding her baking skills, hosting dinner parties and making trips to the beach on sunny weekends.
Miranda is a Lead Content Strategist with over 12 years of experience in content strategy, design, and delivery across multiple sectors, including NGO’s, financial services, professional services, government, e-commerce platforms, and startups.
She believes that clear, well-placed content is not only a business advantage but has the power to transform services, teams and communities.
Her career to date includes developing brand and business narratives for global audiences, award-winning creative digital storytelling and multimedia design, omnichannel communication strategies, and lots of content design and UX writing for digital products and services.
Miranda works with our team and clients to identify, design, and create meaningful content experiences that connect people to empowering ideas and information.
When she’s not thinking about language or information design, Miranda can be found enjoying music, nature, and a bloody good story.
He’s a dog. He likes to chase birds, sniff clients and bark at the local schoolkids in the afternoon. He doesn’t get a bio.
Careers
It’s always good to know good people.
Please get in touch if you like the cut of our jib and feel you could help us make a positive impact for the greater good of our clients’ audiences.
People make places
The work-life thing is what you make of it. We like to make the most of every job, every day. Every project’s interesting if you’re interested.
We have what we call a ‘keen-as culture’. Energy beats talent, every time.
We’re people who like to make things clearer and better – and make them together.
Design-centred humans
We like to make a difference – who doesn’t – with insight, ideas and met deadlines.
Beyond business, our work connects people: to services they need, to knowledge they value, and to opportunities on behalf of ambitious organisations. Large and small. Near and far.
Nothing to atmosphere
We like to be open. Heard, happy and no-hiding.
We encourage the airing and sharing of thoughts, feelings, ideas. Both awesome and ordinary merit respect, and are of equal importance. Everybody counts. The greater the contribution, the greater the impact.
It all adds up.
Way to grow
We support anyone who’s keen on advancing their skills and career progression – either in what they do now, or would like to do next.
Great minds like a think.
Studio
Some crucial incidentals:
- beautiful converted old-chocolate-factory studio
- light and leafy surroundings
- there’s somewhere to hang your bicycle (and towel after your shower, thankfully)
- handy to public transport and all-day street-parking
- fresh fruit, nutty-snacks and chilled sparkling water on tap
- dog friendly (with a friendly dog)