@gradiate

CEO & Founder @studiokoto.

 BRN | LDN | LA | NY | SYD
koto.studio
Joined October 2007
  • Tweets32.8K
  • Following1.1K
  • Followers7.9K
871Media
Delivered creative. The Case study.
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James Greenfield retweeted
Koto@studiokotoAug 20
A new mark with old memories. Say hello to the next era of @Instagram. In homage to the original script, the new mark celebrates the creativity of the community through flourishes and bespoke, handcrafted styling that makes it uniquely memorable. Full case study link in bio.
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The people who try something first are rarely the people who make it mainstream. Early adopters want novelty. Everyone else wants proof. Crossing that gap is where most brands struggle. This issue of OFF Brand is about how to do it without losing what made people care.
Koto@studiokotoJun 15
Getting people to try something is one job. Getting them to make it part of their life is another. Our latest OFF Brand unpacks “the brand lag”: the gap that appears when your product grows up, but your brand stays stuck where it started. → offbrandkoto.substack.com/p/…
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Architects are universally terrible at typography. Yet they consistently insist on trying. Design is not one big genre. If you become an expert in one are you are not an expert in every area. If you stray? Expect the exposure and feedback.
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James Greenfield retweeted
Robin Bonn@robonnMay 12
Here’s @gradiate CEO & Founder of @studiokoto on how client-centricity drives growth. Check out the latest episode of The Immortal Life of Agencies. Episode link below ⬇️ #MarketofOne #Underdifferentiated #TILOA
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James Greenfield retweeted
Nozz
@NoahEpstein_Feb 22
stop what you're doing and look at this image. each dot is 3.2 million people. 2,500 dots = 8.1 billion humans. the grey? 6.8 billion people who have never used AI. the green? 1.3 billion free chatbot users. the yellow? 15-35 million who pay for it. the red? that tiny sliver is us. you think the AI space is crowded because you're in an echo chamber of the 0.06%. the real world hasn't even started. wrote a full breakdown on the data, the opportunity, and 7 businesses you can build from this gap today:
Nozz
@NoahEpstein_Feb 22

8.1 billion people on earth. 0.3% pay for AI. the opportunity is embarrassing.

Article · @NoahEpstein_
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Silly, but fun tool to look inside anyone famous' inbox - unread.ooo

unread.ooo — Peek inside anyone's inbox

Peek inside anyone's inbox — fictional, famous, or infamous. AI-generated emails that feel illegally real.

unread.ooo
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Good essay on AI and the future of jobs - open.substack.com/pub/davido… Via @mrianleslie

Why I’m not worried about AI job loss

We're not in a February 2020 moment, and ordinary people will be fine

davidoks.blog
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Great piece on the underrated 1988 Talk Talk album Spirit of Eden - nytimes.com/2026/02/04/arts/…

Talk Talk’s Experiment ‘Spirit of Eden’ Was a Flop. And a Cult Favorite.

The English band recorded a year of improvised sessions, then cut-and-pasted them into six songs. The result alienated its label, but enchanted fans for decades.

nytimes.com
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This is a fascinating article from @aled_mj on the history of Swiss Watchmaking - worksinprogress.co/issue/wat…

Watch men - Works in Progress Magazine

Japanese quartz made watches accurate, lightweight, and thin. But Swiss mechanical watches fought back.

worksinprogress.co
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This article about A24 is a great read on the business of creativity - newyorker.com/magazine/2025/…

A24’s Empire of Auteurs

The studio is brilliant at selling small, provocative films. Now it wants to sell blockbusters, too.

newyorker.com
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Thanks to Katy Cowan for having me on the excellent @creativeboom podcast to talk about 10 years of @studiokoto I really enjoyed the conversational approach. open.spotify.com/episode/2YU…

10 Years of Koto: James Greenfield on Leadership, Growth & Grit

The Creative Boom Podcast · Episode

open.spotify.com
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A global brand transformation of Amazon. 18 months in the making. 50 sub brands. One of the most epic jobs of my career - koto.studio/work/amazon/

Amazon | Koto

Five creative studios. Across three continents. With one mission. To make the best work humanly possible.

koto.com
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Are you more Pep, more Mourinho… or Sean Dyche? Last week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with @Design_Week to reflect on 10 years of Koto. designweek.co.uk/i-was-never…

“I was never the best designer” – James Greenfield on ten years of Koto

James Greenfield vividly remembers his first week running Koto. His friend, the artist Mr Bingo, had offered them a desk in the corner of his east London studio, where they installed two dining room…

designweek.co.uk
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Too many startups rush their name. Here's some thinking from us on how to set yourself up for naming success.
Koto@studiokoto21 Nov 2024
How do you find a great name for your company? Art, science, or a little bit of both? 📝 In our latest OFF Brand issue, we share our actionable playbook to help set you up for naming success. Read on → offbrandkoto.substack.com/p/…
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I am working with a client on content thinking. I’m interested to understand more about podcast consumption. How much time do you spend listening to podcasts in a week?
38%0-60 minutes
12%1-2 hours
15%2-3 hours
35%3 hours or more
68 votes • Final results
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This Saturday 17th August I am speaking online at Medium Day on The Case for Rational Optimism. You can find out more at mediumday.com. My talk will be at 1:00PM EST / 6:00pm BST / 7:00PM CET.

Medium Day · September 18, 2026

Medium Day — the annual celebration of writing and ideas. September 18, 2026 · Online.

medium.com
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James Greenfield retweeted
Jamhot@Jamhot15 Aug 2024
Three weeks today until we welcome @gradiate from @studiokoto to Glasgow for an evening of creative chat at Gab alongside Laura from @needthinking_ @BrodaDemi01 and our host Eilidh Mackay. Looking forward to this one a lot. - 📷 @studiokoto
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James Greenfield retweeted
Koto@studiokoto25 Jul 2024
Introducing Fitbit Ace LTE, @Google 's first connected kids' smartwatch! With 4G LTE and tons of games, it’s Bold, Playful, Weird, and Lovable. Full case study —> koto.studio/work/fitbit-ace-…
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Time flies. Shout out to @richlyons_ , @jamescullen123, @joweyroden and Tim who's too cool for X. What a team. Here's my hastily put together deck sketch printed on a gallery wall. Wish I had redrawn that person…
Rich Lyons@richlyons_16 Jul 2024
Ten years ago today, we launched one of the most talked-about logos of all time. That rebrand project changed my life, and I’m forever thankful to – and proud of – the team that brought it all together.
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James Greenfield retweeted
Jamhot@Jamhot5 Jul 2024
Gab 37 lineup... now complete - We'll be joined by @gradiate @studiokoto Laura from @needthinking_ product designer @BrodaDemi01 and our host Eilidh Mackay. We'll be taking over the theatre space at The Social Hub in Glasgow (pic below) on 5th Sept - tickets out next Wed.
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