About

We’re strategists, designers, engineers, and content specialists. 

Founded in 2008, we have 40+ employees in Boston, New York, and around the world.  

  • Molly Butterfoss

    Design

  • Vanessa Scopino

    Operations

  • Allie Castro

    Project Management

  • Mike Swartz

    Principal

  • Tito Bottitta

    Principal

  • Benson Cheng

    Design

  • Mark Llobrera

    Engineering

  • Kim Miller

    Principal

  • Charlie Hoey

    Engineering

  • Becca Christman

    Design

  • Holly Copeland

    Principal

  • Sam Winfield

    Design

  • Aishwarya Sukesh

    Operations

  • Ally Fouts

    Design

  • Kimiko Tanaka Vecchione

    Operations

  • Kyna Jones

    Operations

  • Scott Dasse

    Principal

  • Tehya Shea-Minger

    Project Management

  • Jared Novack

    Principal

  • Mike Burns

    Principal

  • Lily Hillerns

    Project Management

  • Kate Boudreau

    Design

  • Ipshita Krishan

    Design

  • Andy Rader

    Design

  • James Muspratt

    Design

  • Violet Pettie

    Project Management

  • Nick Braica

    Engineering

  • Gino Jacob

    Engineering

  • Nathan Hass

    Principal

  • Jess Landre

    Project Management

  • Leah Cranston

    Design

  • Casey Powers

    Principal

Our Story
Born in the newsrooms of The New York Times and The Boston Globe, Upstatement's cross-disciplinary teams have a history of turning ambitious ideas into category-defining digital experiences. In one of the key moments of media design, we launched the first mainstream responsive website, proving it could be done at scale and helping establish a standard that transformed the web. That same spirit of experimentation continues to shape our work today. Since then, we’ve built brands and shipped software that millions of people see and use every day.

A group of people gathered in wooden room. Some are sitting on chairs and others standing, engaging in conversation.

Working with Upstatement is like having a team that only consists of all-stars. They make the process fun and inviting.

Kat Sheplavy Philadelphia Inquirer

We partner with established brands, historic institutions, visionary leaders, and category-defining startups. Everything we build is unified by our commitment to making a positive impact.

We’re part of kyu, a collective of strategically curated creative organizations. kyu’s purpose is to be a source of creativity which propels the economy and society forward. 

A group of people gathered around a table doing crafts.
An Upstatement employee stands at a wooden table under a canopy, looking at a large piece of paper with writing.

Capabilities
We’re strategic builders

Brand

  • Positioning
  • Identity
  • Naming
  • Voice & Tone
  • Guidelines
  • Design Systems

Digital Experience

  • Websites
  • iOS & Android Apps
  • Vision & Roadmapping
  • Art Direction
  • Data Storytelling
  • Copywriting & Editorial
  • Usability Testing
  • Stakeholder & User Interviews

Strategy

  • Product Creation
  • Brand Strategy
  • Business Consulting
  • Content Strategy
  • Information Architecture
  • User Research
  • Workshop Design

Engineering

  • Technical Architecture
  • Technical Discovery
  • Website Development
  • Application Development
  • Prototyping
  • Quality Assurance
  • CMS Implementation

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Upstatement is a design and technology studio with journalistic roots, building brands through digital. We create brand identities, design systems, websites, and digital products for clients ranging from newsrooms and universities to foundations and deep tech companies. Born in the newsrooms of The New York Times and The Boston Globe, we bring that editorial sensibility to everything we make.

  • Because most brands are now experienced first in digital spaces, Upstatement develops a brand by designing the website and digital system first, then extends it everywhere else, the reverse of the traditional process where digital comes last. A website brings visuals, identity, message, motion, and utility together on one screen, which makes it the ideal place to define a brand and test it in real context before rollout.

  • Upstatement offers brand strategy and positioning, visual identity systems and guidelines, art direction, logo design, naming and voice, website and digital product design, design systems, editorial and content strategy, and front-end and full-stack engineering.

  • Upstatement works across journalism and media, higher education and cultural institutions, mission-driven and philanthropic organizations, and technology, deep tech, and enterprise. Our clients include Nike, Etsy, Vogue, Condé Nast, MIT, Harvard, Microsoft, Walmart, PBS News, ESPN, J.P. Morgan, Mozilla Firefox, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Obama Foundation, Michelle Wu, Coefficient Giving, Matter Intelligence, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, and The Boston Globe.

  • Upstatement was founded in 2008. Today, our team of 40+ strategists, designers, engineers, and content specialists is based in Boston, New York, and around the world.

  • Both. Upstatement has built brands and products for early-stage and category-defining startups like Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Sublime Systems, Solugen, and Matter Intelligence, alongside institutions like MIT and Fortune 50 companies like Walmart.

  • Upstatement and SYLVAIN are sister agencies, both members of the kyu Collective. We collaborate closely where projects call for it.

  • Yes, Upstatement uses AI fluently and selectively. We use AI tools where they sharpen the work or our efficiency, in support of human creativity rather than as a substitute for it. When a client's policies require working without them, we do.

  • Get in touch via the contact form.