At XO, we believe that every great project starts with a story - a vision that grows and evolves through collaboration, experimentation, and problem-solving. To help you get to know our story a little better, co-founders Maxine and Alex answered some questions about the journey so far...

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What was the initial vision behind creating a studio together, and how did you bring your idea to life?

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A: Since Maxx and I have been kids we have been obsessed with design, brands and business - we didn't even know back then when we were branding our parent’s joint venture and creating their website in Word.. That was 2002, and we’ve come a long way since then. 

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M: The business started very organically, it was always on cards for us to work together. We turned the dark days of the global pandemic into an opportunity. 

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A: The vision was to be able to compete among the best, to attract the best and deliver the iconic brands and digital experiences to our customers.

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Design is such a broad field, what specific niche or area does XO focus on, and what sets you apart from competitors?

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M: Firstly, we focus on branding, and to us, branding is much more than just a logo. It’s about creating something unique, not for the sake of being different, but something authentic to the client. Our design approach sets both our clients and ourselves apart, guided by an ethos of maintaining the highest creative standards. Whether it’s a new startup facing unique challenges or an established organization in need of a refresh, we dive deep into understanding the client’s goals and the audience they want to connect with. From there, we build a thoughtful brand strategy that truly resonates.

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A: Yes, we really enjoy the end to end process of supporting our client’s creative evolution, from their brand all the way to their products and experiences and everything in between. 

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What core values define your company culture, and how do they guide your projects?

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A: We have many values, but the ones that define us most are innovation, distinctiveness, and strategic creativity - with a touch of playfulness. One of the things we love about being designers is the opportunity to work across multiple sectors. It allows us to really get under the hood of a business and apply design thinking not just to aesthetics, but to overall strategy. These values guide every project we take on, ensuring our work is both thoughtful and impactful.

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M: Collaboration, innovation & tenacity - and I don’t mean that in a buzzword type of way. We get fired up by a challenge and figuring out the solution. Every project is unique so we've developed processes that address those needs holistically. We also work with a broad range of sectors, with people from around the world - we’re serious when it comes to design.

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What qualities do you each bring to the table that complement each other as business partners?

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M: I actually think most of the magic happens in the manner in which we bounce ideas around with each other, I think we have our own approaches, these approaches marry to create XO’s equilibrium...

But to be more specific... I admire his go-getting attitude, he’s passionate and works hard - best of all, he backs me up if I have a crazy idea that just might work. Hopefully we inspire each other to keep growing as creatives. In my opinion, anyone has the power to be creative but to maintain a high level of creativity as a professional you need to develop rituals and have a constant source of inspiration. How else are you going to get into the fabled flow state before the deadline hits? 

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A: Maxx for sure brings the creativity and the foresight, she's always looking long term for the best interests in XO. Her ideas are different, unique and purposeful - bringing out the best creative thinking in our own clients - getting them to think more about the product or service and the reasons people are in business in the first place.

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Can you share a specific piece of design work that profoundly influenced your creative direction? What about it resonated with you?

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M: I’ve always been fascinated by visual communication, some of my earliest design-related memories were the striking designs of safety symbols, chemical labelling and pictograms. I was inspired by the concept of universal visual languages such as Unicode, Wingdings iconography that bridges divides in language. There might also be a bit of old school Windows & Mac OS nostalgia creeping in..

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A: Apple is the classic example of a company knowing who they are and why they exist. The Mac probably influenced me. I’m a huge fan of a studio called Uncommon and BBH.

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What shared experiences from your childhood do you think have shaped your approach to business?

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A: Both growing up in a single parent household from a pre-teen age naturally gave Maxx and I a lot in common in the early years. Hours were spent exploring the outdoors, inventing new games or spending afternoons on the computer creating graphics for made up businesses.  

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M: Oh, yes.. ‘AlMax’! We did everything from car washing to manufacturing greetings cards. We have a long history together and even shared time at school and art college together. It’s a dream come true in a funny way after we would spend our time designing things or coming up with business ideas when we were kids for fun and, now we’re full grown adults, doing it for real! What a trip, but it feels good to have your ride or die there beside you! 

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What are some of the key milestones your company has achieved, and what have been the most defining moments in your journey as founders?

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A: There have been a few moments that really stand out. I remember being on the phone with Maxx, feeling it was a ‘now or never’ moment, to start XO. After landing our first official client, I was away for my birthday and called her, it was like, ‘We got the job!’ I remember feeling, for the first time, that we could actually make this work.

Another defining moment was when I asked one of our designers if they enjoyed working with XO and why. Their response stuck with me: ‘I love working with XO because it allows me to be myself creatively.’ Hearing that, and knowing our brand ethos was resonating, gave me an incredible sense of achievement.

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M: "For me, one of the key milestones was renaming and rebranding 1024. It was our first real test run of working together, and it was tangible proof that we could handle big projects. During the concept phase, the client went with our more ‘wild card’ direction, which was exciting, and they were thrilled with the results. That project really affirmed our creative instincts and left me hungry for more.

On the business side, hitting our turnover goals as a relatively young company has been hugely reassuring. Sometimes I have to remind myself how fortunate we are to achieve that level of growth with such a lean team. Last year, we also won a competitive grant to research and develop a new creative tool for the design, creative, and marketing sectors - but that’s a story for another time!"

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A: Looking back over the last few years - we are so proud of some of the work we’ve been able to accomplish and it's so rewarding to see our client reviews - I can’t wait to see what will come next. 

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What role does technology play in your design process, and how do you see emerging tools like AI and AR/VR impacting the future of design?

A: It plays a huge role - from tools to software. The rapid increase in AI has created a bit of a false economy - people think they can just get AI to do the heavy lifting. It can certainly help facilitate research, systems and processes, but ultimately human creativity will prevail (I hope!)

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M: AI is both an exciting and concerning topic that I want to explore further. 
At its current level, generative Ai on the surface has some exciting uses but in our process it is best refined to minor editing, communications and concepting. I think it may have hit a ceiling this year but it has already had a disruptive impact on illustration and copywriting jobs. If anything, however, since much of the art generation relies on training on human-made art/content, it will ultimately get stuck behind human creators. I personally believe in the power of AI-augmentation to improve  efficiency, processes and creative quality. If everyone has the ability to generate a certain standard of assets, then in reality the bar will have gone up once the novelty wears off. Depending on context, it might be much more fashionable for some brands to stick to the human approach, lest they risk damage to customer perceptions. 

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A: AR & VR are really exciting for us - it's another media for clients to adopt in the coming years as it becomes part of day to day life. Motion and video are king now - wait until our real world spaces begin to blend with our digital world. Huge opportunities for brands - it will be those that invest in bold strategy to drive the technology and creativity to life.

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M: Similar to the arrival of the Internet, I think AR and VR based experiences will be an interesting new layer to our digital experiences as a whole. Concepting and designing fully immersive environments would be something I’d love XO to do. Right now, the most pioneering breakthroughs are in game design but these experiences will likely become much more mainstream in digital design of the future.