A Brief History…
In 2002, three long-time colleagues got together to create their own design firm. They had worked at great places, big and small, and wanted to build a place they could call their own – a company where big agency expertise merged with a small agency’s personal approach and focus. For the past seven years we’ve made it our mission to do great work, build long-lasting relationships and have some fun every step of the way. Today, Sisu is hummin’, employing some of the brightest talent in the industry and producing award-winning experiences for some of the biggest (and best) brands around.
Our Approach…
We apply strategic thinking, design insight and practicality to each of our projects. Our approach is collaborative, responsive and knowledgeable, with the goal of delivering success from both design and business perspectives.
What Makes Us Different…
Honesty + Creativity + Reliability = Sisu. It’s a pretty simple equation, but it’s a big reason our clients keep coming back time and again.
What We Do…
Simply put, we create design and technology solutions for web and mobile. We don’t have a house style or push a particular technology solution. Instead, we learn about your brand, your business and your audience, then focus the message and medium to tell the best story possible – sometimes with bells and whistles, and sometimes just with bells. But always in a way that is inspired, inventive and rings true.
Web
Design for “the web” is no longer a simple moniker. With the remarkable maturation of the medium, opportunities and potential permutations have grown exponentially. Today, our web design practice encompasses full-scale consumer and B2B sites, Flash product experiences, application design, content management systems, social networks, viral widgets and much much more. View Web Projects
Mobile
It’s like the web on a smaller screen right? Nope. It’s a whole new ball game with new usability paradigms, new development standards and new possibilities for reaching and interacting with users. We’ve worked with marquee brands such as Hearst and MySpace as well as innovators like Intercasting Corp. to bring their brands, content and applications to the 3rd screen while optimizing usability, branding and fun. View Mobile Projects
Our Clients
We are incredibly proud of the work we’ve done and the client relationships we’ve built. Take a look below to browse through our featured projects and see some of the work we’ve done for some excellent folks.
The Founders
Sisu is led by three co-founders, each with over a dozen years of experience in web and design industries. Our experience is diverse, but our philosophy is the same. Do great work, give respect, and build a great company.
Guild Copeland – Co-Founder, VP Production
With oversight over Production, Guild takes joy in Sisu’s amazing variety of projects – from enterprise-level website development and mobile design to viral marketing and brand development. He brings his experience and inspiration to bear throughout the project process, leading brainstorms, driving information architecture and making sure that projects are delivered on time and on spec. He has forged long-standing relationships with a host of enviable clients, including Sony, Paramount, the Hallmark Channel, Nonesuch Records, MySpace, Hearst Digital Media, and more.
Previous to Sisu, Guild served as Director of Production and Director of Advertising at KPE, a respected website development firm focused on media and entertainment. Whether delivering a campaign for the newest movie or the build of an e-commerce site, his work resulted in great returns and happy customers at Mandalay Bay, Warner Brothers, Variety, Hasbro, M&M Mars, Sprint and more. Guild began his career as a policy wonk, working first at the D.C. Office of Senator Dianne Feinstein, then at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He holds a B.A. from Yale.
Dave Lippman – Co-Founder, VP Creative
Dave is sensei of all things user experience, acting as Sisu’s visionary for every project, mentoring the design and user experience groups, and serving as the watchdog to make sure that quality is never compromised. He has developed a reputation for executing intelligent design solutions that not only look and work great but solve those always-pesky business problems as well. To wit, Sisu has raked in numerous awards, including three Webbys for Sony, Hearst Digital Media and Zannel in the last three years. Dave has also guided work for ABC, Paramount, MySpace and numerous others.
Dave has a motor few can match. Beyond his duties as Creative Director, he has been integral in building Sisu’s talented production team, spearheading the company’s aggressive moves into social networking and mobile user interface design, and is an active member of the Los Angeles design community.
Dave has over a decade of experience in design for corporate identity, print, mobile and the Interwebs. Before co-founding Sisu, Dave held lead design positions at agencies in New York and Los Angeles, including KPE, Waters Design, and Inc Design. Dave graduated from Parsons School of Design in NYC.
Coleen McKenna-Austin – Co-Founder, VP Strategic Development
As head of strategy, Coleen takes the long view to make sure that Sisu’s projects and client relationships are moving in the right direction – now and in the future. Coleen helps start-ups develop their first marketing plans, and mind-melds with Fortune 500 clients like Sony to establish the strategic underpinnings for new work. She then collaborates with internal teams to ensure that established business goals and success metrics are achieved. Coleen also leads Sisu’s business development efforts, establishing new relationships in a wide range of industries and planning all of the firm’s work-to-come.
Prior to Sisu, Coleen was the General Manager of the Los Angeles arm of KPE, where she directed the office’s clients and services. As Sr. Executive Producer of KPE New York, she managed the production department, led the creation of Polo.com & Beauty.com, and worked with the venture group to evaluate business concepts. As Sr. Producer at Think New Ideas and Account Director at Frankfurt Balkind Partners, Coleen led branding, interactive, and advertising campaigns for IBM, Logitech, the NFL Players Association, Rolls Royce Motorcars, The Washington Post, General Motors, and more. Coleen received a BA and the Seitz Thesis Award from Princeton University.