ALKO
CREATIVE AGENCY
Building an agency as a system
Co-Founder work — 2020–2024, Remote & International
BRAND SYSTEM · DESIGN OPERATIONS · SCALE
ALKO
CREATIVE AGENCY
Building an agency as a system
Co-Founder work — 2020–2024, Remote & International
BRAND SYSTEM · DESIGN OPERATIONS · SCALE
THE PROJECT
Co-founded and co-led for four years, Alko was a fully remote, international creative agency working across branding, web, and video.
THE PROJECT
Co-founded and co-led for four years, Alko was a fully remote, international creative agency working across branding, web, and video.
THE WEBSITE
The goal was to turn the traditional agency model into an online service built around a dedicated platform. It combined a simple client area, an FAQ, terms of service, and a clear breakdown of pricing methods and service stages, alongside a portfolio page.
THE PROJECT
Co-founded and co-led for four years, Alko was a fully remote, international creative agency working across branding, web, and video.
THE PROJECT
Co-founded and co-led for four years, Alko was a fully remote, international creative agency working across branding, web, and video.
SERVICES
Brand, web, and video sat under one roof, giving clients a single point of contact for their entire creative needs — a capability that turned first-time clients into regulars and became the core of Alko's business model.
SERVICES
Brand, web, and video sat under one roof, giving clients a single point of contact for their entire creative needs — a capability that turned first-time clients into regulars and became the core of Alko's business model.
SYSTEM
SYSTEM
IDENTITY
Most creative agencies let their portfolio become their visual identity — the agency itself stays invisible behind the clients it serves. At Alko, we made the opposite choice: a distinct, colorful, illustration-led system built around a consistent icon language. Expressive enough to carry a personality of its own, flexible enough to stay neutral ground for every client project.
IDENTITY
Most creative agencies let their portfolio become their visual identity — the agency itself stays invisible behind the clients it serves. At Alko, we made the opposite choice: a distinct, colorful, illustration-led system built around a consistent icon language. Expressive enough to carry a personality of its own, flexible enough to stay neutral ground for every client project.
PRICING AS A PRODUCT
Behind every quote was a catalog of thousands of pre-priced line items. Clients could work with us in three ways: a single deliverable, a fixed budget matched to a wishlist, or an ongoing monthly plan. The result: fast quotes, full transparency, and clients who understood exactly what they were paying for.
PRICING AS A PRODUCT
Behind every quote was a catalog of thousands of pre-priced line items. Clients could work with us in three ways: a single deliverable, a fixed budget matched to a wishlist, or an ongoing monthly plan. The result: fast quotes, full transparency, and clients who understood exactly what they were paying for.
PRICING AS A PRODUCT
Behind every quote was a catalog of thousands of pre-priced line items. Clients could work with us in three ways: a single deliverable, a fixed budget matched to a wishlist, or an ongoing monthly plan. The result: fast quotes, full transparency, and clients who understood exactly what they were paying for.
RESULTS DRIVEN
Beyond technical execution, we made sure each deliverable was built to serve the client's marketing goals, product direction, and broader business strategy — treating design as a lever for the business.
RESULTS DRIVEN
Beyond technical execution, we made sure each deliverable was built to serve the client's marketing goals, product direction, and broader business strategy — treating design as a lever for the business.
RESULTS DRIVEN
Beyond technical execution, we made sure each deliverable was built to serve the client's marketing goals, product direction, and broader business strategy — treating design as a lever for the business.
THE VISION
THE VISION
FROM WEBSITE TO PLATFORM
The website was only the first brick of a larger ambition — a single space bringing together every tool needed to run client work: a client portal with linear feedback instead of endless rounds, real-time progress tracking, and quotes and invoices in one place, alongside a dedicated space for our freelance collaborators. It also supported a shift in how we worked with clients over time — from one-off projects to monthly retainers, giving them a project manager and a flexible pool of resources scaled to their needs, for less than the cost of a full-time hire.
FROM WEBSITE TO PLATFORM
The website was only the first brick of a larger ambition — a single space bringing together every tool needed to run client work: a client portal with linear feedback instead of endless rounds, real-time progress tracking, and quotes and invoices in one place, alongside a dedicated space for our freelance collaborators. It also supported a shift in how we worked with clients over time — from one-off projects to monthly retainers, giving them a project manager and a flexible pool of resources scaled to their needs, for less than the cost of a full-time hire.
FROM WEBSITE TO PLATFORM
The website was only the first brick of a larger ambition — a single space bringing together every tool needed to run client work: a client portal with linear feedback instead of endless rounds, real-time progress tracking, and quotes and invoices in one place, alongside a dedicated space for our freelance collaborators. It also supported a shift in how we worked with clients over time — from one-off projects to monthly retainers, giving them a project manager and a flexible pool of resources scaled to their needs, for less than the cost of a full-time hire.
By treating the studio itself as a designed product, the project turned four years of client work into a system.
CO-FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR
© 2026 LAURA ERBACHER