Our Story

Storytelling, Strategy, and Service Design

David Colby Reed and Lee-Sean Huang started Foossa in 2013. We started life as a communications design agency. We design brand identities, create digital and analog artifacts like apps, books, and websites, and tell stories through words, images, and experiences. Our practice has since grown and evolved to focus on service design and strategy consulting.

Our process is community-centered and participatory. It begins with empathy and a commitment to values. We believe that the creative process should be open and collaborative, and that the people who use or are affected by a product or service should have a say in shaping how it is designed. Design is a powerful tool for empowering communities and creating impact.

For example, we helped a financial technology startup Happy Mango create their brand identity and user interface to launch the beta version of their alternative credit rating service for borrowers without access to traditional credit scores.

We also worked with IFAD, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, an agency of the United Nations, to refresh their brand story and produce an animated video to showcase their vision and theory of change.  

As our practice grew, we realized that our clients needed our help designing in the broader social and economic context. We became strategic partners who can see a project through from research and planning through to ideation, prototyping, and implementation. We design experiences and services across multiple platforms and touchpoints from in-person to online. We also shape the human processes and business models behind these services and help organizations plan and evolve to prepare for the future.  

We collaborated with New York City, the Parsons School of Design, and Citibank to design the future of financial counseling services. These services help New Yorkers better access basic banking services, create household budgets, deal with debt, and save for the future.

Our project portfolio is currently under construction. We welcome you to get in touch to discuss how we can help you tell your story and design experiences and services for your community.