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PlayLab

STUDIO

PLAYLAB — INDEPENDENT AND SENIOR-LED

Senior practitioners working directly across product systems, brand systems and moving image. No account layer standing between you and the work.

SMALLBY design.

The people who scope the work do the work. There is no account layer between you and the practitioners. The practitioner who scopes the work writes the code, cuts the film and answers your email — because a studio run this way cannot afford to be anything else.

Founded
2026 — independent
Practices
Product Systems · Brand Systems · Moving Image
Model
Independent and senior-led
Capacity
A limited active roster
Working from
Yerevan, working worldwide
A long studio worktable of paper and cut film, split by a hard diagonal of daylight
Studio record — one room, one cut of light

01  /  Manifesto

Play is the method. Precision is the standard.

Authorship over output.

The people who design the work build the work.

AI is a material. Taste is not automated.

02  /  Approach

One team

Strategy, design, engineering and direction sit in the same room and on the same file.

A limited roster

We hold a small active roster so no engagement is handed down to someone who was not in the room.

Three practices

Product Systems, Brand Systems, Moving Image — deliberately, because most work now needs all three.

03  /  Practices

Three connected practices. Six specialist capabilities. One coherent engagement.

Product Systems

AI-native products and the software underneath them.

AI · Software

Brand Systems

Identity, interface and the language that holds them together.

Digital · Branding

Moving Image

Directed film and commercial work, shot and synthetic.

Film · Commercials

04  /  Capabilities

ai

Discovery sprint, then a build engagement

8 – 16 weeks

One call, one page of written intent

software

Fixed-scope build or monthly product retainer

10 – 20 weeks

A working session on scope

digital

Single site engagement

6 – 12 weeks

A brief and a deadline

film

Per-film production

4 – 10 weeks

A reference and a running time

commercials

Campaign or single spot

3 – 8 weeks

A media plan and a date

branding

Identity engagement, often with a site

6 – 14 weeks

A founders' session

05  /  Selected clients

  • Brainis
  • Noah Ventures
  • SoulOne
  • SocialTime
  • OneSociety
  • NovaLab
  • Founder Portal
  • Yellow Sketch

GOOD TASTE ISSTILL NOTAUTOMATED.