My varied experiences from small design shops to large agencies allowed me to develop a deep understanding of the design process at scale and, perhaps more importantly, how company culture impacts creativity. The inspiration behind Ruca came from a desire to create a flexible and collaborative design environment. We wanted to build a remote-first design studio that leveraged our growing network of creators to deliver innovative solutions. Our goal was to break away from traditional structures and get rid of traditional hierarchies. We were motivated to work with clients we wanted to support, on projects that excited us. With that, we wanted to build a company that wouldn’t just help build other brands, but would allow us to build our own products. Today, Ruca is a full-service design cooperative, that partners with enterprise companies, start-ups, and founders to build products, establish brands, and scale businesses through its global team of over 150 members across 16 countries.