The Studio
A Little Bit About Us
We’re a nimble, accessible team of multi-disciplined creatives in Austin, Texas. We view the brands we work with through an artistic lens, but with the sensibility of entrepreneurs. We use this balance to design amazing brands and spaces – from local startups to global powerhouses. We specialize in traditional and interior design, packaging, branding, and overall visual communication.
We started this studio with a few values to guide us. And they still do.
Sharp Minds. We don’t do one-offs and we don’t design in a vacuum. Sharp minds start every project with purpose and finish with a cohesive, eye-catching, and ownable result.
Steady Hands. Everyone at Canales & Co. has that magic combination of work ethic, good taste, and talent. These steady hands are responsible for the creative hustle we’ve become known for.
Focused on experience. A brand is consumed as an experience. Whether it’s packaging, environment, digital or apparel, how a brand makes you feel is what we are experts in crafting.
Staying small. We’re not big. That’s intentional. Our small size gives us the freedom to pick projects we actually want to work on. Everything we touch is a passion project.
Meet Our Peeps
We’re like family. In fact, some of us are. We don’t see that changing anytime soon and we can’t imagine working any other way. Meet the team.
Jose Canales
CEO, Design Director
Likes hunting, fishing, and complaining about how young his employees are.
Christina Canales
Partner, Interior Designer
Likes wallpaper, Instagram stories, and babysitters.
Kristina Shumway
Program Director
Will not herd cats. But will remain calm and collected.
Vanessa Ellis
Brand Manager
Likes being outside, reading books while eating dark chocolate.
Denver Gravitt
Designer
Doesn’t like anything except Chick-fil-A.
Nathan Burgess
Designer
Likes to work with paintbrush in hand while playing pinball.
Caleb Gravitt
Designer
Just your average joe brewer and b-baller.
Gabe Guerra
Writer
Likes salads, Birkenstocks and Jenny.
The studio was started in 2014, after Canales left a 10+ year career in advertising.
During his time at local ad powerhouses like GSD&M and McGarrah Jessee, Jose became deftly skilled in engaging with brands early on, understanding their audiences and crafting identities clients could take pride in.
Canales & Co. began with a focus on branding for clients in the consumer packaged goods category because, selfishly, it’s our favorite mode of design. It’s an area the team has great passion for and a ton of experience in. From spirits to beer, wine, water, peanut butter, candy, frozen foods, and even restaurants, the team has pretty much seen it all. This equates to a high comfort level sourcing and coordinating with production vendors, knowing and countering frequent CPG challenges, and an expertise in point of sale.
But design touches everything we make, and our expertise extends to environmental design, apparel design, or really any touchpoint where a brand can be impactful.
Canales & Co. works with companies in all stages of life. Startups that need help with everything are a main staple, but established brands looking to add value on specific projects are just as common. We love them all.
Come and see us.
If you’re interested in what we do and want to talk, give us a shout or schedule an appointment to come by. We don’t bite.