From curiosity to creation: delivering new brands through collaboration

Meet Cardiff Innovations tenant – Karolo, a brand and web design agency for organisations who want to make an impact. Karolo works with clients across a range of industries, delivering intelligent websites, memorable brands and creative graphic design solutions.

In 2011, designer Mark Stevenson and developer Chris Hardwick were colleagues and friends with big ideas. Blending Mark’s eye for design and Chris’ technical know-how, Karolo was born to offer creative design solutions for great people. Since then, Karolo has flourished into a team-based operation, collaborating on projects with hundreds of clients.

At the heart of the company is honesty, curiosity and the desire to foster connections. Rebelling against the ‘jack of all trades’ approach, the team offer only what they specialise in, deliver what they promise, and take great pride in the results. Applying this ethos, they’ve successfully worked with clients across a broad range of sectors, successfully delivering a wide range of projects; from promoting world famous gins to startups, educational bodies and public sector organisations.

Community environment

Karolo moved premises, relocating to Cardiff Innovations in April 2024. The innovative incubator space in Cardiff includes start ups, spinouts and university partners, providing organisations with the support they need to make great ideas a reality.

Mark Stevenson, Creative Director, Karolo says:

 “It feels like a real privilege to work in the sbarc|spark building and to be one of the many ambitious businesses within the community. The building itself is a great source of design inspiration. In our industry, little details can make a big difference and it’s clear to see the effort the innovation team puts in to make our working day that bit easier. ““Being based at sbarc|spark enables us to work closely with our long-term friends at CCR, whilst giving us the opportunity to broaden our network and collaborate with people across different industries.”

“The meeting rooms and communal spaces make for an ideal working environment for our team.”

“It’s been a pleasure to bump into old friends and new faces around the building and we look forward to meeting more of the community at a sbarc|spark event soon.”

Future opportunities

Karolo is planning to utilise the University’s knowledge and facilities, as Mark continues:

“Access to Cardiff University’s diverse talent pool is certainly of benefit as we look to scale our business. Having experienced how hard it can be to gain experience in the design industry, we’re keen to give back, offering work experience and sharing the knowledge gained from running our agency for over 10 years. “

“Working with the Student Futures team, we’ve also welcomed Megan, a recent graduate from Cardiff University – we’re hitting the ground running at sbarc|spark.”

Further information

Karolo are a friendly, flexible team made up of creative designers and brainy developers. Explore their design portfolio and how to get in touch.

Discover the opportunities available in Cardiff Innovations labs, offices, and co working spaces