Los Angeles —— Worldwide
Midnight Sea is an independent design studio specializing in brand identity and experience design. We partner with brands to establish or build on who they are and bring that identity to life across digital, print, immersive and motion.
Founded in Los Angeles by Creative Director Chad Tafolla and strategist and photographer Heather Tafolla, we draw on our combined experience at world-class creative agencies, Fortune 50 companies and early-stage startups. That range primes us to work with companies of all shapes and sizes effortlessly.
For every project, we build a bespoke team from a global network of trusted partners and creatives, so each client gets exactly the right experts for the work. Strategic teams of essential roles driving the creative to the finish line is our signature strength.
Studio Principles
Principle 01
Founders on every project, start to finish.
You won’t meet us in the initial call and never see us again. The people you hire are the people leading the work. With that, you get our curated network of creatives that we call on to build bespoke teams for every project.
Principle 02
We know what it takes because we’ve hired studios too.
Years in-house at Oculus at Meta and leading teams at top agencies taught us what brand teams actually need from a partner. Clear communication, real accountability and work that holds up long after launch.
Principle 03
Brand, product and digital all considered at the same time.
Years of leading in-house teams showed us how much gets lost when brand, product and marketing work in silos. The best brands feel the same everywhere you meet them, so we design or consider the identity, the product and the experience side by side instead of handing them off. Continuity across all touchpoints makes memorable brands successful.
Principle 04
We’re in it for the long haul.
Our best work comes from knowing your business inside and out, which is why so many clients stick around. We can work as an extension of your team, embed with your designers or quietly explore something five years out. Creative collaboration is a steadfast goal with each partnership.
Principle 05
We sweat the stuff most people never notice.
The kerning on a headline, the timing of an animation, the one word in a sentence that changes how it lands. Nobody points to those things, but they’re the difference between work that’s fine and work people remember.
Partner & Executive Creative Director
Sets the creative vision for every project, turning big ideas into brands people can’t stop looking at. He believes the best work comes from bold thinking, refined down to what matters.
Partner &
Director of Strategy
Finds the story every brand is trying to tell and sharpens it until it’s in perfect focus. She asks the hard questions early so every decision has a reason behind it.
Our Services
Most brands juggle separate agencies for identity, web and launch. We cover all of it, so projects move faster, budgets stay in check and every touchpoint speaks the same language.
We use modern tools and technology to explore more ideas early and build working prototypes faster, so more of our time goes into the design itself.
