We are an experienced team of researchers, designers and software engineers, working with clients big and small on solving digital challenges, towards economic and social justice.
It takes a village: Let’s collaborate on your digital projects
What we do: We conceptualize, prototype, design and build digital platforms, infrastructure and products. Additionally, we have a sharp eye for branding and take a strategic point of view. We can merge with your existing team for additional capacity or take on your project all by ourselves, be it a rebranding, custom website, API backend or online platform.
Who we are: We’re a diverse and deliberately small team of researchers, designers and software engineers, combining their digital expertise in one company. This combination allows us to take digital projects from the first sticky note all the way to launch and beyond. If additional skills are needed, we can tap into a large pool of collaborators.
Why work with us? Village One is an independent studio with strong values, high efficiency and a radical structure: We’re worker-owned, meaning you’ll always talk to an actual co-owner of the company. This leads to quick decisions, high motivation and minimal overhead. It also means we’re here to stay – most clients work with us for many years, in long-term partnerships.
Actions speak louder than words. Our portfolio
Publix
Youth Policy Labs
My Country Talks
Sovereign Tech Fund
DemNext
TypeMates
We team up with individuals, organisations and companies who share our optimism that a better world is possible. Like what you see? You could be up there as well!
Digital projects: From idea to production and beyond
Digital strategy, research and prototyping
Branding and design systems
Digital products, platforms and infrastructure
Custom website design and development
Technical consulting and audits
Tech stack: Elixir Phoenix, Ruby on Rails, Next.js, React, Typescript, Node.js, GSAP, Framer Motion, Craft CMS, Craft Commerce, Kirby, GraphQL, serverless
Methods: Remote and in-person workshops, Scrum, Kanban, prototyping, usability testing, journey mapping, visual compass, accessibility evaluation, information architecture
Don’t take our word for it. Here’s what our project partners say
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Leonid A. Klimov Science Editor, dekoderI’d like to say thank you for this incredible collaboration. Not just in terms of the excellent outcome, but also about how to do things (together) and why. Love in all directions!
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Andreas Karsten CEO, Youth Policy LabsIt is such a pleasure working with you. Your sense of purpose; your empathy and respect; sense of beauty and design; the clean and smart coding; your pragmatism and professionalism. It fills me with great joy to know that we'll keep working together.
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Powen Shiah Communications Manager, Sovereign Tech FundVillage One has worked with us to develop a brand identity for the Sovereign Tech Fund that is not just coherent: it also strengthens our message and clarifies our vision, mission and identity.
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Alexander Rühl Teamlead Marketing, Media Lab BayernOver the last months we’ve redesigned and rebuilt Media Lab Bayern’s website with great support from Village One. Seriously, I’ve rarely seen such a smooth relaunch. Kudos to the entire team!
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Claudia Chzwalisz Founder + CEO, DemocracyNextWe immensely enjoyed working with this amazing team. If anyone is looking for a creative, talented, value-driven team for design & web development I would highly recommend to reach out!
Want to talk to the owner? Sure, which one?
Our aim is to assemble a team of roughly 12 people over time, because we think that’s a healthy size for a creative team. Good things take time though and while we enjoy meeting new people, we’re not actively hiring right now. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know about open positions!
Pick our brains: Articles from our newsletter and digital garden
A new brand and website for YouthPolicy.org
About a year ago, we received an incredibly nice email from Andreas Karsten, the CEO of Youth Policy Labs (YPL). Lo and behold, we were invited to Fürstenberg to meet the YPL team at their annual off-site and to understand better what they do as an organization. Here is what happened afterwards ...
“Der Krieg und seine Opfer”—creating an online documentary with dekoder.org
We supported dekoder.org with design and code on an ambitious project: launching an online documentary series that tells the overlooked stories of civilian victims in Nazi-occupied parts of the Soviet Union during WW2.
Projects wishlist / blocklist
Village One is a studio with strong values and our goal is to win over clients and projects we feel genuinely excited about—that leads to the best work, after all. Below are our wishlist, red lines and a few personal statements from members.
Why is Village One a cooperative?
When we got serious about founding Village One we didn’t yet know that it would become a cooperative. Rather, we conceptualized what our ideal company would look like, based on the tensions we had felt in previous employments and what inspired us in other organizations.
Office hours: Let’s get to know each other!
Got a project to talk about or just want to chat? First contact can be daunting, but we make it easy: Just schedule a video call (or send us an email)!
Oct 2024 newsflash—what we’ve been working on
We’ve prepared a round-up of 10 tiny updates, focused on our recent project work. Ready? Let’s catch up!
Nov 2024 newsflash—everything else
We’ve prepared a round-up of 13 tiny updates about what’s been happening over the last months. Let’s dive in!
We use our digital garden to document processes, values, organizational knowledge, newsletters and everything in between.
Stronger together: Come along for the ride!
The Villager’s Dispatch
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Virtual office hours
Got a project to discuss or simply want to say hello? Book a video call right away!
We’re on Mastodon
Our main social presence is on Mastodon, follow for inspiration and regular updates: