About us
Founder and Design Director:
Chris Shirley MA FRGS
Chris is a UX, brand and visual design specialist with a unique background in military leadership, risk advisory, and global media operations.
A former Royal Marines Commando officer and Close Protection specialist with the Royal Military Police, Chris has combined years of frontline operational experience with a deep understanding of digital communication, bringing a rare perspective to innovation in Defence, Tech, Adventure and Space sectors.
Chris studied design at university in the early 2000s before embarking on a diverse and international career. His roles have included supporting BBC news-gathering operations in hostile environments, leading risk management planning for international NGOs, and managing COVID-19 safety for Sir Elton John’s global farewell tour. He has worked across over 60 countries, from expeditionary environments to boardrooms, often operating at the intersection of crisis, creativity, and communication.
With a Master’s degree in Business Management (MA) and recognition as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS), Chris’s professional focus today is visual communication, human-centred design, and digital experience strategy. His skillset is rooted in high-pressure decision-making and rapid sense-making, developed through years of military operations, global risk advisory roles, and visual design work for clients ranging from Google and ITN to Bear Grylls and the UK’s leading defence innovators.
A two-time Guinness World Record holder, Chris brings deep operational insight to his design practice, helping start-ups, scale-ups, and mission-critical industries simplify complexity and communicate visually with impact. He splits his time between the UK and Europe, working with companies across both regions to develop intuitive user experiences and bridge cultural gaps in digital design.
Chris’ Fourth Decade Mission Plan:
I’ve decided that my mission for my fourth decade will be to challenge a few of the outdated assumptions I encounter in the media, hear referenced in conversation, and notice through observation about several demographic groups I belong to, doing so through personal achievement:
Veterans aren’t mad, bad, or sad (or some tragic combo of all three).
Company founders, senior managers and military officers don’t all grow up with excessive or uncommon privilege.
People who grew up in a single-parent household and / or social housing can’t achieve great things outside the range of others.
Vocational training isn’t a fallback for those who “couldn’t get in” to university.
Blue collar workers, visual designers, artists, Royal Marines and security personnel are capable of reaching the highest educational levels.
That getting older means you don’t have to lose your adventurous spirit.
Creatives and visual designers aren’t flaky, flamboyant, or allergic to strategy and complex, abstract, highly theoretical subjects.