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Get a real-time quoteAI-native brand and product design studio
Raft Design (raftdesign.studio) is an AI-native brand and product design studio in Los Angeles, working with companies in the U.S. and Japan. We help startups and established companies turn new technology into brands and products people trust. AI speeds up the work. People make the calls.
Founder Lance Shields has spent more than 20 years in brand, product, and platform design, including design leadership at Adobe and Walmart. Client work includes Visa, Fitbit, Red Bull, and Hitachi. Raft Design works bilingually in English and Japanese.
Awards:
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Webby Award: AI-first All-in-One Content Creation App
- Webby Award: Best Nonprofit Website for Thatsnotcool.com
- Webby Award: "I Am a Witness" Campaign in Advertising & Media Activism Category
- W3 Award for Red Bull Branded Game
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Silver Award for B2B Branding for Yokogawa Electric - Japan Marketing Association
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Good Design Award: Hitachi.com global website design
FAQ:
What does "AI-native studio" mean?
It means AI is part of how the work gets made, not just what it's about. Strategy forms in conversation with language models, design and prototype move together, and working software gets built without the usual handoff between design and engineering.
How do engagements work?
Three ways, depending on what a team needs. We take on projects like a traditional studio, from brand and product design to shipped experiences. We embed as fractional design leadership when a team is scaling and needs senior direction. And we consult with teams that want to make their own design practice AI-native.
What is Raft Design?
Raft Design is an AI-native brand and product design studio in Los Angeles, working with companies in the U.S. and Japan. Founder Lance Shields brings 20 years of brand and product design experience, including design leadership at Adobe and Walmart.
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Min project size
$10,000+
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Hourly rate
$150 - $199 / hr
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Employees
2 - 9
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Locations
Los Angeles, CA
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Year founded
Founded 2026
1 Locations
- Los Angeles , CA
Service Lines
- Product Design
- 40%
- Web Design
- 25%
- UX/UI Design
- 15%
- AI Consulting
- 10%
- Logo
- 5%
No Focus Areas have been added yet…
Industries
- Financial services
- 15%
- eCommerce
- 15%
- Consumer products & services
- 10%
- Food & Beverage
- 10%
- Information technology
- 10%
- Legal
- 10%
- Other industries
- 10%
- Supply Chain, Logistics, and Transport
- 10%
- Utilities
- 10%
Clients
- Small Business (<$10M)
- 45%
- Midmarket ($10M - $1B)
- 35%
- Enterprise (>$1B)
- 20%
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Our Story
Raft Design is a founder-led studio built around AI. Lance Shields, Founder and Design Director, leads every project, with AI tools handling production and specialists joining when a project needs more depth. He brings 20 years of brand and product design in the U.S. and Japan, including a decade leading a Tokyo team for Hitachi and ANA, AI product design at Adobe Express, and Design Director at Walmart. He has won two Webbys and works in English and Japanese.
Locations (1)
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Raft Design
(1)Lance Shields