The Story Behind Marlo Studios—Two Sisters, One Dream

Freya and I found ourselves stuck in Taiwan during COVID.

Being in the same place during such an uncertain time sparked conversations about starting something together.

That something turned out to be Marlo Studios.

This is the story of how my sister Freya and I (Jasmine) built Marlo Studios from a $50 freelance project to a full-time agency.

The Early Days (2021-2022)

During COVID, Freya discovered the power of remote work while employed at a startup.

This experience sparked her realization that she could be far more productive working remotely than she could in the office.

This insight became her driving force.

While maintaining her day job, Freya enrolled in Shillington's part-time graphic design course with the vision to eventually run a design studio remotely.

She woke up early for three hours of online classes before clocking into her 9-to-5. Every early morning brought her closer to her dream.

Meanwhile, I was building my marketing expertise through an internship with a digital transformation company in Hong Kong.

This experience would later prove invaluable in shaping Marlo's strategic approach.

Taking the Leap (2022-2023)

Fresh out of design school, Freya started freelancing.

Her first brand identity project earned her a modest $50. But she approached every project as a learning opportunity and portfolio builder.

After gaining some freelance momentum, Freya negotiated a fully remote contract with her then-boss and made a life-changing move (with me) to Japan.

This move allowed her to live her remote dream while balancing her 9-to-5 and growing freelance practice.

At this point, we had enough traction to start a proper studio. And that studio needed a proper name.

Enter Marlo Studios. Founded in January 2023 with February 1st as our celebrated anniversary.

From this point, we began creating content to share our journey. Growth was slow and sometimes the challenge of building a successful studio felt daunting.

But we kept going.

The Breakthrough (2023-2024)

March 2023 marked a turning point.

We started posting daily on TikTok and grew our account by 10,000 followers in just one month.

Then in June, our brand identity series went viral, creating a consistent influx of clients.

After a year or so of building Marlo Studios, Freya and I were finally able to quit our jobs and go full-time.

Throughout 2024, our distinctive style began attracting dream clients, and bold, colorful, and fun designs became our signature.

Collaborations with Adobe, Framer, and Wix highlighted our growing industry recognition.

Expanding the Vision (2024-2025)

In 2024, we also launched our Brand Identity Guidelines 2.0 template to serve clients who couldn't afford our full-service offerings.

At this point, a brand identity project was worth a lot more than the $50 Freya was paid for her first project!

2025 brought expansion into mockups, establishing Marlo as a comprehensive design resource house.

Our digital products on Marlo's Market now serve designers worldwide.

Conclusion

We are forever grateful for everyone who has supported us to this point. Thank you for all the love.

The next few years at Marlo Studios should be incredibly exciting with many projects in the pipeline.

Connect with us on Instagram and TikTok to be the first to find out how Marlo's story continues.