We are your design leadfor $1223/mo
AI made building easy — standing out is the hard part. We consult and lead your design, storytelling, and marketing as one craft — exclusively for startups — so everything you ship makes people care.
Æ Labs
webPunk
Tor Project
FoodpandaStartups hire us for our taste.
Consulting & leadership.
Design, storytelling & marketing — for startups only.
1Design
Look like the category leader before you are one.
What you get
- +Landing page
- +Logo
- +Brand visual system
2Storytelling
Say it so it sticks, and your whole team says it the same.
What you get
- +Positioning
- +Core narrative
- +Messaging doc
3Marketing
Put it where it spreads, then keep every drop on-signal.
What you get
- +Launch plan
- +Post templates
- +Channels & distribution
The product is the
easy part now.
For a decade the bottleneck was building. Now AI builds — fast, cheap, for everyone. So the old edge is gone, and a new one is exposed.
When everyone can make the thing, the winner is whoever makes people care about it. Taste. Story. Timing. That's the part AI can't fake — and it's the only part we do.
For startups only, 1223 consults and leads design, storytelling, and marketing as one craft:
the craft of being impossible to ignore.
Work we've led,
digital and physical.
webpunk.comwebPunk
Led the product's design direction end to end — a dark UI system spanning the social feed, chat, desktop app, mobile app, and in-world NPC dialogue, balanced for readability and tone.
akashic.comSpiritual AI Chatbot
Defined the unique design of a table like UI/UX
exe.aiPersonal AI dashboard
Directed the whole experience and system states of this link in bio builder — onboarding flow, brand expression, and the overall feel of the platform.
x-x.comGlobal Warming Candle
Led the concept of this candle design. An earth shaped candle - Global warming (get it?)
x-x.comDotcom Rug
Designed and helped manage the production stage of the rug.
x-x.comMerch — Apparel
Set the apparel direction — placement, type, and a graphics system that stays consistent from concept to production across every drop.
ael.orgNecklace — Jewelry
Led the jewelry brand direction — product styling, lighting, and macro detail that sells the material across the whole catalog.
torproject.orgOnion Plushies and Keychains
Designed in 3D and help with the manufacturing process. (sold out at DEFCON)
Book a call with our founder Kuzey.
I'm a founder too — and at the early stage, I couldn't afford the design, storytelling, and marketing leadership I needed most. I built 1223 to be exactly that: consulting and leadership, exclusively for startups, at a price you can actually carry. You always deal with me directly — no sales team, no gatekeepers — and my team and I lead the work. Bring your product, your team, and your goals, and we'll map out exactly how we'd plug in.
Things startups
ask first.
1What exactly do I get for $1,223/month?+
Consulting and leadership across design, storytelling, and marketing — in one subscription, for less than one junior hire. We set the direction, give your team drafts and ideas to run with, and keep everything on one signal.
2Is this only for startups?+
Yes. 1223 is exclusively for startups. We built the model for early-stage teams that need senior design, storytelling, and marketing leadership — without the agency retainer or full-time hire.
3Is the 1 week really free?+
Yes — your first week is on us. We plug in and start leading right away, with no card up front and no auto-charge. At the end of the week, if it's a fit, you decide whether to continue. Book a call to set it up.
4Do you do the work yourselves?+
No — we don't execute the production work. We lead the direction and can provide drafts and ideas for your design team to build from. Your team ships; we keep it on-signal.
5What if I don't have a designer or marketer yet?+
We can help you hire or appoint people from our network, brief them, and set up the process — then lead whoever ends up doing the work.
6Why design, storytelling, and marketing together?+
Because they're one job: making people care. AI made building easy, so the edge is no longer the product — it's taste, narrative, and timing working as one. Split across three vendors, they drift. We keep them on a single signal.
7Why are spots limited?+
We only work with 12 startups at a time so each gets real, hands-on consulting and leadership. Once every spot is filled, new sign-ups join the waitlist until one opens up.
8Can I pause or cancel?+
Yes. It's month-to-month. Pause when things are quiet and pick back up later (if there's a spot).