/ about
A small studio for brands with big stories.
Founded by designer and creative director Elisa Massenzio, built on a decade of experience shaping brands for early-stage pioneers and category creators. Small on purpose: you work directly with the person whose name is on the door.
/ meet the founder
Italian elegance. British irreverence. Californian ambition.
Hi, I’m Elisa! If you’re wondering about the accent, that’s from having grown up in Cambridge. But I’m actually Italian (born in Rome and a native Italian speaker) and I’ve lived in and around San Francisco for over a decade.
Professionally, that decade has been spent inside fast-growing startups, as an early employee at Cora while revenue grew 50x, and as the first design hire at Covariant through its acquisition by Amazon.
I’ve been making things for as long as I can remember, so working as a designer feels second nature, just like making art, food, and hand-knit sweaters in my free time. Yes, I made the sweater I’m wearing here ;)
Ten years, four chapters
2017–22
Cora
Early employee · almost 5 years
Moved period care out of the shame aisle as revenue grew 50x.
2022–24
Covariant
First design hire · over 2 years
Developed an AI robotics brand, from Pentagram’s foundations through its acquisition by Amazon.
2025
Sofar Ocean
Senior brand designer
Gave ocean hardware a human voice.
2026
Studio Massenzio
Founder
A brand studio for startups with something to say.
/ what you can count on
01
Sweating the details.
Great strategy deserves equally great craft. We hold a relentlessly high bar from the first sketch to the final pixel.
02
Creating category creators.
We design for category creators and early-stage pioneers who are actively defining what comes next.
03
In your corner.
We’re dependable, communicative, and invested in your win.
“
I know that if Elisa is working on something it will be of the highest quality, and the process for production will be tightly managed even in the most dynamic of situations!
Elisa combines strategic thinking, creative talent, and high-quality execution in every project.
Elisa consistently delivers stunning work that elevates our brand, always with professionalism, timeliness, and clear communication.
Ally Lynch · Head of Marketing, Covariant
Morgan Sterns · Creative Director, Cora
Nicole Browning · Marketing Director, Yucca Fins
01 / 03
/ after hours
Ink and paper.
I started experimenting with this drawing style when I was at university, and though it’s developed and shifted in the years since, I never got tired of working with ink pens. Drawing curves from large spirals to tiny methodical concentric circles is a sort of meditation that will keep me happily occupied for hours on end. I’m often inspired by everyday conversations, the music I listen to, books I’m reading, and motifs in other artists’ pieces.
A woolly obsession
