How Piotr Stala runs an international branding studio from Poland

When Piotr Stala sits down with a founder for the first time, he often learns something the founder hasn’t told anyone else. That’s what happens when the person asking the questions is the same person who will design the identity, build the strategy and check in a year later. Stala has deliberately kept his practice solo, working across sectors as varied as autonomous cargo seaplanes for Poseidon Aerospace and fine jewellery for LÖF. His approach, which he calls ‘Refined Longevity,’ treats identity like architecture, making it structurally sound before anything visual is introduced. “Most brand projects skip the first phase entirely,” Stala explains. “They go straight to aesthetics, and then wonder why the identity doesn’t hold.” In our conversation, he reveals the power of singular accountability, the thinking behind his four client frameworks, and why the best design decisions come from sitting with a problem for longer. TBI: Hi Piotr! How are things going? PS: Productive. I spent the better part of a year building systems that let me focus on the work rather than on managing the work. The studio runs quietly now.