Manual

Manual is a design and branding studio based in San Francisco. Check out our conversation with their Founder and Creative Director Tom Crabtree below. EM: What did you set out to achieve when founding Manual in 2009? TC: There was no masterplan when I started Manual. I left a job at Apple with no business plan, no clients or contacts, and my first kid on the way. I just knew I wanted to start a small brand design studio in San Francisco. Compared to London, where there’s a lot of competition due to a saturation of small creative design studios, I felt that there wasn’t the same culture in SF. I saw an opportunity to bring my mixed experience in identity design and a somewhat European design sensibility to San Francisco’s varied sectors such as technology, food and drink, and culture.