Koto
Co-creating an optimistic new website for global branding studio Koto.
Koto is an optimistic group of designers, strategists and writers that works at the intersection of brand and digital from studios in Berlin, London, Los Angeles and New York.
We’ve been working with them since 2015 — not only on their own sites, but also forming a strong partnership from which to collaborate with an array of clients. We helped Koto celebrate the next chapter of their global journey with a dynamic new website.
A showcase and a new business tool
Over the years, together we’ve developed a deep knowledge around how the Koto site is used internally — and to speak to a broad audience including current and potential clients, industry peers and new talent.
We’ve used this knowledge to push the site further in its latest iteration — as a showcase and a new business tool. The site merges Koto’s rigor and charisma with ON’s understanding of modern web capabilities.
We worked closely with Koto to rapidly prototype and create builds that tested layouts using real content, enabling a better understanding of design needs by seeing elements in situ.
The site has been developed with a powerful modular architecture using modern technologies — enabling a blazingly fast experience.
Fast, secure and beautiful
Many traditional sites take the approach of using dynamic systems to serve pages. A more modern approach is to decouple the server and the front-end.
This enables highly scalable architecture that can be evolved more easily — enabling Koto and ON to iterate on front-end and back-end independently, or replace the CMS without impacting the front-end.
The Koto website is a portfolio — lots of images and videos. Optimization matters. We use responsive image sizing and global delivery so users receive the closest appropriate size for their device, reducing payload while keeping quality high.
Not only are the images fast to load but they are also beautiful — covering a wide gamut of colours. We developed a custom approach to get the most out of modern display capabilities so the work lands the way it should.
Rich and flexible layouts
A modular approach means content can be reused across pages, and editorial freedom stays high. Modules combine content + configuration so Koto can evolve the site at the speed they move.
ON is the perfect technology partner. Their collaborative approach, rigorous attention to detail and can-do attitude is evident in the successful creative outcomes for Koto and the clients we work with together.
James Greenfield
Founder & Creative Director
