“Geometry existed before the creation of things. It is co-eternal with the mind of God.” — Johannes Kepler
There’s a quiet power in the meeting of the geometric and the organic. The symmetry of order, met by the unpredictability of life. The sakura—our trademark—captures this marriage. A precise, folded blossom. At once engineered and ephemeral. Measured and alive.
Twenty years ago, we named our agency OVO with this very duality in mind. The seed and the bloom. The ideal and the real. The form and the feeling. We believed there was a place for brands that reached beyond aesthetic polish—for design rooted in truth, strategy, and soul. For partnerships built not on posturing, but mutual elevation.
OVO didn’t start in a boardroom or on a whiteboard. It started at a dining table in the Scottsdale foothills. Ryan’s wife was pregnant. Our health insurance was gone. We were working weekends and odd hours on borrowed laptops and a shared hard drive, with big dreams and no backup plan. Just friendship. Ideals.
We have always been dreamers—but not the kind content to sit still. Our curiosity has never been passive. It has been relentless, even defiant. It has pushed us from identity design into global strategy. From solving aesthetic problems to navigating complex, consequential brand decisions for clients across the world.
But we’ve never lost our center. Hospitality remains at the heart of our practice. We still believe in the table—literal and figurative—as a place of disarmament, where truth has a seat, and ideas can stretch their legs. We’ve made it our aim to invite people in, to show them their own value, and to help them become their best selves.
That spirit—of generosity, of listening, of craft—has drawn good people to us. People who have pushed us, challenged us—even threatened us—in the best possible ways. We’ve been tested over two decades. But we’ve never chased shortcuts. Never grown for growth’s sake. We’ve stayed small on purpose. Light on our feet. Serious about value. Moved to do enduring work. Contented.
Through it all, we’ve held close to a quiet mantra: Everything is a gift—the people, the pressure, the joy, the lessons. The long days. The breakthroughs. The chance to do this work together. None of it guaranteed. All of it meaningful.
Now, twenty years on, we remain in pursuit—of insight, of excellence, of good. We still believe in the power of clarity. The dignity of intention. And the beauty that emerges when form is born of deep meaning.
To all of you who have shared this path with us—thank you. For trusting us. For believing in us. For letting us hold the pen with you as you author your stories.
Let’s keep building. Let’s keep growing.
With tremendous gratitude,
Kyle & Ryan
Founding Partners
