We share a passion to do better, to build a better world through thoughtful design and doing things differently. We start with you. We build real human relationships that empower us to understand your need and solve problems. We combine our expertise in brand experience, digital design, packaging design and paper engineering (origami) to deliver original, purpose driven creative solutions that connect good businesses to good customers and deepen results.
We are a creative design agency based in Brisbane. We are:
Kathleen is an award-winning creative problem solver.
She starts every project with one question—’why’. Kathleen founded By Ninja in 2016 out of a passion to do things differently, and to do things better, not for her, but for the brands that she works with—”I want to add real value to the businesses that I partner with”. Uncomfortable is a state that she actively strives for, because being uncomfortable is where the ‘new’ is, the ‘never been done before’, the ‘different’. Kathleen’s experience spans a diverse range of industries, including; green beauty, retail, hospitality, professional services, government, not-for-profit and transport. Her specialist skills include; creative strategy, brand experience and design, and packaging design and paper engineering (aka origami).
Rebecca has designing prowess and an open heart.
Finnish-Australian Rebecca is our creative agent of design. With a focus on functional design, she’s always got one eye looking for underlying problems that others often miss. Her collaborations with brands of all sizes (large corporations to grassroots startups) have led to her three mantra’s which guide her creative process—be empathetic, work as a team and use design to serve, empower and support. A digital nomad, her design journey began in Helsinki, Finland in 2014. After her worldwide explorations, Rebecca feels most at home when she’s playing in the sand and sea with her mini schnauzer, Topi.
Jim is a developer with people skills.
Since 1997, the web has had much to thank Jim for. Jim is a man of philosophy. His approach to all things digital starts with the need and the goal—he believes in a solution orientated approach. With a focus on building real, face-to-face relationships so that he can better understand needs, you could describe Jim as the unicorn of the digital world. Jim has crafted hundreds of responsive digital solutions throughout his career, across a diverse range of industries, from humble html email signatures to epic e-commerce sites, and everything in between.
Johanna has been spinning stories since day dot.
A self-proclaimed word nerd with more degrees than you can poke a bo at, Johanna has an admiration for language and grammar that borders on fanatical. As a former lawyer and journalist, Johanna’s investigative approach enables her to uncover the deep truth behind the stories she tells. Johanna’s words have helped brands grow in triple digits in as few as nine months. Her specialist skills include brand writing, creative writing, and strategic writing. In her spare time, Johanna helps run a central Queensland property, and as such, has a deep understanding of rural Australian influences.
Rachel loves to spin a story or two.
With over a decade of experience crafting creative, engaging words, Rachel has an innate ability to construct authentic narratives that audiences respond to. The communications and marketing specialist has weaved her written workmanship for the health and wellbeing, not-for-profit and tertiary sectors, as well as government agencies across web, social media, and print. Rachel holds a special place in her heart for spelling, grammar and punctuation (don’t even get her started on their, there and they’re!), and her love for stories doesn’t discriminate—she has a nose for uncovering the latest gossip, and facts (of course).
Callie is a real-life ninja with a camera.
With more years experience than she has fingers (3... joking!), Callie’s passion for telling stories with her craft is inimitable. Her edgy, empathetic approach to photography enables Callie to capture powerfully authentic moments that resonate. Callie’s frames have helped brands increase their check-out value by as much as 103 percent. Callie has captured brand, product, fashion, food and photojournalism frames for some of Australia, and the world’s, most renowned people and businesses. In her spare time, Callie captures all the ooey gooey love that weddings have to offer—she navigates chaos to reveal the vulnerability of moments.
Dana loves to make people happy.
A natural people pleaser, Dana likes to make sure everyone has a terrific day. Whether picking up the phone to reply directly to enquiries, baking delicious goodies for her husband, Nathan, or taking her Border Collie, Princess Pearl, for a walk. Deciding to join By Ninja in 2020 was easy because Dana wanted to take her decade’s worth of experience helping people into a top-notch team. A day’s worth of talking demands the right fuel and Dana’s favourites are honeycomb, a glass of wine and cheese — it’s all about balance, right?
Doing things differently starts with a conversation.