We're a collective of creative geniuses
We share a passion to do better, to create a better world through human connection and thoughtful design leadership.
Our creative pursuits begin from a place of truly knowing the customers of the people and businesses that we work with. We know that the foundations we build for your brand will enable you to connect deeper with your audience and create impactful change within their lives and the world.
We combine our expertise in branding — from brand strategy, brand experience and brand identity, to rollout across digital, print, packaging and paper engineering (aka origami) — to curate industry-disrupting design that embodies the unique core values of each brand (and the humans behind them). We seek to differentiate you, to set you apart from your competitors, and most importantly, make a positive difference to your community.
We are a fully distributed Australian brand design studio. 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).
Matt is the co-pilot of Ninjas.
If By Ninja were a plane, Matt would be the pilot, and he almost was — a fighter pilot, to be precise. That is, until he got a taste for cultivating amazingly talented workforces. Some may even say that creating business strategies, building incredible workplace culture, and leadership development are just as sexy as being a fighter pilot, or at least Matt does. Matt gets a thrill from helping his company and people be the absolute best they can be because he knows when all systems are a go, the business is clear for take-off.
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.
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.
We are here to do things differently, by building real human relationships that empower us to deliver original creative solutions, inspire conversation and influence change.
We connect good businesses to their customers and help them grow through meaningful experiences, so you can build a legacy that you are proud of.
Our directors
Brands that trust us
Doing things differently starts with a conversation.