A Brooklyn-based design firm helmed by the powerhouse duo of Axel Peemöller and Rita Matos, New Studio takes a radical approach to graphic design by continually pushing boundaries, provoking minds and infusing its work with activism. “We enjoy when we can infuse more meaning and purpose to a project and encourage culture with our client projects and self-initiated studio projects,” says Peemöller. “We want people to notice the projects we do—whether you love it or hate it, please just notice it.” With 20 years in the design industry under his belt before he established New Studio, Peemöller traveled around the world searching for collaborators before meeting Matos, a native of Lisbon well-versed in designing for the cultural arena, in New York City. From there, the two worked remotely for four years before Matos moved to New York. “Both of us are quite radical thinkers and passionate about social, political and environmental causes,” he says. “I get very passionate about maritime protection and Rita about feminism. We both draw inspiration from art, music, nature, physics and science. We complement and push one another creatively and in our personal life as well—the perfect work wife-and-husband relationship.” Combining their disparate visual references keeps New Studio’s work original and distinctive, an aesthetic it brings to clients that have purpose and passion. “We like to challenge ourselves creatively and conceptually, and we love it when clients come to us for that energy,” says Peemöller. “All creatives and brands we look up to have a strong personality and point of view, and to us, that is key for a successful, meaningful brand.”