A creative department, without the headcount

Grotesque is the outsourced creative department for tech startups. You own the strategy and the results. We lead the creative — directing it, shaping it, and getting it shipped. One accountable lead, every week, from day one.

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Is this you?

You’re building out your marketing function.
You need a creative counterpart from day one — someone to lead production and quality while you own the strategy. That’s exactly what we’re built for.
You’re mid-rebrand, or you just finished one.
Whether you need a new identity built from scratch or help rolling out a brand another agency handed you, we work with you from concept through every touchpoint.
You’ve got a big moment coming up.
A launch, a fundraise announcement, an event booth — and a deadline that isn’t moving. We lead the creative direction and production to the standard it needs, on the timeline you’ve got.
Your designer or agency just left.
Work doesn’t stop because they did. We step in, get up to speed fast, and make sure quality doesn’t slip in the handover.

If any of that sounds familiar, you don’t need a new hire. You need us.

Why startups bring us in

Freelancers disappear. Agencies take your brief and hand it to whoever’s free that week. And hiring your own creative lead? That’s a six-figure bet you’re not ready to make at Series A. Grotesque is the middle ground that actually works.

01
One accountable lead, not a rotating cast
Our creative director works alongside your team on every piece of work that goes out the door — brand identity, campaigns, day-to-day content, ad creative, all of it. Whoever’s making it, they’re the one making sure it’s good.
02
You keep the strategy. We keep the quality bar.
You decide what needs to happen and why. We translate that into creative direction, make sure it’s on-brand, and see it through to something that’s actually ready to ship. No more chasing work that technically meets the brief but misses the point.
03
A monthly retainer, not a hiring process
No six-week onboarding. No recruiting cycle. No severance conversation six months later. You sign up, we start, and you can cancel anytime.
04
Everything, under one roof
Brand identity, campaigns, day-to-day content, and ad creative — it’s all covered under the same retainer, led by the same person, held to the same standard.

“Beyond execution, he brings thoughtful insight, often suggesting improvements to structure, user flow, and copy that go far beyond the brief. It feels as if he’s a core part of our team.”
Roni Saban, VP of Marketing, Lema

How we work with you

Every startup’s situation is different, so the engagement flexes to fit where you’re at.

We direct and make.
You don’t have designers yet, and you don’t need to hire any. Our creative director sets the direction, and our team handles production. You stay focused on strategy while we take care of getting the work made and shipped.
We direct, your people make.
You’ve already got designers, an agency, or a freelancer roster — but nobody’s steering them. We set the creative direction, write the briefs, and review everything before it ships, so your team always knows what good looks like.
A mix of both.
Your team handles day-to-day output just fine, but the brand system and the high-stakes moments need a steadier hand. We lead on those while your team keeps the rest moving.

No tier labels, no bundled packages you don’t need. Just the model that matches where you actually are.

What we actually make

One retainer covers everything your marketing needs to look right and ship on time. Here’s what that looks like in practice.

Campaigns
Concept through to final file — developed in close step with your team.
- Launch campaigns
- Demand gen creative
- Product announcements
- Campaign concepts and direction
Web
Design and development, not just mockups.
- Landing pages and marketing sites
- On-brand, built to convert
- Fast to ship
- Led by our creative director, built by our development team
Day-to-day
The steady stream of content your marketing runs on.
- Social graphics
- Email templates
- Presentation decks
- Sales collateral
Ads
Performance creative built for the channel — not repurposed brand assets.
- Paid social and display ads
- Creative designed to stop the scroll
- Message-matched to your goals
- Directed by our creative director, held to the same quality bar as everything else

Recent work

Elementary
Proposed a design system in week one. Approved the same day.
B2B data. Two years on, we make the website, events and decks, and rolled out the 2.0 brand.
Lema
Their VP of Marketing brought us with her from her last company.
B2B security. The first job was a one-pager, due the next day. Six months on, we make the website, careers, five conference booths, decks, LinkedIn ads and swag, in one visual language.

The team

Two founders lead every account. A small team of specialists makes the work with them.

Ozgun Kabakcioglu
Co-founder, creative director
Leads the creative on every account: sets the direction, writes the briefs and reviews everything before it ships.
Edwin Plaskitt
Co-founder, client director
Your day-to-day contact: keeps the work on track and makes sure every piece lands the way you need it to.