about is + at
We specialize in brand and digital experience design.
We are designers, strategists, and problem-solvers. We build brands and digital products that optimized for adoption by an intended market. It is a practice that shapes solutions and organizations to meet the changing needs of users, marketplaces, and the world.
our clientsOur clients are pioneers in Life Sciences, early- to mid-stage tech companies across a wide range of industries, and established Fortune 500 companies. Common among them is their drive to engage their market and deliver exceptional value through strong brands, clear messaging, and meaningful products. All benefit from the fresh agility of our outside counsel.
our SERVICESFrom branding, marketing, digital experience design, information design, we offer a full suite of design services for organizations in transformational states. We service start-ups, establish entities seeking a fresh face, or an aquired or merged brand, we uncover and elevate real marketplace value.
who we are
Heather Furman
Founder, Executive Creative Director
My love of purpose-driven design started as a student at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, where I committed to a cooperative with Johns Hopkins Hospital. Designing and spreading deeply needed health communications to the neglected community of East Baltimore sparked a fire within me — to pursue work that provides real value, cultivate beauty into the world, and build for better.
My successes are driven by an unflappable focus on achieving well-designed solutions to serve real needs. This work requires me to be a designer, a listener, a problem-solver, a sense-seer, and a learner. I’ve been designing and leading creative teams my entire career. Before is + at I was co-owner and Creative Director of Armchair and partner and Executive Creative Director at Donovan/Green.
I co-founded is + at to focus my strategic design energy and to continue leading talent—the established and the fresh—toward better, more beautiful, and undeniably valueable outcomes.
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Heather serves on the Board of Directors for the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. She is the recipient of numerous design awards including the Connecticut Art Directors Club, Graphic Design USA, the Advertising Club of CT, and the American Graphic Design Awards. She was awarded First Prize from the Museum Publications Design Competition and has works appearing in Ellen Lupton’s Book “Thinking with Type, a Critical Guide.”
Matthew Thornton
Founder, Lead Strategist
I co-founded a boutique agency called Armchair in 2009, cutting our teeth on digital innovation and brand transformation. We called some impressive companies our clients and some even more impressive people our co-conspirators, and friends. Leading that agency was deeply enriching, from positioning a textile company that lead the entire industry toward more sustainable, honest supply chains, to helping a massive media company grow, one tough win at a time.
Along the way, I co-founded a technographics/research company, Industry Index. I took part in the pageant of start-up culture first-hand: VC pitches, deck iterations, sleepless nights, and re-re-re-pivoting of product. This deepened my playbook, earning me an empathetic POV of early-stage clients.
My 20+ years of experience, skill, and a bit of good fortune have brought me here—as co-founder and architect of change for is + at. I’m more excited by the work than I’ve ever been.
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Matthew is a member of the Board of Directors for the Soul of the Peruvian Andes and Building Brilliant Futures, has given keynote addresses on branding at MAGIC LV, lectured at FIDM, and sits on advisory panels for several startup tech companies.
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