What We Do

We help brands shape how they’re seen, heard, and understood. This includes defining visual identity, tone and voice, and the rules that shape how the brand is expressed, then extending that work into digital, physical, and experiential applications such as websites, campaigns, environments, and printed materials. Our work is design-led and informed by strategy, built to shape perception, recognition, and value.

Approach

We believe the strongest brands are built on ideas that are simple, considered, and easy for people to connect with. Our work is grounded in uncovering what makes a brand truly distinctive and translating that understanding into an identity people can recognize and relate to. We work hands-on and collaboratively, focused on the details that shape how a brand is seen and felt in the world. The result is a cohesive identity system that remains clear and consistent as it moves through the world, building recognition, trust, and lasting value.

How We Work

Projects

Projects are scoped initiatives driven by a clear set of goals and deliverables. From brand identities and scalable design systems through to websites and campaigns, our project work is designed to move deliberately from definition to delivery. Projects are well suited to teams with a clearly defined challenge, whether that involves creating something new, evolving what already exists, or applying an established brand more coherently across key touchpoints. Each engagement is structured to bring clarity, alignment, and momentum, with work delivered in focused phases.

Fractional Creative Direction

Fractional Creative Direction is designed for teams who need senior creative leadership without building a full in-house function. We act as a fractional creative director or team, embedded within the organization to help shape direction, establish standards, and guide creative work as it evolves, often leading or supporting internal teams and external partners, developing and maintaining identity systems, and providing hands-on input where it meaningfully improves quality and clarity through flexible, retainer-based engagements that provide continuity, availability, and experienced judgment as priorities shift over time.

Capabilities

Strategy
Tone & Voice
Naming
Messaging
Brand Identity
Visual Language
Brand Guidelines
Copywriting
Illustration
Image-Making

Print
Publications
Packaging
Signage & Wayfinding
Events
Exhibitions
Campaigns
Websites
Applications
Social

About the Studio

South Lane is an independent design studio based in Cebu and led by creative director Michael Devries. The studio was formed as a natural extension of more than two decades of hands-on design practice across strategy, brand, print, and digital. Intentionally small and senior-led, South Lane works directly with clients or as a specialist partner to agencies and studios.

Before founding South Lane, Michael spent a decade at Toptal, where he helped build global design capability at scale. His role spanned strategy and leadership, shaping how thousands of designers engaged with clients and how design work was evaluated, delivered, and valued over time.

South Lane is an independent design studio based in Cebu and led by creative director Michael Devries. The studio was formed as a natural extension of more than two decades of hands-on design practice across strategy, brand, and digital. Intentionally small and senior-led, South Lane works directly with clients and as a specialist partner to agencies and studios globally.

Before founding South Lane, Michael spent a decade at Toptal, where he helped build design capability at scale. His role combined strategy and leadership, shaping how thousands of designers engaged with clients and how design work was evaluated, delivered, and valued over time.

Featured Projects

Outdoor construction hoarding featuring Realo Group branding, residential imagery, and the tagline “Investing in Dubai made simple.”
Outdoor construction hoarding featuring Realo Group branding, residential imagery, and the tagline “Investing in Dubai made simple.”
Outdoor construction hoarding featuring Realo Group branding, residential imagery, and the tagline “Investing in Dubai made simple.”
GrantStation ID badge featuring the orange symbol and logo on a dark fabric background.
GrantStation ID badge featuring the orange symbol and logo on a dark fabric background.
GrantStation ID badge featuring the orange symbol and logo on a dark fabric background.
RIA logo applied across a blue delivery van inside a modern warehouse.
RIA logo applied across a blue delivery van inside a modern warehouse.
RIA logo applied across a blue delivery van inside a modern warehouse.
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