We build digital experiences that leave a lasting impression.

An independent creative technology studio in London, founded by two neurodivergent creatives who make inclusive design the default, not the exception.

Our story

Started in a small flat in Battersea.

We started By Default in 2023. Two creatives in a small flat in Battersea, London, having a conversation that changed everything. Syeda said, "What if we built the studio we always wished existed for people like us?" Erlen, never scared of a challenge, said, "Let's do it. How hard could it be?" Little did we know it would be the hardest thing we'd ever do, and also the most rewarding.

We'd spent our careers in an industry built around a narrow idea of what "normal" looks like. Designed for people who read at a certain speed, process information a certain way, and move through the world without the same challenges. As neurodivergent creatives, we'd spent years adapting to systems and spaces that weren't built with us in mind. We knew firsthand what it feels like to be designed around instead of designed for.

So we stopped waiting for the industry to change and built it ourselves. The result is better work where participation is possible for everyone, not just a few. That's our commercial advantage. Inclusive design isn't an afterthought. It's our default.

Meet The Team

Erlen Masson

Co-Founder, CEO & Head of Innovation

An award-winning designer, technologist, and innovator often described by clients as a “creative genius.” As a kid, a teacher once told him, “He’ll never amount to anything.”

Erlen struggled with dyslexia growing up. Reading and writing never came easily, but discovering Photoshop that same year changed everything. Design became the language he used to communicate visually. That moment shaped his career and still drives how he leads today.

With over a decade of experience leading multi-disciplinary creative teams for culture-defining brands, including TIME Inc., Warner, and HYPEBEAST, and working on digital campaigns for Burberry, Moncler, and Nike.

Erlen has helped shape how global audiences experience digital brand storytelling in new and innovative ways.

The difference between a brand that gets noticed and a brand that gets remembered is participation. You don't remember what you scrolled past. You remember what you played with, learned from, and couldn't help but share.

At By Default, Erlen leads innovation, building interactive technology that lets the studio design and deliver digital experiences at speed and scale without compromising creativity. He also leads conversations with businesses and industry peers on AI in design and digital spaces, championing its role in amplifying human creativity rather than replacing it.

He drives a culture of experimentation where creativity, systems, and technology intersect, taking ideas from concept to product at speed and into scalable commercial growth.

Syeda Masson

Co-Founder & Strategy Director

Syeda begins every project with one question: “How should this make someone feel?” A brand and business strategist who thinks in systems, patterns and connecting big-picture vision to structured execution. Mapping how culture and behaviour shifts how consumers see and engage with modern brands today.

Her decade long experience spans across luxury fashion brands, retail and digital commerce, where she’s worked for Isabel Marant, Rick Owens, ASOS, Diesel, Selfridges and supported start up brands to launch.

Those years grounded her belief in, ‘feelings shape memory’ and ‘sweating the little details’ others miss is what gets you remembered. A philosophy that continues to guide how she leads and builds brand experiences today.

Inclusion isn't about designing for everyone. That's impossible. It starts with understanding who you're excluding and why, and building them in. The brands willing to do that work are the ones nobody else can compete with.

Embracing her neurodiversity as a leader, she combines her divergent thinking which gives her a unique lens in viewing the world.

Today, she advocates for creative wellbeing and neuro-affirmative support systems in the workplace, to leave the creative industry a little better than she found it.

Paul Le Fevre

Chief Commercial Officer

A commercial leader with nearly two decades of experience scaling revenue across global media and cultural platforms. His experience has shaped a simple belief he leads by today:

The most valuable growth doesn't come from doing more. It comes from fully activating what already exists.

At By Default, Paul sets the direction for revenue strategy, partnership growth, and the commercial foundation that supports the studio's expansion. He works closely with brand and publisher partners, designing the systems and collaborations that turn creative work into measurable business outcomes.

Across his career, Paul has unlocked more than £100 million in cumulative revenue. He's built businesses from zero to nine-figure valuations and architected commercial foundations through innovative audience growth solutions for global brands including Nike, Google, Apple, Adidas, and Meta.

Having led commercial growth across global media publishers, affiliate platforms, retail media businesses and creative experience-led environments, Paul has built a rare full-funnel perspective on modern audience behaviour, understanding not just how to capture attention, but how to turn engagement into measurable commercial impact and long-term brand loyalty.

Outside of work, Paul is a parent of two, a runner, a golfer, a DJ, and a Manchester United supporter, though the last one tests the patience of everyone around him.

Muskaan Kasat

Brand Designer

Sruti Gidugu

Strategist

Nourdine Streather

Senior Ad Operations Specialist

What we believe

Inclusive by default.

Inclusive design isn't a phase or a checklist. It's the standard. We build for the audiences others leave out, and the work reaches more people because of it.

Feelings shape memory.

The detail others overlook is the part that gets remembered. We sweat the small things: the moment a transition lands, a word in motion, a tap that makes you feel something. That's where memory is built.

Divergent thinking, better outcomes.

The best work happens when a team challenges the brief and sees what others miss. It takes ambition and craft to build, but it delivers standout results.

How we work

The engineering of excellence.

We built our studio the way a race engineer builds a car. Every component exists for a reason, from the tools we deploy and the platforms we build on, to the people we bring into the room. Everything is chosen deliberately; everything is integrated with precision. We reject the comfort of "the way it's always been done." Instead, we rely on first-principles thinking to deconstruct and solve problems from the ground up.

That mindset carries into every project. From the visual language to every pixel we deliver. It's in the micro-second timing of a transition, the psychology behind the logic of a gamified flow, the performance of a page on a mid-range phone in Lagos. We treat every detail as a decision that affects the whole. Get one component wrong and the system underperforms. Tune them all perfectly, and the work performs flawlessly.

This is how a nimble studio outperforms agencies ten times our size. We don't scale by increasing headcount. We scale by fine-tuning every part of the process to deliver maximum impact for our clients.

01 Discover

Strategy and audience insight

We start with the audience, not the brief. Who they are, where they make decisions, what the competition isn't doing. Every project begins with the research that shapes the right brief, not just the fastest one.

02 Develop

Creative direction and interactive build

Creative direction, design systems, and technology decisions happen together, not in sequence. We shape the thinking before we execute it, so the work is led by strategy, not production.

03 Deliver

Production, integration, performance

Everything we build is tested across real devices, optimised for performance, and monitored after launch. If it's not working, we fix it. The engagement doesn't end at handover.

FAQs

Questions, answered.

What is By Default?

By Default is a creative technology studio in London. We build digital experiences — brands, websites, interactive tools, and campaigns — that turn audiences into participants. Founded in 2023 by two neurodivergent creatives, we make inclusive design the default, not the exception.

What services does By Default offer?

Three connected disciplines: Digital Branding (brand strategy, identity, and activation), Digital Experiences (UX, visual design, development, and post-launch support), and Digital Campaigns (campaign strategy, identity, and inclusive design). Work with us as a full partnership or hire one discipline at a time.

Where is By Default based?

We're a creative technology studio based in London, working with brands and publishers worldwide.

Can I hire By Default for just one part of a project?

Yes. Branding, experiences, and campaigns are available as a full partnership or one at a time, so you can bring us in for exactly the work you need.

What makes By Default different?

We design for the audiences others leave out, and the work gets stronger for it. Inclusive design is in the brief from day one, not bolted on at the end — because participation, not visibility, is what makes a brand remembered.

How do I start a project with By Default?

Every project starts with a conversation. Tell us what you're building toward through our contact form, or book a call, and we'll shape the right brief from there.