About — PlainBlack

Our Story

Why we started PlainBlack

We started PlainBlack because we were tired of seeing small business owners being taken for a ride.

Too often, web design and marketing agencies use confusion as a sales tactic, signing people up to subscriptions they don't understand, locking them into long-term contracts they can't get out of, and delivering work that only works if you keep paying.

That's not how we do things.

PlainBlack was built to put the power back in your hands. We help you understand the strategy behind your brand, your website, and your marketing, so you're not stuck relying on someone else forever.

We design, we guide, and we show you the how, not just the what. And when the time comes to fly solo, you can.

Because great creative should help you grow. Not hold you hostage.

Our ethos is to help small businesses go head-to-head with large corporations by leading with passion, kindness, and generosity. We carefully select our clients based on the value they can add to the world.

The Team

The people behind it

Two guys (and one honorary medieval mathematician) who believe small businesses deserve better than cookie-cutter agencies and overpriced retainers.

Jayden Brown

Co-Founder / NZ

Jayden is the kind of guy who will make your husband's wacky dreams seem like good ideas. Thankfully he usually uses this power for good instead of evil. Innately philanthropic, Jayden believes if everyone acted with a little more habitual kindness, the world would be a better place. He is generous to a fault, a happy little reaction clicker on social media; dishing out angry faces, thumbs, and hearts with reckless abandon. That's how you know he likes you.

Ian Clarquinn

Co-Founder / Australia

Ian has a profound connection with the internet and has begun most of his significant adult relationships that way. A proficient early adopter, Ian loved social media long before emojis were ever a glint in the semicolon's eye. A slightly off kilter, big picture kind of guy, Ian thrives on dad jokes and shiny new ideas. He is excitable and passionate and makes some of the rest of us seem like we see the world through a mediocre lens.

Leonardo Fibonacci

Honorary Member / 12th Century

Long before branding agencies, hipster designers, and creative think tanks, there was Leonardo Fibonacci, a 12th-century numbers nerd who unknowingly shaped modern design. His Fibonacci Sequence laid the foundation for the Golden Ratio, a design principle so universally pleasing it appears in everything from the Parthenon to Apple's logo. We tap into these timeless principles because great design isn't just about looking cool; it's about structure, balance, and a little mathematical magic.

What We Believe

Our Values

The stuff that guides every project, every conversation, every decision.

Power in Your Hands

We build things that make you independent, not dependent. Every project, every playbook, every brand we create is designed to fly without us.

Honest Pricing

No hidden fees, no subscription traps, no inflated quotes. You know exactly what you're paying for and exactly what you get.

Strategy Before Style

Pretty is easy. Effective is hard. We start with strategy and let the design follow. Every decision has a reason behind it.

Respect Your Intelligence

We don't dumb things down or guard the mystery. We show you how it works, because you're smart enough to understand it.

Kindness and Generosity

We believe in helping people succeed. If we can't help you, we'll point you to someone who can. No gatekeeping.

Ideas Over Process

We don't sell you a 200-page strategy doc. We sell you ideas that stick, campaigns that convert, and brands people remember.

Your passion is our passion