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Welcome to Super Extra—a brand studio built for the loud, the principled, the weird, the progressive, the powerful. The ones who have something to say, and aren’t afraid to say it with their whole chest (and a damn good visual identity).

Super Extra wasn’t born in a boardroom. It was born in the tension between too much and not enough. Between corporate creative reviews and kitchen-table activism. Between "just make it pretty" and "what if we actually shook some shit up?"

In this first-ever behind-the-scenes feature, Roman Grey, our Super Extra Culture & Creative Correspondent, sits down with me (hi, I’m Larissa) to ask the big questions—why I started this thing, who it’s for, and what I plan to do with it. Spoiler: it involves disrupting the design status quo, centering women and queer-led businesses, and building brands that do something in the world.

Let’s get into it.

ORIGIN & EXPERTISE

1. Okay, first things first. What is Super Extra, and what made you start it?

Super Extra was born out of a career of being told I was too much—too bold, too strategic, too ambitious, too creative. For years, the only consistent “feedback” I received from leadership was that I brought more to the table than they were willing to sell through. They wanted beige; I brought technicolor. They wanted standardized templates and industry trends; I brought full-blown systems and all the ambient add-ons.

My answer to that? Leaning into being extra. Being more than extra. It’s for every woman, every queer, every underestimated powerhouse who’s been told to tone it down. We’re not here to whisper. We’re here to exist loudly—and build brands that do the same.

**2. Why you? Why are you the person to build brands for bold, progressive businesses?**

My roots are in experiential design: large-scale events, immersive brand activations, and multi-sensory campaigns. When you build brands that need to live beyond a screen, you quickly learn how to make them unforgettable.

That foundation taught me how to design for impact, not just aesthetics. And now, I use that same system-thinking and storytelling magic to support women-led, purpose-driven, anti-status-quo businesses. With a sharp eye for strategy, an obsession with nuance, and a collective of brilliant creatives at my side, Super Extra delivers brands that are un-ignorable.

3. Was there a turning point? A ‘fuck this’ moment that made you realize you had to create your own studio?

Absolutely. Watching our rights get stripped away, our voices ignored, and our communities sidelined lit a fire under me. As a creative, I couldn’t sit quietly while women, non-binary & trans folks, and people of color continue to be devalued by the systems around us.

But I also knew I couldn’t fight every fight alone. So I built Super Extra as a platform—for myself and for others on the frontlines. If I can help amplify the work of those creating real, systemic change—through branding, strategy, design—then that’s exactly where I want to be.

BRAND ATTITUDE & DIFFERENTIATION

**4. What does Super Extra mean, literally and spiritually?**

Super Extra is a rally cry for going all in. It's rooted in a “Yes, And” mentality. If you come to us with a goal or a brief, we're going to push it further. We’ll explore unexpected angles, unpack layered ideas, and offer more than you thought to ask for—not to overdo it, but to make sure what you do put out is unignorable.

Being "too much" is often used as an insult. We wear it like a badge. At Super Extra, too much is just right.

5. You talk about branding activism. What do you mean by that?

Design doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it shapes behavior, influences policy, and reinforces power. And for too long, the tools of branding and advertising have been used to prop up capitalism, misogyny, and the status quo.

But branding can also be used to resist. The right loves being loud. Progressive causes, on the other hand, are often told to soften, to stay “palatable.” We reject that. Super Extra believes that standing for something and saying it boldly is the only way forward.

Design is political. The clearer and more compelling your brand, the more people you reach. The more people you reach, the more change you can create. This is how we fight—with color, with clarity, with conviction.

6. Who do you hope finds Super Extra and goes, "Omg, finally someone who gets it.”

At Super Extra, we’re not just building brands, we’re building movements in the making. We want to work with the people, projects, and products that are here to make real change. The ones willing to disrupt the norm, challenge power structures, and get into some good, necessary trouble.

PRIORITIES:
We prioritize working with brands that are:

Women-centered
Progressive-led
Take-no-shit and full-of-purpose

If you are building something that stares down the status quo and says, “try me,” we want in.

INDUSTRIES & TOPICS WE RALLY FOR:

Women’s sexual and reproductive health (abortions, paps, you name it)
New motherhood
Bold educational ventures
Death care & dignity
Outdoor adventure brands
Financial empowerment
Women’s sports teams
Wineries, cideries, breweries
Modern apothecaries
Empowering tattoo artistry (yes, especially post-mastectomy and trans-affirming)
Cannabis treats & beverages
Democratic innovation + civic transparency

PROJECT TYPES WE LOVE:

Visual branding (our bread, our butter, our legacy)
Experiential design & events (immersive, interactive, unforgettable)
Mixed media and the weird, wonderful intersections of print, digital, and real-world magic

TL; DR
If your work gives a damn and wants to make people feel, think, and act, you’re our kind of client. Let’s build something that breaks the mold and makes a mark.

STYLE & STRATEGY

7. What makes a Super Extra brand different from a basic, nice-looking brand?

A successful brand is more than a pretty face. Sure, you could get your second cousin to whip up a logo in Canva—but that’s all you’d have: a logo. No foundation, no direction, no system to grow with.

When you work with Super Extra, you get what we believe in: more. More strategy. More intention. More future-proofing. Every brand we build starts with insight and research, before the glam even walks in. And when the visual identity does arrive (bold, expressive, unforgettable), it comes with everything you need to use it well.

We don’t just hand you a logo—we give you:

Clear brand guidelines that actually make sense
Tutorials to help you launch consistently
Scalable thinking for future phases of growth
A brand that’s been built with where you’re going in mind, not just where you are now

And above all, you get a creative team that shares your mission: to dismantle the systems that hold us back and build brands that move us forward.

8. You mentioned that you’re not for everyone. So, who’s not a fit for Super Extra?

Let’s be real: we’re not for everyone, and that’s by design.

If you need 17 rounds of committee approval or want to "keep things neutral so no one gets offended," we’re probably not the studio for you. We’re not interested in:

Bureaucratic bloat
Hemming, hawing, or hand-wringing
Teams that profit from systemic injustice
Religious institutions (no shade, okay some shade, just not our lane)
Climate deniers, science skeptics, or tax-dodging bros
Anyone who thinks "diversity" is a buzzword
Wet blankets. Negative Nancies. Clout chasers. You get it.

Super Extra works best with people who know what they stand for and are ready to make it known. If you’re not here to move boldly, that’s okay. But we are.

9. Your work is loud, feminist, sometimes funny, sometimes furious. Why lean into that instead of playing it safe?

Because safe is forgettable. And I didn’t start Super Extra to be forgettable.

We’re not here to tiptoe or tone it down. We’re done bending over backwards to make everyone comfortable. If your brand tries to please everyone, it ends up meaning nothing to anyone. And for what? A few extra impressions on a social post no one remembers?

Playing it safe is the beige road on vacation. Sure, it’ll get you there, but no one’s writing home about it. Super Extra takes the road that shakes you. The one with unexpected turns, vivid color, wild laughs, and a little righteous rage. That’s the work that gets remembered. That’s the work that moves people.

Super Extra isn’t a quiet “well done.”
It’s a full-body, celebratory convulsion.
It’s not just branding—it’s a damn feeling.

PERSONAL & PHILOSOPHICAL

10. What keeps you inspired when everything feels like it’s on fire?

I’m an empath…so yeah, it gets heavy. War, hunger, genocide, healthcare disasters… I feel it all. It’s easy to get consumed by the headlines, the noise, the endless scroll of despair.

When the fire gets too loud, I unplug. I put on loud music. I grab a notebook and start drawing just to make. I get my hands messy with tactile art. I let myself practice being imperfect. I read real books. I show up for mutual aid.

And I watch my daughter, fierce, unfiltered, growing into the kind of human I want the world to be built for. She reminds me why I keep going.

And when it’s really burning, I call my community and host a Whine & Wine night. We rant, we rage, we process—then we turn all that heat into steps. Into strategy. Into something we can build with.

11. What’s one belief about branding or business that you wish more people understood?

You are not your brand, and your brand is not sacred.

It might carry your values. It might reflect your taste. It might even hold a piece of your story. But unless your business is your name, your brand is not a mirror. It’s a tool. And tools have to work.

That means sometimes your personal preferences—your favorite color, your favorite font, your attachment to a cute illustration—need to step aside for what actually serves your audience and your goals.

A strong brand isn’t just a vibe. It’s a system, a strategy, and a living, evolving entity. The sooner you can loosen your grip and let the right creative team guide it, the stronger and more sustainable it becomes.

That’s where we come in.

12. And finally: if Super Extra had a tagline tattooed on its ass, what would it be?

Ha. I love a pun or wordplay, so I’m going to go with…

The full brandwich.

Because when you work with us, you don’t just get a logo. You get the strategy, the story, the system, the visuals, the voice, and the vision, all stacked together and served hot. We’re not here to hand out crumbs. We’re here to build the whole damn, juicy meal.

The Super Extra Origin Story