thingsthatarebrown.com

What It Is

Things That Are Brown is the personal product design studio of Matt Brown. It is positioned more like a high-end independent design consultant than a standardized SaaS tool or a large design agency. The official website states that its services cover apps, products, websites, onboarding flows, and growth strategy design, with email provided as the main contact channel.

Core Capabilities and Service Scope

Based on publicly available information, its core value lies in product design and experience strategy. Matt Brown has worked with companies such as Stripe, Pinterest, Dropbox, Eventbrite, Empower, and Better, and has held senior design roles at Pinterest and Facebook. In addition, he designed and co-founded Darkroom, an iOS photo editing app, in 2014; the app has been downloaded more than 3 million times. This background suggests particular strengths in consumer products, mobile apps, growth journeys, and high-quality interaction design. However, the website does not provide detailed case studies, methodology, project workflows, or sample deliverables.

Pricing, Ownership, and Collaboration

The official website does not disclose pricing models, project quotes, payment methods, or details on ownership of design work, licensing scope, or confidentiality mechanisms. In terms of collaboration, it only provides [email protected] as a contact email, and does not mention whether remote collaboration, workshops, design system deliverables, Figma file handoff, or long-term consulting arrangements are supported. Potential clients should therefore clarify budget, timeline, deliverables, intellectual property rights, and follow-up support during the initial conversation.

Pros, Cons, and Best-Fit Users

The advantages are a strong individual track record, credible client references, and real experience taking products from design to commercialization. Compared with purely visual design services, it is more likely to offer product strategy and growth-oriented perspectives. The downside is limited transparency: the website does not make it possible to assess pricing, availability, team resources, or support capacity. It is better suited to startups, technology companies, or product teams with clear product challenges, relatively sufficient budgets, and a desire to work directly with a senior design consultant. It is less suitable for clients who only need low-cost templates, bulk visual production, or standardized design outsourcing.

Access from China and Alternatives

The main content does not provide information on access from mainland China, payment options, or localization support, so china_access can only be assessed as unknown. If access or communication is inconvenient, alternatives may include domestic product design consultancies, experienced independent product designers in China, or international agencies such as IDEO, Frog, Work & Co, and Fantasy.