Gabi Revell and Jarryd Haefele.
Former lead designers at ARN Media, Gabi Revell and Jarryd Haefele, have launched an independent creative agency, Foundry.
Headquartered in Melbourne, Foundry specialises in brand identity, campaign creative, and design systems for both established and emerging businesses.
The studio positions itself as a senior-led alternative to larger agencies, delivering high-level creative without the layers.
Revell told AdNews that the idea came from something being forged, shaped and created from raw materials, a reference to her dad’s work as a tradesman.
“I’ve always loved the process of taking something raw, melting it down, reshaping it and giving it character, which felt very aligned with what we do as creatives building brands,” Revell told AdNews.
“That idea of crafting something distinctive from the ground up became a big part of the thinking behind the name.”
Following recent redundancies at ARN, the duo has shifted from in-house roles to building their own studio.
“Working in-house taught us a huge amount, particularly around fast-paced creative and producing work that actually performs, not just looks good,” Revell said.
“At the same time, being inside large organisations also showed us how easily creative ideas can become diluted through layers of approvals and risk-aversion.
“One of the things we’re enjoying most now is being able to work more directly and collaboratively with clients, bringing more personality, flexibility and creative bravery into the process.”
The duo had been building Foundry as a side-hustle to the ARN for more than a year.
They have worked with organisations including the Dylan Alcott Foundation and Shift 20 Initiative, Metcash/Total Tools & Hardware Group, London-based regenerative medicine clinic 'Aion Labs', Monash University and more.
“We’d been growing Foundry alongside our roles for some time, so when everything shifted, it felt like the right moment to go all in,” said Revell.
“There’s a lot happening across the industry right now, but for us it clarified things. If we were ever going to back ourselves, this was the moment.”
The move comes amid broader restructuring across the Australian media landscape.
With widespread redundancies and an increasingly competitive job market prompting many to reassess their next move, for Revell and Haefele, it accelerated a decision they were already building towards: taking Foundry full-time.
“The industry feels like it’s in a major period of transition. Advertisers are shifting more toward social, creator-led and personality-driven media, while traditional media businesses are trying to adapt to changing audience behaviour and commercial pressures,” Revell said.
“At the same time, there’s obviously a lot of conversation around AI and automation: not just around what’s possible, but what it means for creative teams and the wider workforce.
“The technology is exciting, but there’s also a very real human impact that the industry is still navigating.”
While headlines across the industry have focused on high-profile programming and structural changes, the pair say there is also a quieter shift underway, experienced talent moving toward more independent, flexible models of working.
“There’s a lot of noise at the moment, but underneath that there’s a reset happening,” said Revell.
“More creatives are rethinking how and where they work, and for us, this was the moment to build something of our own.”
Foundry’s AI-approach has included rapid visual mockups and concept visualisation - helping clients better understand how a brand might come to life across packaging, campaigns, retail or environments before anything is produced.
“We’ve also used AI-assisted tools during naming and trademark exploration to help speed up research and identify potential IP conflicts, but we see it more as a support tool rather than a replacement for creativity itself,” Revell said.
Now operating full-time, Foundry is focused on partnering with brands looking for strategic, brand-led creative across identity, campaigns, and content.
“In the short term, we just want to continue building Foundry into a sustainable, long-term business doing work we genuinely care about,” Revell said.
“Over time, we’d love to grow the studio, continue partnering with ambitious brands and hopefully build a small but highly talented creative team around us.”
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