Brands that speak in one clear voice.
Oriel is a brand and language studio in Copenhagen. We shape strategy, names, identities and the words that carry them.
Fig. 01 — Morning light at the Refshalevej studio
We believe clarity is a kindness. We pair careful listening with a steady hand, and build brands people understand at once and remember for years.
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Brands named and shaped since 2012
Countries our work now lives in
Years in the same Copenhagen studio
Trusted by
Founders and small teams who care about the words as much as the pictures.
Selected work — 2023 to now
Work that speaks for itself.
Names, identities and voices for companies that make one thing well. A few recent chapters.
The studio
Strategy and craft sit at the same table. We work closely with founders and small teams, and we stay until the idea is clear enough to hand over.
Projects we take on each year
12
Languages we write in
04
Average client relationship
6 yrs
Fig. 02 — The long table
Fig. 03 — Swatches, Tuesday
Fig. 04 — Letterhead proofs
What we hold to
What we value shows in how we work, and in what we leave behind.
Listen longer than feels comfortable
The answer is usually already in the room. Our job is to hear it before we start drawing.
Say it plainly
If a sentence needs a second read, it needs a second draft. The same goes for logos.
Finish the details
Nobody notices the kerning, the footnote or the return label until they are missing.
Working together
A small senior team, one shared channel, and a fee agreed before we start.
#moss-and-mortar
One shared channel
Morning! The new refill labels look great on shelf.
Could we try the wordmark a touch smaller?
Morning Anaya, of course.
Kenji will send two options by lunch.
Pricing
Fixed fees, agreed before we start.
One price per project, split by phase. You know the full cost before we begin, and nothing is billed by the hour.
©2026
Showreel
Our approach
Five steps from the first call to the handover.
Twelve weeks on average. The same people from the first conversation to the last file.
01
Listen first
We start with conversations: founders, customers, and the people who answer your phones.
Weeks 1–2
02
Find the sentence
One line that explains why you exist. Everything else we make hangs on it.
Weeks 3–4
03
Name and shape
Name, voice and identity, designed side by side so they speak as one.
Weeks 5–9
04
Test it outside
We put the work in front of real people early and rewrite what does not land.
Weeks 10–11
05
Hand it over well
Guidelines, templates and a half-day of training, so the brand keeps its shape without us.
Week 12
The people you will actually work with.
Four senior people and no account managers. Whoever you meet on the first call is who makes the work.
Freja Lund
Founder, creative director
Kenji Arai
Design lead
Anaya Rao
Strategy director
Ingrid Holm
Writer, tone of voice
Kind words
“Oriel gave us a name we can say in four languages, and a voice our whole team finally agrees on.”
“They listened for two weeks before showing us a single sketch. It was the best money we spent all year.”
“Our cartons went from eleven claims to six words. Sales went the other way.”
Mette Kjær
Founder, Moss & Mortar
Jonas Halde
Publisher, Halde Editions
Sigrid Nørgaard
Head of brand, Kyst Dairy
Questions
Questions we hear often.
If yours is not here, write to us and a person will answer within a day.
How does a project with Oriel begin?
With a conversation, not a brief. We spend two weeks listening to founders, customers and your team, then write back with what we heard.
Who will I actually work with?
A small senior team: a strategist, a designer and a writer, led by one of our founders from the first call to the handover. Nobody relays messages.
How long does a project take?
A focused naming and identity project takes ten to twelve weeks. Larger rebrands run in phases, and we agree the calendar before we start.
How do you price your work?
Per project, with a fixed fee for each phase. You know the full cost before we begin, and there are no hourly surprises.
Can you work with our existing brand?
Often, yes. Many projects refine what already works rather than starting over. We keep whatever earns its place.
Do you write in languages other than English?
We write in English, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian, and partner with native writers for German, French and Portuguese.