about stephen francis atelier

We truly love what we do, every day!

Make it meaningful.

Stephen Francis Atelier believe that people connect with brands that stand for something. Incredible things can happen when you let truth, meaning and purpose guide your efforts. Hence we respect the qualities and virtues that make our partners who they are. That’s what makes SF Atelier who we are.

Relentlessly pursue the solution.

Tenacious, scrappy, fiercely loyal—they’re all badges we wear with pride. We love big, complex challenges and attack them with heart and resolve. At SF Atelier we love getting our hands dirty, living and breathing the brands we work with. Because we look for passion and determination in our partners, we therefore expect to be held to the same standard.

Just imagine.

Creativity is present in everything we do, and is not at all restricted to the department that bears its name. SF Atelier is curious, crafty, experimental and disruptive thinkers. Furthermore we know that a great idea can come from anywhere, and can take many forms. With fearless imagination, we consistently arrive at breakthrough ideas and uncover new opportunities.

Play nice & share.

Together, we are far greater than the sum of our parts. Above all we lift each other up. Stephen Francis Atelier listen. We allow ideas to collide, reform, catalyze and grow through the power of collaboration. SF Atelier embrace both the serendipitous moments and strokes of genius that arrive through true collaboration, sharpening every effort and providing meaningful value.

Keep growing.

Concequently we’re always growing—in knowledge, depth, talent, experience, expertise. Not necessarily in size. We evolve. We adapt. We’re agile. We think proactively and create growth for our partners. We’re not happy unless we produce results or solve a problem. Therefore we promote growth within our walls and foster an atmosphere of constant development.

About our Creative Director

Hi! I am Stephen Russell-Brett. CD / Co-founder of SF Atelier.

My last few years has been spent working in both design and development, transitioning into a more Creative Director role while continuing to oversee design and execution of each project.

Solving problems and creating new visual languages is my biggest passion. I have been doing it for more than 22 years. To me, great design is practical and great art, emotional. This has lead to the creation of Stephen Francis Atelier.

Prior to that, I had spent over thirteen years running my own design and events studio full-time. Why Concepts, which I co-founded in 2003 as a side business for start-ups, and small & local businesses. I was also the design lead at the STH, University of Johannesburg since 2005, and a visual designer for several local and international clients including Coutry Bird Holdings, SAFTA, The Conservation Fund, Pronovias, Faust and &BEYOND. I have also executed corporate events and celebrity weddings before we sold Why Concepts in 2016.

My art background makes me think of design in a creative and humanistic way. It is therefore my belief that an artist must do more than merely create or design well. My interests are to create engaging works that will not only be aesthetically pleasing, but also manage to potentially integrate audiences and observers.

As a multimedia artist, I have been drawn to a wide range of art & design practices in traditional and digital media. Not entirely satisfied with any one explicitly, I enjoy the exploration of each separately. As well as the interdisciplinary approach of cross-referencing, fusing, and reinterpreting established genres to find my own voice in a vast history of art and design. As a designer, I hope to create memorable pieces that are visually provocative by using thoughtful choices/measures.

I graduated from the University of South Africa with a degree in Multimedia Studies: Digital Visual Arts. I also hold diplomas in both Interior Design and Interior Decorating.

In my next life, I plan on being the owner of an Fashion Empire.

Brands we’ve worked with