02 The Studio

We are
Arca.
Nice to meet you.

A boutique creative studio built on the belief that extraordinary work is the only kind worth doing. Based in Amsterdam. Working everywhere.

"We started Arca because we were tired of agencies that charged premium rates for average thinking. Our rule is simple: if we wouldn't put our name on it, we don't ship it. Every pixel has a reason. Every decision has a brief behind it."

Jonas Meier & Elise Fontaine — Co-founders
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Clients served
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In practice
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Awwwards wins
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Team members

Our Story

From a garage
to global.

See Our Work

Arca started in 2017 as a two-person operation — Jonas Meier handling design and Elise Fontaine handling strategy — working out of a converted garage in Amsterdam Noord. The brief was simple: do the kind of work neither of them could do at the agencies they'd left.

The first year was tight. Three clients, one failed pitch, and one project that turned into a case study that changed everything. Soleil Skincare launched on a site Arca built in six weeks. Revenue tripled. The referrals came fast after that.

Today we're a team of twelve — spread across design, development, strategy, and motion — still working from Amsterdam, still turning down more than we take on. The garage is now a proper studio. The philosophy is exactly the same.

2017
Studio foundedTwo founders, one freelance client, zero furniture.
2018
Soleil Skincare launchOur first case study that made the rounds.
2020
Remote-first pivotCovid forced it. We kept it. Turns out it suits us.
2022
First Awwwards Site of the DayFor Verd Finance. We framed the certificate unironically.
2024
Team of twelveStill boutique by design. Still saying no to the wrong briefs.

The People

Twelve humans.
Zero mediocrity.

Every person at Arca was hired for one reason: they make the work better. No account managers. No middlemen. You work directly with the people building your project.

JM
Co-founder
Jonas Meier
Creative Director
EF
Co-founder
Elise Fontaine
Strategy Director
RV
Design
Roos van Dijk
Senior Designer
AK
Development
Amir Khalil
Lead Developer
SB
Motion
Sara Brandt
Motion Designer
LM
Copy
Luca Marchetti
Senior Copywriter
YP
UX
Yuki Park
UX Designer
DN
Development
David Nkosi
Frontend Developer

How We Work

The principles
we refuse to bend.

01
Craft over speed
We don't rush. We don't cut corners. We take the time a project deserves and not a day more. Good work has its own schedule.
02
Honest over comfortable
We tell clients what their brief actually needs, not what they want to hear. That's the whole value of working with a studio that has a point of view.
03
Small by choice
We could grow faster. We don't want to. A boutique team means senior eyes on every project, every day. That's not a constraint — it's the product.
04
Outcomes over output
We measure success by what happens after launch, not at it. Did the rebrand drive enquiries? Did the site convert? That's what we're actually here for.
05
Transparent always
No surprise invoices. No scope creep in the dark. No decisions made without the client in the room. We run on trust and we protect it obsessively.
06
Curious forever
The team has a learning budget, reading list, and a standing Friday session for no reason other than getting better. Stagnation is a strategic risk we refuse to carry.

Trusted By

Brands who chose
to stand out.

Soleil
Fable
Verd
Mori
Altera
Boreal
Nox
Kova

Next Steps

Like what you see?
Let's build something.

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