ABOUT US

We are a strategic brand identity studio, born in Norway and working globally. We close the gap between what companies are and how the world sees them — finding what makes you distinctive and making it impossible to ignore.
Woman standing and speaking to a group of four seated people in a meeting room with sticky notes on the wall.

The story of kastleblack

KastleBlack was founded in 2020 by Kristine Blesvik and Stefan Mintsev. The name? If you know, you know.

What started as a conviction — that strategy and design should never be separated — has grown into a focused studio working with complex, ambitious organisations across Europe and beyond.

We left the safety of bigger agencies to build something we couldn't find anywhere else. Full creative and strategic ownership. Senior thinking on every project. No layers between the idea and the people responsible for it.

Norway gave us our roots.
Our work takes us everywhere.

HOW WE WORK

Strong brands are not built through random choices. They are built through clear decisions.

That is why we never start with how something looks. We start with the core — working closely with leadership and key stakeholders to define what the company truly stands for, what the brand should mean to people, and which principles should guide the way forward.

Once the foundation is clear, we translate it into concept, verbal identity and visual identity — and develop a flexible system that works in the real world and holds up as ambitions grow.

We do not create something new simply because we can. We develop brands that leave a mark, create impact, and that people are proud to stand behind.

What Drives us

CURIOUS

We ask before we answer. For us, curiosity means going deeper than the brief — into your business, your market, and the assumptions nobody has thought to challenge. We build on insight, not guesswork.

ATTENTIVE

Details aren't finishing touches. They're the whole argument. For us, attentiveness means caring about what others move past. We believe the details define the bigger picture, and that consistency builds trust. Nothing leaves our studio that we haven't looked at twice.

VENTURESOME

Comfort zones produce forgettable brands. For us, being venturesome means going where the brief doesn't. We challenge conventions when necessary, push ideas further than expected, and tell you when the safe option is the wrong one.
What Drives us

CURIOUS

For us, curiosity means asking before answering. We go deeper than the brief — into your business, your market, and the assumptions nobody has thought to challenge. We build on insight, not guesswork.

ATTENTIVE

For us, attentiveness means caring about what others move past. We believe the details define the bigger picture, and that consistency builds trust. Nothing leaves our studio that we haven't looked at twice.

BOLD

For us, being venturesome means going where the brief doesn't. We challenge conventions when necessary, push ideas further than expected, and tell you when the safe option is the wrong one. Comfort zones produce forgettable brands.

Meet our team

We're a small, focused studio with a deliberately wide reach. Kristine leads every project, supported by a curated group of senior designers, strategists and makers we've worked with for years. You get the consistency of a dedicated partner and the range of a larger team.

Kristine Blesvik

Founder, CEO & Creative Director

Kristine founded KastleBlack to bridge the gap between strategy and visual identity. With nearly 20 years of experience from agencies in London and Oslo, she specialises in helping ambitious companies define what they stand for and how they should express it.

Her belief is simple: strong brands are built on a clear strategic foundation, not decoration.

Outside of the office, Kristine likes the thrill of snowboarding, and the dark growl of metal music.

Stefan Mintsev

Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Stefan co-founded KastleBlack with a background in people management and client relations, skills that translate directly into how the studio operates and grows.

He shapes the business side of KastleBlack, from strategic decisions to client communications and operations, and brings a sharp non-designer perspective that keeps the work grounded in how real people experience brands.

Outside of the studio, Stefan is most at home outdoors, analogue camera in hand or off-road with a rooftop tent and no particular plan.

Holly Davis

Strategic Brand Consultant

Holly brings over 24 years of experience in brand management and design, connecting clear strategic thinking with inspired execution for global organisations.

She specialises in building brands that are distinctive, consistent, and commercially effective — across both digital and physical platforms.

Outside of work, Holly is most likely on the beach with her dogs, or loudly cheering on her kids at Sunday football.

Eric Sui

Strategic Brand Designer

Eric has over 20 years of experience building distinctive, strategically grounded brand identities for some of the world’s leading brands.

His approach blends strategy, craft and emerging technology to create identity frameworks that scale and evolve. From foundational visual identities to full brand ecosystems, his work is disciplined, practical and built for long-term relevance.

Outside of work, he explores ideas through 3D printing, electronics and code.

Evgeny Mishin

Webflow Developer & Web Designer

Evgeny is a web designer and Certified Webflow Partner who helps companies design and build scalable marketing websites.

With a background in product design, he combines UX thinking, design systems, and Webflow development to create high-quality landing pages and multi-page experiences.