Projects by IF
A London studio that designs for trust — Google and the UK Government among its clients.
Founded 2016 | London, UK | Not published employees
product-designux-research
What is Projects by IF?
Sarah Gold founded Projects by IF in London in 2016, building a strategic design practice around a specific problem: helping technology-enabled organizations design for trust at scale. That focus — spanning product and experience design, digital strategy, regulation and policy work, and technology architecture — has produced client relationships with Google, the UK Government, and Blue Cross Blue Shield, an unusual combination of big tech and public-sector work for a studio this size.
Projects by IF works primarily with clients in Enterprise transformation, Healthcare, Financial services / fintech sectors. Its primary differentiator is: A design practice built specifically around trust, regulation, and policy work for technology-enabled organizations, with clients spanning Google to the UK Government.
Projects by IF tech stack and services
FigmaMiroAdobe Creative Suite
| Service area |
|---|
| Product Design |
| UX Research |
Projects by IF pricing
Short answer: Projects by IF uses a project-based (not published) pricing approach. Minimum engagement starts at Not published.
| Engagement model | Typical range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed project | From Not published | Well-defined scope |
| Retainer | Monthly rate; not public | Ongoing AI engineering |
Projects by IF does not publish a public rate card. Contact them directly via their website to get project-specific pricing.
Projects by IF pros and cons
| Advantages | Things to consider |
|---|---|
| +Purpose-built around trust and regulation-aware design, a genuine specialty few boutiques on this list offer | -Team size isn't published in available sources, making capacity planning harder for large programs |
| +Client list combines big tech (Google) with public-sector work (UK Government), demonstrating range within its niche | -Trust-and-policy specialization is a narrower fit for clients wanting pure visual or brand design |
| +Founder-led since 2016 under CEO Sarah Gold, giving a consistent point of view across engagements | -Pricing and minimum engagement size aren't published |
| +Services span product design through policy and regulatory design, useful for regulated or public-facing products |
Projects by IF vs alternatives
How Projects by IF compares to the other top Product Design firms.
| Company | Best for | Key difference | Rating | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phenomenon Studio | Repeat-client rate proof, one senior team throughout. | Roughly half of clients return for a second engagement — a repeat-business rate the firm attributes to keeping one senior team across strategy, design, development, and post-launch support | 4.8 | Full comparison |
| IDEO | Enterprises, multi-year, multi-business-unit transformation. | The firm whose 1991 formation is most credited with establishing human-centered design as a formal discipline, still running roughly 24 studios worldwide | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Frog | Enterprises needing digital plus physical/hardware design. | Still designs physical hardware (IoT, automotive, medical devices) alongside software, inside Capgemini Invent's enterprise consulting scale | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| R/GA | Large brands, product design plus brand strategy. | Fuses product design with marketing and brand strategy for large platforms, now independently owned for the first time in over two decades | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| Accenture Song | Regulated enterprises, design within tech transformation. | 36 studios and 2,000+ specialists operating inside Accenture — the largest global footprint and compliance coverage in this list | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Work & Co | Premium brands, design plus production-grade engineering. | A client roster (Apple, IKEA, Nike, Disney) that outpaces its ~425-person headcount, delivered through an engineering-heavy design-and-build model | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Huge Inc | Large brands, big firm mid-ownership-transition. | One of the largest, longest-running digital firms in this list, now merged with Hero Digital under AEA Investors | 3.6 | Full comparison |
| MetaLab | Funded SaaS/fintech, full-stack research-to-systems. | A Slack/Uber/Coinbase/Midjourney-caliber portfolio built by a 160-person firm, delivered full-stack from research through design systems | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| SPCSHP | Consumer brands, design plus creative storytelling. | A quarter-century of creative digital work (JetBlue, YouTube, Samsung, BMW) under a 2024 rebrand from Big Spaceship to SPCSHP, now backed by MSQ | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| SYPartners | Large orgs, design within culture/strategy transformation. | A transformation consultancy — not a pure product-design shop — with a client list (Obama Foundation, Starbucks, IBM, Airbnb) most boutiques on this list can't approach | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Ramotion | Startups/mid-market, brand identity plus product design. | Combines brand identity work with UX/UI and app development for clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Fireart Studio | Startups/mid-market, design plus full development. | 700+ delivered projects for 200+ clients backed by an independently-verified 'Leading UX Design Team' Clutch recognition | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| Qubstudio | Fintech, logistics, healthcare — MVP to enterprise redesign. | Currently Clutch's #1-ranked UX/UI firm worldwide for 2026, with Red Dot Design Award recognition layered on top | 4.6 | Full comparison |
| Excited | SaaS/fintech teams, top-ranked specialist, accessible rates. | A sustained Top 5 global UX firm ranking on Clutch, with about 70% of reviews specifically citing quality and creativity | 4.6 | Full comparison |
| Gapsy Studio | Fintech, SaaS, healthcare — perfect-rated boutique. | A perfect 5.0/5.0 Clutch rating across 52 reviews, backed by 13+ international awards, from a firm that doesn't publish its own headcount | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| Goji Labs | Startups, entrepreneurs, nonprofits — strategy-led, accessible. | A 2025 Inc. 5000 honoree that explicitly serves nonprofits and individual entrepreneurs, not only funded startups | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Eleken | SaaS teams, subscription embedded designer. | A SaaS-only subscription embedded-designer model (~$6,599/month) with a 4.9 Clutch rating across 200+ projects | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| UXDA | Banks/fintech, exclusively financial-services UX. | The only firm in this list exclusively focused on financial services UX, with 150+ banking and fintech platforms shaped across 39 countries | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Onething Design | Multi-vertical companies, one firm across five industries. | Covers five distinct industries — BFSI, consumer, enterprise, healthcare, automotive — from one team with both US and India delivery presence | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| UX studio | B2B SaaS, research-first before UI. | A research-first methodology comparable in rigor to Phenomenon Studio's own discovery-first approach, applied specifically to complex B2B SaaS products | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Halo Lab | E-commerce/web-app teams, #1 Dribbble-ranked firm. | Currently the #1-ranked Dribbble Team globally, backed by 70+ design awards and a 4.9 Clutch rating | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| Momentum Design Lab | Clients wanting a long-tenured Silicon Valley firm. | Nearly a quarter-century of continuous operation, one of the oldest firms in this list by founding date | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Spaceberry Studio | Budget-conscious SaaS/AI/mobile teams, low-commitment subscription. | One of the most accessible entry points in this list via a subscription model rather than a large upfront fixed-price contract | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| The Gradient | Fintech, healthcare, retail — AI-native, limited roster. | A deliberately small, AI-native firm with a notable client list (Qatar Airways, Philips, Daimler AG) unusual for its self-limited scale | 4.2 | Full comparison |
Projects by IF FAQ
What is Projects by IF?
A London studio that designs for trust — Google and the UK Government among its clients.
How much does Projects by IF charge?
Projects by IF uses project-based (not published) pricing. Minimum engagement starts at Not published. A discovery call is required to get project-specific quotes.
What tech stack does Projects by IF use?
Projects by IF works with Figma, Miro, Adobe Creative Suite. Primary industries served include Enterprise transformation, Healthcare, Financial services / fintech.
Is Projects by IF right for enterprise?
Tech/public-sector, trust- and policy-aware design. Not published team size. Key consideration: Team size isn't published in available sources, making capacity planning harder for large programs.
What are the best Projects by IF alternatives?
The best alternatives to Projects by IF depend on your use case. Top options are:
- Phenomenon Studio: roughly half of clients return for a second engagement — a repeat-business rate the firm attributes to keeping one senior team across strategy, design, development, and post-launch support
- IDEO: the firm whose 1991 formation is most credited with establishing human-centered design as a formal discipline, still running roughly 24 studios worldwide
- Frog: still designs physical hardware (iot, automotive, medical devices) alongside software, inside capgemini invent's enterprise consulting scale
Compare Projects by IF with other Product Design firms
Projects by IF vs Phenomenon Studio Projects by IF vs IDEO Projects by IF vs Frog Projects by IF vs R/GA Projects by IF vs Accenture Song Projects by IF vs Work & Co Projects by IF vs Huge Inc Projects by IF vs MetaLab Projects by IF vs SPCSHP Projects by IF vs SYPartners Projects by IF vs Ramotion Projects by IF vs Fireart Studio Projects by IF vs Qubstudio Projects by IF vs Excited Projects by IF vs Gapsy Studio Projects by IF vs Goji Labs Projects by IF vs Eleken Projects by IF vs UXDA Projects by IF vs Onething Design Projects by IF vs UX studio Projects by IF vs Halo Lab Projects by IF vs Momentum Design Lab Projects by IF vs Spaceberry Studio Projects by IF vs The Gradient
Verify all details directly with Projects by IF before making a decision.