Studio Dzo is a Black-owned, woman-led design-build studio in Austin — crafting sign design, wayfinding and environmental branding that bridge beauty, accessibility and brand.
Partners we've built for
From architectural signage and wayfinding to full brand identity — everything a space needs to communicate, under one roof.
Interior and exterior signs built into the architecture.
Systems that move people through a space with ease.
Compliant, tactile signage that never feels like an afterthought.
Landmark exterior signs, engineered and permitted.
Environmental graphics that give a space its voice.
Full-service brand identity, not just signage.
Studio Dzo is a design-build studio in Austin, Texas, crafting thoughtful brands and creative signage for the places where people gather, work and find their way. We partner with designers, architects, developers and business owners from first concept to final install.
We're a Black-owned, woman-led, Texas-certified Historically Underutilized Business — and we believe the best work comes from real partnership. Our approach is built on trust and honesty, and on a simple promise: do good work, for good people, with good people.
Owner + Creative Director
A selection of Studio Dzo projects across workplaces, arts, retail and the built environment.
A complete sign program across two very different banks — balancing compliance, brand impression and a warm customer experience.
A signage and donor-recognition program for the ASO's new home — where every detail is tuned to the movement of sound.
Integrated wayfinding and brand signage across Whole Foods' Austin offices and global headquarters.
A long-running partnership — from 30-foot skyline pylons to custom neon on reclaimed wood.
From a single monument sign to a full campus wayfinding program, every Studio Dzo project balances brand, function and code — without ever losing the human experience.
Design, engineering, fabrication and installation from a single, accountable partner.
ADA and TAS compliance built in from the first sketch — never bolted on at the end.
We build lasting relationships on trust and honesty, and it shows in the work.
Recognized by the Texas Sign Association for signage, wayfinding and environmental graphics.
0+
Years crafting signage in Austin
0+
Signage & wayfinding programs
0
TSA design awards & honors
0%
Design-build, handled in-house
A collaborative, transparent process — as focused on the partnership as it is on the sign itself.
We learn your brand, your space and your goals, then research the codes and constraints that shape what's possible.
Concepts, materials and lighting come together into signage that's on-brand, accessible and buildable.
We engineer for structure and code, then handle city permitting from application to approval.
Fabricated in-house and installed by our team — typically 6–8 weeks after permit approval.
Our exterior work is designed to perform around the clock. Drag to compare a few Studio Dzo signs by day and after dark.
Before After 
Before After 
“Recognized for the Austin Symphony Orchestra program — exterior letters, an ADA system and a donor wall tuned to the movement of sound.”
Texas Sign Association
2025 Design Award
“Honored Novo Construction's flagship headquarters, including a warehouse-scale installation of 123 hardhats arranged into the shape of Texas.”
Texas Sign Association
2025 Design Award
“Awarded for the Whole Foods Market integrated wayfinding and sign package, delivered across multiple Austin campuses.”
Texas Sign Association
2023 Design Award
“Recognized Lydian Dental's 23-foot toothbrush pylon — a non-compliant utility pole reborn as a roadside landmark.”
Texas Sign Association
2022 Design Award
“Cited for Indeed's West Austin office — custom neon and reclaimed-wood interior signage for a long-standing partner.”
Texas Sign Association
2019 Design Contest
Design Award — Miscellaneous Signage
Texas Sign Association
Design Award — Integrated Wayfinding
Texas Sign Association
Design Award — Freestanding Sign
Texas Sign Association
Certified Historically Underutilized Business (HUB)
State of Texas
Studio Founded in Austin, Texas
Studio Dzo
Russell Toynes
Owner + Creative Director
Elizabeth Arenella Toynes
Owner + Controller
Kristina Freres
Project Manager
Jordan Braithwaite
Art Director
Almost certainly. We love signage and wayfinding, but we're a full-service design studio — brand identities, logos and marketing strategy included. If it's good work with good people, we're interested. Email info@studiodzo.com and let's talk it through.
Both. We're a full-service design studio. Plenty of partners come to us for a sign and leave with a refreshed brand identity — and just as many the other way around.
It depends — every sign is designed for a specific space, brand and budget, so we can't quote a number before the design process. We'll align on budget early and keep everything transparent from there.
Fabrication timelines are typically 6–8 weeks once we have permit approval. We'll map out the full schedule, permitting included, at the very start of the project.
Typically any exterior sign facing a roadway requires a city permit, though requirements vary by municipality and local sign code. We research this early and handle the permitting for you.
Yes. We're based in Austin but deliver work across the United States, Canada and beyond. (We're still waiting on our first off-planet commission.)
A dzo is the Tibetan name for the hybrid offspring of a yak and a cow — bigger and more productive than either parent. It's our metaphor for combining design with engineering and fabrication, all under one roof.
Accessible signage isn't a box to check — it's how we make spaces safe, equitable and genuinely welcoming.
The best signage happens when designers, architects and developers solve the problem together, early.
Who we are shapes how we work. Here's why our team's makeup is a strength, not a footnote.
Tell us about your space, your brand and your goals. Whether it's a single monument sign or a full wayfinding program, we'd love to partner with you.