// Julian Lefevre · Factory Black · Sunshine Coast · 2026
A studio system for brands, websites, and digital products built properly from the start.
Scroll for the longer story — or start with The Factory.
// the origin
01 / 09
I went to university for
video game design.
Not web. Not marketing. Games. The intersection of art, engineering, systems thinking, and user experience — all at once. That turned out to be the best possible training for what I ended up doing.
When I moved into the web and brand world, I noticed something immediately: most people were doing one thing at a time, in isolation, then handing it to someone else. The designer handed to the developer. The developer handed to the marketer. Nobody owned the whole thing.
I couldn't find a shop that did both well. So I became one.
// the shift
AI changed the game.
We were already playing it.
AI raises the floor. Everyone can now produce work that looks almost right. Almost. The ceiling is still the same — it takes judgment, taste, and genuine understanding to get past it.
For Factory Black, AI is a force multiplier. It removes friction from the parts that don't need human thought, so human thought can go where it actually matters.
In that order. Same team. Same brief. Start to finish.
// re-founded 2026
The practice started in 2016. The name, the systems, and the focus were rebuilt from the ground up in 2026. Not a rebrand. A recommitment. To doing less work, better. To clients who actually want what we build. To a model that holds both disciplines to the same standard.
// the people
You're paying for judgment. That means I'll tell you when something is a bad idea — not just what moves the project forward fastest.
// the operator
Julian Lefevre
Founder · Brand + Build
Takes the brief. Runs the project. Responsible for the outcome from the first conversation to the final file.
// brand depth
Rhys Ferguson
Specialist · Stoop Studios
Called in when brand scope demands a dedicated specialist. Runs his own studio. Brought in because he's the best at what he does — not because he was available.
// engineering depth
Kyle Tully
Specialist · DYDX Software
Called in when engineering scope goes deep. Also runs his own business. Same standard, same brief — just more firepower when the project demands it.
// what we're building
The system is still being built.
You can see it working right now.
Studio OS is the internal system behind Factory Black — clients, projects, finance, blockers, calendar, contracts. Clients do not need to learn it; they benefit from clearer scopes and cleaner communication. Dot is the project assistant on top of it.
// studio os
The operator layer.
Studio OS is where Factory Black actually runs. Clients, projects, finance, blockers, calendar, contracts — one system. Internal proof of how we operate, not a second product visitors need to buy.
// Dot
The project assistant.
Dot explains blueprints, scopes projects, checks availability, and helps visitors find the right way in — so the studio can stay in the work.
"What does a full system blueprint actually include?"
ask it now →
// both of these are live. touch them.
// how to start
Three ways in. Fixed scope. Fixed price.
Identity, Site, or Full System — the commercial catalog, pricing, and add-ons live in the Shop. This page is the origin story; The Factory is the studio overview.
// keep going
Want the studio overview?
The Factory covers what we sell, how we work, and who is behind it — without the full origin scroll.
// Julian Lefevre · Factory Black · Sunshine Coast · est. 2016, re-founded 2026