Instrument Celebrates 20 Years of Design, Technology and Innovation

​Instrument, a digitally native design and technology company, celebrates its 20th anniversary, honouring two decades of building brands, shaping culture and redefining what creativity and technology can do together.

What began as a nimble engineering studio in Portland has grown into a global design force with over 300 creatives and technologists across multiple cities and four countries. Over the years, Instrument has partnered with iconic brands like Google, Nike, Oura and Uber, delivering category-defining experiences.

Defining work across two decades includes:

• Google: A 16-year partnership, driving flagship launches, storytelling and brand moments that helped shape the modern web. Explore the case study.
• Oura: Built a digital commerce ecosystem — including web, mobile, and app experiences that helped fuel the company’s rapid global growth. Read about it here.
• Eventbrite: Transformed app and UX design, bringing a human-centred design approach to live connection experiences. Read the case study.
• Nike: Overhauled the digital design system, modernising how one of the world’s most iconic brands shows up online. See the case study.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Reimagined The Met app experience, transforming how visitors explore one of the world’s most storied cultural institutions.

Led by an all-women C-suite, Instrument’s leadership shows that innovation starts with vision. Together, they ensure creativity, culture and technology move in sync to deliver work that resonates.

2025 has been a milestone year. Instrument earned nearly 30 recognitions across creativity, culture and innovation, including Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators and claimed 18 awards for its work with Oura. Its culture of experimentation, inclusivity and empowerment comes to life through Build Week, where teams partner with BIPOC-owned businesses in fast sprints to build brands, websites and campaigns – transforming both the companies and the makers behind the work.

As Instrument marks this milestone, it’s doubling down on experimentation and innovation. At the centre is Playspace – a living archive of tiny tools and interactive experiments exploring new technologies, patterns and creative directions. It reflects a bold future where makers lead, creative intelligence fuels the work and the way we create evolves as fast as what we create.

​Laurel Burton, CEO of Instrument, says, “Twenty years in, our mission has never been clearer. From the vision our founders set in motion to where we are today, Instrument has always been built on the belief that creativity and technology can move people – and move culture. As we look ahead, we’re designing for what’s next: a future where brands, ideas and the very nature of work are built with imagination at the core. We’re not following the future, we’re building it. The next two decades won’t be defined by what’s comfortable, but by what’s possible.”