Meet
“
”
I love design because I love puzzles — especially the kind that address and solve real-world problems - and look great doing so.
A Brief
Dara Thomas.
Co-founder
& Design Director
With a sharp eye for detail and a love for digital storytelling, Dara brings product design and visual storytelling to life with clarity, character, and a hint of magic. She’s a senior UX designer, graphic designer, and visual artist who’s led design for startups and established B2Bs across industries—steering teams from discovery to delivery on everything from sleek mobile apps to full-scale web portals. Dara's sweet spot? Marrying strategic thinking with visual charm. Whether designing interfaces or crafting illustrations that convey meaning, she’s always on the lookout for ways to add moments of delight to the digital products she designs. Outside the studio, she’s a creative through and through — a paper artist turning confetti into portraits using medical scalpels and hole punchers (yes, really), and a budding bass guitarist. P.S. - She thinks Angie should admit that she most definitely hoards the font files ;-)
Desk
A
Q
Where are you from?
A few places :-) I was born in Montreal, Canada (Bonjour!); I lived for years in Trinidad and Tobago (where my family’s from); moved to San Diego for love (of course) - and now we're back and forth between Atlanta and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
How does your background influence your approach to design?
As a visual artist first, and later a product designer - intentional and meaningful aesthetics have always been everything to me. I‘m fascinated by the ways that visuals can communicate ideas and solve challenges before a single word is uttered.
What are you reading or listening to these days?
I recently re-read Toni Morrison's “Song of Solomon”. As far as what I’m listening to? For podcasts, I love Design Matters. But I’m more of a vinyl collector, so John Coltrane, Erykah Badu, Moonchild, and Hiatus Kaiyote stay in heavy rotation on my turntable.
What do you usually do in your spare time?
I usually go between visual art - creating large scale portraits out of confetti and paper cuttings, or practicing my bass guitar. I also may or may not be a slight vinyl collecting addict that goes crate digging at local record shops any chance I get…
How do you collaborate as a team, and what makes your partnership unique?
We’re fortunate to each be adept at all the areas of design that Root & Render offers; this makes it easy to tackle design requests as they come into our queue. What makes our partnership unique is the small detail that we’re also partners in life - having been married for nearly a decade now . For us, it works :-)
Favorite foods/drinks?
French fries. Ethiopian food. Pizza. Passionfruit juice. Lemonade.
Any guilty pleasures?
Watching reruns of some of the OG throwback reality tv shows - The Real World, Flavor of Love. Don’t judge me. *Silently judges myself*
What kind of projects excite you the most?
Hmmm... the complex ones. The ones that require me to put on my thinking cap and really break down a large challenge into tiny, achievable steps towards a workable solution. Our subscription business model also means that we’re challenged to stay sharp and think quickly to produce results with impact.
Minor
Meet
“
”
I love design because I love puzzles — especially the kind that address and solve real-world problems - and look great doing so.
A Brief
Dara Thomas.
Co-founder
& Design Director
With a sharp eye for detail and a love for digital storytelling, Dara brings product design and visual storytelling to life with clarity, character, and a hint of magic. She’s a senior UX designer, graphic designer, and visual artist who’s led design for startups and established B2Bs across industries—steering teams from discovery to delivery on everything from sleek mobile apps to full-scale web portals. Dara's sweet spot? Marrying strategic thinking with visual charm. Whether designing interfaces or crafting illustrations that convey meaning, she’s always on the lookout for ways to add moments of delight to the digital products she designs. Outside the studio, she’s a creative through and through — a paper artist turning confetti into portraits using medical scalpels and hole punchers (yes, really), and a budding bass guitarist. P.S. - She thinks Angie should admit that she most definitely hoards the font files ;-)
Desk
A
Q
Where are you from?
A few places :-) I was born in Montreal, Canada (Bonjour!); I lived for years in Trinidad and Tobago (where my family’s from); moved to San Diego for love (of course) - and now we're back and forth between Atlanta and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
How does your background influence your approach to design?
As a visual artist first, and later a product designer - intentional and meaningful aesthetics have always been everything to me. I‘m fascinated by the ways that visuals can communicate ideas and solve challenges before a single word is uttered.
What are you reading or listening to these days?
I recently re-read Toni Morrison's “Song of Solomon”. As far as what I’m listening to? For podcasts, I love Design Matters. But I’m more of a vinyl collector, so John Coltrane, Erykah Badu, Moonchild, and Hiatus Kaiyote stay in heavy rotation on my turntable.
What do you usually do in your spare time?
I usually go between visual art - creating large scale portraits out of confetti and paper cuttings, or practicing my bass guitar. I also may or may not be a slight vinyl collecting addict that goes crate digging at local record shops any chance I get…
How do you collaborate as a team, and what makes your partnership unique?
We’re fortunate to each be adept at all the areas of design that Root & Render offers; this makes it easy to tackle design requests as they come into our queue. What makes our partnership unique is the small detail that we’re also partners in life - having been married for nearly a decade now . For us, it works :-)
Favorite foods/drinks?
French fries. Ethiopian food. Pizza. Passionfruit juice. Lemonade.
Any guilty pleasures?
Watching reruns of some of the OG throwback reality tv shows - The Real World, Flavor of Love. Don’t judge me. *Silently judges myself*
What kind of projects excite you the most?
Hmmm... the complex ones. The ones that require me to put on my thinking cap and really break down a large challenge into tiny, achievable steps towards a workable solution. Our subscription business model also means that we’re challenged to stay sharp and think quickly to produce results with impact.
Minor
Meet
“
”
I love design because I love puzzles — especially the kind that address and solve real-world problems - and look great doing so.
A Brief
Dara Thomas.
Co-founder
& Design Director
With a sharp eye for detail and a love for digital storytelling, Dara brings product design and visual storytelling to life with clarity, character, and a hint of magic. She’s a senior UX designer, graphic designer, and visual artist who’s led design for startups and established B2Bs across industries—steering teams from discovery to delivery on everything from sleek mobile apps to full-scale web portals. Dara's sweet spot? Marrying strategic thinking with visual charm. Whether designing interfaces or crafting illustrations that convey meaning, she’s always on the lookout for ways to add moments of delight to the digital products she designs. Outside the studio, she’s a creative through and through — a paper artist turning confetti into portraits using medical scalpels and hole punchers (yes, really), and a budding bass guitarist. P.S. - She thinks Angie should admit that she most definitely hoards the font files ;-)
Desk
A
Q
Where are you from?
A few places :-) I was born in Montreal, Canada (Bonjour!); I lived for years in Trinidad and Tobago (where my family’s from); moved to San Diego for love (of course) - and now we're back and forth between Atlanta and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
How does your background influence your approach to design?
As a visual artist first, and later a product designer - intentional and meaningful aesthetics have always been everything to me. I‘m fascinated by the ways that visuals can communicate ideas and solve challenges before a single word is uttered.
What are you reading or listening to these days?
I recently re-read Toni Morrison's “Song of Solomon”. As far as what I’m listening to? For podcasts, I love Design Matters. But I’m more of a vinyl collector, so John Coltrane, Erykah Badu, Moonchild, and Hiatus Kaiyote stay in heavy rotation on my turntable.
What do you usually do in your spare time?
I usually go between visual art - creating large scale portraits out of confetti and paper cuttings, or practicing my bass guitar. I also may or may not be a slight vinyl collecting addict that goes crate digging at local record shops any chance I get…
How do you collaborate as a team, and what makes your partnership unique?
We’re fortunate to each be adept at all the areas of design that Root & Render offers; this makes it easy to tackle design requests as they come into our queue. What makes our partnership unique is the small detail that we’re also partners in life - having been married for nearly a decade now . For us, it works :-)
Favorite foods/drinks?
French fries. Ethiopian food. Pizza. Passionfruit juice. Lemonade.
Any guilty pleasures?
Watching reruns of some of the OG throwback reality tv shows - The Real World, Flavor of Love. Don’t judge me. *Silently judges myself*
What kind of projects excite you the most?
Hmmm... the complex ones. The ones that require me to put on my thinking cap and really break down a large challenge into tiny, achievable steps towards a workable solution. Our subscription business model also means that we’re challenged to stay sharp and think quickly to produce results with impact.
Minor
Meet
“
”
I love design because I love puzzles — especially the kind that address and solve real-world problems - and look great doing so.
A Brief
Dara Thomas.
Co-founder
& Design Director
With a sharp eye for detail and a love for digital storytelling, Dara brings product design and visual storytelling to life with clarity, character, and a hint of magic. She’s a senior UX designer, graphic designer, and visual artist who’s led design for startups and established B2Bs across industries—steering teams from discovery to delivery on everything from sleek mobile apps to full-scale web portals. Dara's sweet spot? Marrying strategic thinking with visual charm. Whether designing interfaces or crafting illustrations that convey meaning, she’s always on the lookout for ways to add moments of delight to the digital products she designs. Outside the studio, she’s a creative through and through — a paper artist turning confetti into portraits using medical scalpels and hole punchers (yes, really), and a budding bass guitarist. P.S. - She thinks Angie should admit that she most definitely hoards the font files ;-)
Desk
A
Q
Where are you from?
A few places :-) I was born in Montreal, Canada (Bonjour!); I lived for years in Trinidad and Tobago (where my family’s from); moved to San Diego for love (of course) - and now we're back and forth between Atlanta and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
How does your background influence your approach to design?
As a visual artist first, and later a product designer - intentional and meaningful aesthetics have always been everything to me. I‘m fascinated by the ways that visuals can communicate ideas and solve challenges before a single word is uttered.
What are you reading or listening to these days?
I recently re-read Toni Morrison's “Song of Solomon”. As far as what I’m listening to? For podcasts, I love Design Matters. But I’m more of a vinyl collector, so John Coltrane, Erykah Badu, Moonchild, and Hiatus Kaiyote stay in heavy rotation on my turntable.
What do you usually do in your spare time?
I usually go between visual art - creating large scale portraits out of confetti and paper cuttings, or practicing my bass guitar. I also may or may not be a slight vinyl collecting addict that goes crate digging at local record shops any chance I get…
How do you collaborate as a team, and what makes your partnership unique?
We’re fortunate to each be adept at all the areas of design that Root & Render offers; this makes it easy to tackle design requests as they come into our queue. What makes our partnership unique is the small detail that we’re also partners in life - having been married for nearly a decade now . For us, it works :-)
Favorite foods/drinks?
French fries. Ethiopian food. Pizza. Passionfruit juice. Lemonade.
Any guilty pleasures?
Watching reruns of some of the OG throwback reality tv shows - The Real World, Flavor of Love. Don’t judge me. *Silently judges myself*
What kind of projects excite you the most?
Hmmm... the complex ones. The ones that require me to put on my thinking cap and really break down a large challenge into tiny, achievable steps towards a workable solution. Our subscription business model also means that we’re challenged to stay sharp and think quickly to produce results with impact.
Minor
Meet
“
”
I love design because I love puzzles — especially the kind that address and solve real-world problems - and look great doing so.
A Brief
Dara Thomas.
Co-founder
& Design Director
With a sharp eye for detail and a love for digital storytelling, Dara brings product design and visual storytelling to life with clarity, character, and a hint of magic. She’s a senior UX designer, graphic designer, and visual artist who’s led design for startups and established B2Bs across industries—steering teams from discovery to delivery on everything from sleek mobile apps to full-scale web portals. Dara's sweet spot? Marrying strategic thinking with visual charm. Whether designing interfaces or crafting illustrations that convey meaning, she’s always on the lookout for ways to add moments of delight to the digital products she designs. Outside the studio, she’s a creative through and through — a paper artist turning confetti into portraits using medical scalpels and hole punchers (yes, really), and a budding bass guitarist. P.S. - She thinks Angie should admit that she most definitely hoards the font files ;-)
Desk
A
Q
Where are you from?
A few places :-) I was born in Montreal, Canada (Bonjour!); I lived for years in Trinidad and Tobago (where my family’s from); moved to San Diego for love (of course) - and now we're back and forth between Atlanta and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
How does your background influence your approach to design?
As a visual artist first, and later a product designer - intentional and meaningful aesthetics have always been everything to me. I‘m fascinated by the ways that visuals can communicate ideas and solve challenges before a single word is uttered.
What are you reading or listening to these days?
I recently re-read Toni Morrison's “Song of Solomon”. As far as what I’m listening to? For podcasts, I love Design Matters. But I’m more of a vinyl collector, so John Coltrane, Erykah Badu, Moonchild, and Hiatus Kaiyote stay in heavy rotation on my turntable.
What do you usually do in your spare time?
I usually go between visual art - creating large scale portraits out of confetti and paper cuttings, or practicing my bass guitar. I also may or may not be a slight vinyl collecting addict that goes crate digging at local record shops any chance I get…
How do you collaborate as a team, and what makes your partnership unique?
We’re fortunate to each be adept at all the areas of design that Root & Render offers; this makes it easy to tackle design requests as they come into our queue. What makes our partnership unique is the small detail that we’re also partners in life - having been married for nearly a decade now . For us, it works :-)
Favorite foods/drinks?
French fries. Ethiopian food. Pizza. Passionfruit juice. Lemonade.
Any guilty pleasures?
Watching reruns of some of the OG throwback reality tv shows - The Real World, Flavor of Love. Don’t judge me. *Silently judges myself*
What kind of projects excite you the most?
Hmmm... the complex ones. The ones that require me to put on my thinking cap and really break down a large challenge into tiny, achievable steps towards a workable solution. Our subscription business model also means that we’re challenged to stay sharp and think quickly to produce results with impact.
Minor
Meet
“
”
I love design because I love puzzles — especially the kind that address and solve real-world problems - and look great doing so.
A Brief
Dara Thomas.
Co-founder
& Design Director
With a sharp eye for detail and a love for digital storytelling, Dara brings product design and visual storytelling to life with clarity, character, and a hint of magic. She’s a senior UX designer, graphic designer, and visual artist who’s led design for startups and established B2Bs across industries—steering teams from discovery to delivery on everything from sleek mobile apps to full-scale web portals. Dara's sweet spot? Marrying strategic thinking with visual charm. Whether designing interfaces or crafting illustrations that convey meaning, she’s always on the lookout for ways to add moments of delight to the digital products she designs. Outside the studio, she’s a creative through and through — a paper artist turning confetti into portraits using medical scalpels and hole punchers (yes, really), and a budding bass guitarist. P.S. - She thinks Angie should admit that she most definitely hoards the font files ;-)
Desk
A
Q
Where are you from?
A few places :-) I was born in Montreal, Canada (Bonjour!); I lived for years in Trinidad and Tobago (where my family’s from); moved to San Diego for love (of course) - and now we're back and forth between Atlanta and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
How does your background influence your approach to design?
As a visual artist first, and later a product designer - intentional and meaningful aesthetics have always been everything to me. I‘m fascinated by the ways that visuals can communicate ideas and solve challenges before a single word is uttered.
What are you reading or listening to these days?
I recently re-read Toni Morrison's “Song of Solomon”. As far as what I’m listening to? For podcasts, I love Design Matters. But I’m more of a vinyl collector, so John Coltrane, Erykah Badu, Moonchild, and Hiatus Kaiyote stay in heavy rotation on my turntable.
What do you usually do in your spare time?
I usually go between visual art - creating large scale portraits out of confetti and paper cuttings, or practicing my bass guitar. I also may or may not be a slight vinyl collecting addict that goes crate digging at local record shops any chance I get…
How do you collaborate as a team, and what makes your partnership unique?
We’re fortunate to each be adept at all the areas of design that Root & Render offers; this makes it easy to tackle design requests as they come into our queue. What makes our partnership unique is the small detail that we’re also partners in life - having been married for nearly a decade now . For us, it works :-)
Favorite foods/drinks?
French fries. Ethiopian food. Pizza. Passionfruit juice. Lemonade.
Any guilty pleasures?
Watching reruns of some of the OG throwback reality tv shows - The Real World, Flavor of Love. Don’t judge me. *Silently judges myself*
What kind of projects excite you the most?
Hmmm... the complex ones. The ones that require me to put on my thinking cap and really break down a large challenge into tiny, achievable steps towards a workable solution. Our subscription business model also means that we’re challenged to stay sharp and think quickly to produce results with impact.
Minor
Meet
“
”
I love design because I love puzzles — especially the kind that address and solve real-world problems - and look great doing so.
A Brief
Dara Thomas.
Co-founder
& Design Director
With a sharp eye for detail and a love for digital storytelling, Dara brings product design and visual storytelling to life with clarity, character, and a hint of magic. She’s a senior UX designer, graphic designer, and visual artist who’s led design for startups and established B2Bs across industries—steering teams from discovery to delivery on everything from sleek mobile apps to full-scale web portals. Dara's sweet spot? Marrying strategic thinking with visual charm. Whether designing interfaces or crafting illustrations that convey meaning, she’s always on the lookout for ways to add moments of delight to the digital products she designs. Outside the studio, she’s a creative through and through — a paper artist turning confetti into portraits using medical scalpels and hole punchers (yes, really), and a budding bass guitarist. P.S. - She thinks Angie should admit that she most definitely hoards the font files ;-)
Desk
A
Q
Where are you from?
A few places :-) I was born in Montreal, Canada (Bonjour!); I lived for years in Trinidad and Tobago (where my family’s from); moved to San Diego for love (of course) - and now we're back and forth between Atlanta and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
How does your background influence your approach to design?
As a visual artist first, and later a product designer - intentional and meaningful aesthetics have always been everything to me. I‘m fascinated by the ways that visuals can communicate ideas and solve challenges before a single word is uttered.
What are you reading or listening to these days?
I recently re-read Toni Morrison's “Song of Solomon”. As far as what I’m listening to? For podcasts, I love Design Matters. But I’m more of a vinyl collector, so John Coltrane, Erykah Badu, Moonchild, and Hiatus Kaiyote stay in heavy rotation on my turntable.
What do you usually do in your spare time?
I usually go between visual art - creating large scale portraits out of confetti and paper cuttings, or practicing my bass guitar. I also may or may not be a slight vinyl collecting addict that goes crate digging at local record shops any chance I get…
How do you collaborate as a team, and what makes your partnership unique?
We’re fortunate to each be adept at all the areas of design that Root & Render offers; this makes it easy to tackle design requests as they come into our queue. What makes our partnership unique is the small detail that we’re also partners in life - having been married for nearly a decade now . For us, it works :-)
Favorite foods/drinks?
French fries. Ethiopian food. Pizza. Passionfruit juice. Lemonade.
Any guilty pleasures?
Watching reruns of some of the OG throwback reality tv shows - The Real World, Flavor of Love. Don’t judge me. *Silently judges myself*
What kind of projects excite you the most?
Hmmm... the complex ones. The ones that require me to put on my thinking cap and really break down a large challenge into tiny, achievable steps towards a workable solution. Our subscription business model also means that we’re challenged to stay sharp and think quickly to produce results with impact.
Minor
Meet
“
”
I love design because I love puzzles — especially the kind that address and solve real-world problems - and look great doing so.
A Brief
Dara Thomas.
Co-founder
& Design Director
With a sharp eye for detail and a love for digital storytelling, Dara brings product design and visual storytelling to life with clarity, character, and a hint of magic. She’s a senior UX designer, graphic designer, and visual artist who’s led design for startups and established B2Bs across industries—steering teams from discovery to delivery on everything from sleek mobile apps to full-scale web portals. Dara's sweet spot? Marrying strategic thinking with visual charm. Whether designing interfaces or crafting illustrations that convey meaning, she’s always on the lookout for ways to add moments of delight to the digital products she designs. Outside the studio, she’s a creative through and through — a paper artist turning confetti into portraits using medical scalpels and hole punchers (yes, really), and a budding bass guitarist. P.S. - She thinks Angie should admit that she most definitely hoards the font files ;-)
Desk
A
Q
Where are you from?
A few places :-) I was born in Montreal, Canada (Bonjour!); I lived for years in Trinidad and Tobago (where my family’s from); moved to San Diego for love (of course) - and now we're back and forth between Atlanta and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
How does your background influence your approach to design?
As a visual artist first, and later a product designer - intentional and meaningful aesthetics have always been everything to me. I‘m fascinated by the ways that visuals can communicate ideas and solve challenges before a single word is uttered.
What are you reading or listening to these days?
I recently re-read Toni Morrison's “Song of Solomon”. As far as what I’m listening to? For podcasts, I love Design Matters. But I’m more of a vinyl collector, so John Coltrane, Erykah Badu, Moonchild, and Hiatus Kaiyote stay in heavy rotation on my turntable.
What do you usually do in your spare time?
I usually go between visual art - creating large scale portraits out of confetti and paper cuttings, or practicing my bass guitar. I also may or may not be a slight vinyl collecting addict that goes crate digging at local record shops any chance I get…
How do you collaborate as a team, and what makes your partnership unique?
We’re fortunate to each be adept at all the areas of design that Root & Render offers; this makes it easy to tackle design requests as they come into our queue. What makes our partnership unique is the small detail that we’re also partners in life - having been married for nearly a decade now . For us, it works :-)
Favorite foods/drinks?
French fries. Ethiopian food. Pizza. Passionfruit juice. Lemonade.
Any guilty pleasures?
Watching reruns of some of the OG throwback reality tv shows - The Real World, Flavor of Love. Don’t judge me. *Silently judges myself*
What kind of projects excite you the most?
Hmmm... the complex ones. The ones that require me to put on my thinking cap and really break down a large challenge into tiny, achievable steps towards a workable solution. Our subscription business model also means that we’re challenged to stay sharp and think quickly to produce results with impact.
Minor