Overview:

Tyrus is a free digital toolkit that empowers freelance creatives to build better business skills, so they can focus less on project management and more on their craft.

Tyrus was born from a simple idea that the majority of creatives are taught artistic principles, but are’t given the business tools they need to succeed within an increasingly competitive industry. When talking with both industry newcomers and veterans there was a common complaint: clients don’t get what we do. 

With increasingly shortened timelines and decreasing budgets, creatives are often put in situations where they’re expected to perform miracles. Tyrus takes a decade of learnings, input from more than 270+ creatives, and a strategic take on how we can better educate our clients before, during, and after projects. 

While crafting Tyrus with Head Brand Strategist, Sola Biu we knew we needed a tool that wasn’t just longform thought-pieces, but also actionable and experience-driven content one can actively and immediately apply to their practice.

Working with design agency Porto Rocha, we began to build a visual language for Tyrus. Pairing a methodic modular grid with stylistically diverse collection of commissioned illustrations—the site balanced a utilitarian sensibility with an expressive reflection of our community. 

Tyrus was launched shortly before Airbnb went public. With a long history of supporting and funding creative tools, Tyrus was a strong addition to their brand narratives of differentiation by design. 

Over the first month of its launch Tyrus: 

3+ million creatives utilized Tyrus for their practice and projects 

1.5+ million creatives engaged with our social campaign 

Featured on Its Nice That 

Tyrus Team:

Creative Direction / Curriculum Creator
Naomi Bensen

Head Brand Strategist
Sola Biu

Airbnb Design Team:
Jennifer Hom
Sarah Goerzen
Stephanie Szabó
Tuhin Kumar
Jonard La Rosa

Branding + Design Agency:
Porto Rocha

Web Development:
Brian Harrison

Writing:
Shoko Wanger
Alexis Konevich 

Illustrators:
Sarula Bao
Manshen Lo
Molly Mendoza
Alexis Franklin
Camily Tsai
Marisa Seguin
Chia Chi Yu
Maggie Chiang
Sophia Foster-Dimino
Kaitlin Chan