KITE Studio Photographer and Studio Lead Tim Fraser, Project Manager Lesley Fullerton, Lead Designer Jose Ongpin, Graphic Designer Sebastian Gonzalez and Strategic Storyteller Vanessa Milne.
KITE Studio’s new website showcases its work across UHN and beyond, helping researchers connect with wider audiences through design, video and storytelling.
KITE Studio celebrates its third anniversary this spring, supporting researchers, departments, and organizations across University Health Network (UHN) and more. At the same time, the team has reached another major milestone: the launch of their new website.
Based out of UHN’s KITE Research Institute, KITE Studio is a full-service creative team specializing in photography, videography, graphic design, branding, and storytelling. As a social enterprise operating on a fee-for-service model, profits generated through KITE Studio go directly back toward supporting research at KITE.
Dr. Milos R. Popovic, Director of KITE, praised the Studio’s work. “I’m so happy to celebrate KITE Studio’s third anniversary and everything the team has accomplished so far,” he said. “They’ve played such an important role in helping share the research happening here at KITE and UHN with a much wider audience.”
Spearheaded by Graphic Designer Sebastian Gonzalez, the redesigned website reflects how much the Studio has evolved, highlighting its core services, featured projects, and mission. Over the years, the team has contributed to projects including the UHN brand refresh, photography coverage of marquee events, and video production supporting commercialization initiatives.
“KITE Studio’s work has expanded significantly over the last few years. We wanted a website that better reflected both the range of projects we support and the people behind them, while also creating opportunities to connect with new clients,” said Gonzalez.
One of KITE Studio’s first major collaborative projects was its work with Dr. Sarah Munce, then a KITE Scientist, in 2023, helping mark the beginning of many partnerships to come. Working closely with Dr. Munce, the Studio developed a visual identity for her academic brand alongside a website showcasing her research, publications, grants, and team members. The process included discovery meetings, mood boards, and ongoing creative discussions tailored to Dr. Munce’s goals, audience, and preferred level of involvement throughout the project.
This is just one instance where KITE Studio has used visual storytelling and design to help research become more visually appealing, accessible, and engaging to broader audiences. That ultimately helps researchers attract funding opportunities, recruit participants, and expand the impact of their work. Because the Studio is embedded within KITE, the team has a strong understanding of the challenges researchers face, allowing for a collaborative and cost-friendly approach over more traditional design agencies.
"I came to UHN because I witnessed first-hand the impact we have on our patients. It's what convinced me to come to KITE and promote this game-changing research community," said Tim Fraser, KITE Studio Lead and Photographer. “I feel incredibly lucky to be able to share that impact with the rest of the world by taking complex research and translating it for the public using strong, understandable visuals and design."