Software · 2026-06-18 · 6 min
A foundation is not a template. The difference is whether the data model can change.
A template gives you a finished surface and asks you to live inside it. A foundation gives you a tested structure and expects you to change it.
The practical test is simple: can the data model be extended without forking? If adding a field means editing generated code you cannot regenerate, it was a template.
We keep our foundations honest by deploying them for genuinely different requirements. Anything that survives that is structural. Anything that breaks was an assumption.
More notes
Engineering
If a permission check lives in a component, it is a suggestion rather than a rule.
Product Design
Japanese and English do not occupy the same space. Designing for both first is cheaper than retrofitting either.
Studio Notes
Small is not a stage we are trying to leave. It is how the work stays good.
Tell us what you're trying to build, improve or solve. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right studio for it.