About us
Hello there! Octopus Think is a digital design & development agency based in Scotland. We believe that staying small allows us to be nimble and adapt easily, and we pride ourselves in building great digital products whilst remaining flexible and responsive throughout the process.
Together, we have over thirty years of experience. We've worked on a wide range of projects with clients of all sizes: from Firefox Add-ons to the new WordPress editor, we've built experiences for hundreds of millions of users across the world.
Who are we?
Matthew Riley MacPherson
Matt is a full-stack developer with a soft spot for React and JavaScript. He's detail-oriented, quick to learn, and well-versed in navigating projects of all sizes. He cares about accessibility, automation, and writing clean, readable code that doesn't box you in.
An enthusiastic contributor to open-source projects, he wrote the popular localForage library, used by thousands of apps/web services including Mozilla Add-ons, Cordova, Twitter and WordPress.com. He was also the accessibility lead for WordPress 5.0.
Over the years, Matt has worked for Mozilla (Firefox), Automattic (WordPress), Nova Scotia government, and a slew of start-ups. He's hosted workshops around the world and spoken at conferences on nearly every continent.
In his spare time, Matt likes riding his motorcycle, hiking in the Highlands, and making three different types of coffee.
Sarah Semark
Sarah calls herself a "designer who codes", which means she cares most about typography and colour but can also write a React component when the mood strikes.
Sarah creates designs that are both visually striking and usable. Her designs incorporate accessibility from the beginning. She's skilled at framing a problem from a user-centric perspective and simplifying complex or abstract topics.
Sarah has worked with clients like Automattic, Feminist Frequency, Joel on Software, and Smitten Kitchen on product design, ground-up site redesigns, and user testing projects. She's spoken at conferences around the world about design, inclusion, and technology.
When she’s not busy making things, Sarah likes obsessing over typography, collecting impractical footwear, and exploring new places.
Our values
You shouldn't need to compromise on the things you believe just to keep the lights on. We are advocates of inclusive design, fans of open source, and we believe that technology is a tool to make the world a better place.
- We believe that accessibility, beauty, and usability should co-exist.
- We aim for transparency, clarity, and openness.
- We are advocates for inclusive design and open source.
- We leave our egos at the door.
- We improve with every project.
Are you making the world a better place? We offer a 15% discount for non-profits, governments, and open-source work.
Hire us
Have an idea you want to build? Maybe you need some extra resources to join your existing team? Drop us a line and we'll talk.