About Gumption
Clear design for people doing meaningful work.
Gumption Design Co. is a small design creative studio based in Lancaster, PA. We work with nonprofits, civic organizations, and mission-driven businesses that need clear, durable design, not hype, not fluff, not trends that won’t last. Our work helps organizations communicate what they do, why it matters, and how people can engage: simply and honestly.
What We Believe
Good design is a tool.
When it’s done well, it reduces confusion, builds trust, and helps people make decisions. In business, in community work, and in everyday life.
We believe the best design:
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starts with listening
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removes what isn’t necessary
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supports the work instead of overshadowing it
Our Mission
Make things clearer and make them last.
We create craftsman-quality branding, websites, reports, and visual systems that organizations can actually use over time.
That means:
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fewer moving parts
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better decisions up front
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work that holds up under real-world pressure
Our Vision
A sustainable studio doing useful work.
We’re building a business we want to keep and one that supports our lives, respects our time, and allows us to show up with focus and care.
In turn, we help other organizations grow in ways that are thoughtful, responsible, and aligned with their values.
No hustle theater. No burn-it-down-and-rebrand-every-year cycles.
How We Work
We’re designers at heart.
Strategy is part of the process, but it exists to give design direction.
Most projects follow a simple pattern:
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Understand the problem
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Identify what actually matters
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Design only what’s needed
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Build systems that can be used and maintained
We work best as collaborators and long-term partners, not a production shop for quick fixes.
Zach Johnson Medland
Founder / Creative Lead
Gumption Design Co. started as a side hustle and grew into a full-fledged creative studio with a heart for small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs making a difference. Founded by Zach Johnson Medland, the company combines the punch of agency-level branding with the personal care of a local partner who’s in it with you.
Our name is inspired by Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, a reminder that grit, care, and creativity are what keep the whole machine running. Gumption isn’t just our name, it’s our process: we bring curiosity, resilience, and craft to everything we do.
Whether you’re in Lancaster, the tri-state area (PA, NJ, NY), or building your dream business from a farm field or fifth-floor walkup, we design for what matters—and we make it beautiful, smart, and true to you.
“Gumption is the psychic gasoline that keeps the whole thing going. If you haven’t got it there’s no way the motorcycle can possibly be fixed. But if you have got it and know how to keep it there’s absolutely no way in the whole world that motorcycle can keep from getting fixed. It’s bound to happen. Therefore the thing that must be monitored at all times and preserved before anything else is the gumption. “