About Rooted
Rooted is a charity design studio built on hope, humanity, and a deep commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable future.
Grown from within the third sector outwards
We work with small charities and grassroots organisations.
We see your passion for a better future, and we share it.
We also feel the challenges you face.
It’s hard to thrive when tiny teams are stretched, funding is competitive, and donations are squeezed by the cost of living.
When resources are tight, investing in design can feel beyond reach. You might also feel unsure of what you need, or the difference design could make.
Rooted is here to help you take the first step.
Your cause becomes ours
Rooted lends you practical support, extra headspace, and design expertise to ease the load, explore problems, and nurture new opportunities.
Working flexibly and listening deeply, we bring fresh perspectives and new ideas.
Together, we’ll create clarity, confidence, and space to focus on what matters most to you.
We’ll work in ways that feel manageable, by starting small, keeping it simple, working together, and growing what matters.
Values
Our values guide our work, and we support charities who share them.
Inclusive
Working together in ways that increase access, reduce barriers, and centre the diversity and lived experiences of the communities you serve.
People-centred
Beginning with people’s voices and experiences, making decisions based on real people’s needs rather than technologies, trends, or assumptions.
Curious
Staying open, exploring possibilities, and resisting jumping to solutions, to create space for insight, learning, and better decisions.
Realistic
Moving forward with small steps, adapting as things change, and progressing at a pace that honours capacity, energy, and the realities of life.
Meet our Founder
Rooted has grown from the work of our Founder, Elena Gorman.
As a Senior Designer, Elena works with small charities, grassroots organisations, and large national charities to design services, digital products, and user experiences.
She’s worked with smaller charities including Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide, Cancer Card, and Bridges Programmes, and large charities including Barnardo’s, Shelter, and Girlguiding.
Elena is motivated by the vision of a better future for us all, designed by us all, together.
But she recognises that design is not accessible to everyone; especially small charities, who are often unsure how design can help them, and often don’t have the time, money, and headspace to invest in design.
Rooted is Elena’s response to this barrier, providing pro bono and affordable design support to small charities who might otherwise struggle to access it.
