Independent studio · San Jose, California
Design gets better when the story and the system are built together.
Second Draft · Est. March 4, 2020
Second Draft is the independent studio of Samhith Mitra, a graphic designer turned product designer who works across identity, websites, content, and digital systems.
Studio history
Built by following the work from the surface to the system underneath.
2020
The first draft
Second Draft began on March 4 in San Jose with a simple premise: growing businesses rarely need to become something else. They need a clearer, more deliberate version of what is already working.
2020–2022
From identity to product systems
Work in graphic design expanded into healthcare platforms and large digital ecosystems at Align Technology. The practice grew from making communications clearer to making complex products easier to understand and use.
2023–2026
A broader systems practice
Graduate HCI work at Georgia Tech added contextual inquiry, workflow research, and functional prototyping to the studio's visual foundation, bringing the same rigor to public-safety, automation, and service-design problems.
Now
One studio, connected disciplines
Today the studio revises identity, websites, content and everyday tools as one piece of work. Recent work spans Solar Pool Services, DAHTECH, and Smart Fleet Systems.
The team
Founder, designer, and builder
Samhith Mitra
Samhith was trained in graphic design at San José State University and in human-computer interaction at Georgia Tech. His product-design work includes healthcare experiences used by millions, enterprise workflow automation, and systems for high-pressure environments.
Second Draft is intentionally a studio of one. The same person who hears the problem shapes the strategy, writes the story, designs the system, and follows the work through launch. Specialist collaborators can join when a project calls for them, while accountability stays in one place.
Selected work
Different businesses. The same job: make the value easier to see.
01
Solar Pool Services
Brand, web, content strategy, and local search for a residential solar-pool-heating business.
02
DAHTECH
Positioning, identity, and a clearer digital presence for a Salesforce consultancy.
03
Smart Fleet Systems
A complete identity and service-led website for commercial vehicle safety and upfitting.
How the studio operates
Small enough to stay close. Structured enough to carry the work.
01
One accountable lead
No account-manager relay. The person in the first conversation stays responsible for the work.
02
Decisions before decoration
Research, positioning, and content structure come before visual polish.
03
Build the whole story
Identity, words, pages, and systems are designed to reinforce one another.
04
Leave useful systems
The finished work should remain clear, editable, and useful after launch.
Contact
Start with the conversation that fits the question.
01 · New work
Bring a project.
For a brand, website, content system, practical automation, or automation project.
02 · Direct contact
Send the context.
For a focused question, referral, or something easier to explain in writing.
seconddraftincllc@gmail.com ↗03 · Existing clients
Continue the work.
Invited clients can review requests, add context, and follow progress in the private workspace.
Client sign in →