Creative built with care by people you can trust.

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About the Founder

Francis Musselman is a Parsons graduate, Pentagram alum, and founder of Participant Systems. With 20+ years shaping projects for Nike, Google, the NFL, MOCA, and more, they bring a rare blend of systems thinking, creative instinct, and cultural fluency.

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About the Team

Participant Systems runs lean by design. Around Francis is a curated network of senior designers, writers, strategists, and technologists in New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and beyond. Francis leads every engagement directly, so you get the focus and accountability of a small studio with the reach and firepower of a much bigger one.

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About our work

Our work lives where timeless design craft meets emerging intelligence—building brands that can move fast without losing what makes them matter.

Our work begins with our values.

  • We see the world through systems and signals, knowing every creative act contributes to a larger whole.

  • We harness technology with integrity — proving that human-centered design and emergent tools can evolve together.

  • Our work is enriched by varied perspectives, lived experience, and cultural intelligence.

  • Openness fosters feedback, collaboration, and a shared sense of purpose. Nothing good grows in the dark.

  • The words we choose matter. We craft stories that surface what’s real and build the world we want to live in.

  • By questioning assumptions and clarifying beliefs, we become co-creators of systems that hold meaning for the future.

What we do:

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Text reading 'Systems built to last. Design and content structures that remove guesswork and make creating easier, not harder.' with a small green dot in the top left corner.
A white digital card with black and gray text that reads "Creative that resonates. Brand stories that connect with the people who matter most—inside and outside your company." There is a small green dot in the top left corner.
Text saying 'A partnership for every stage' with smaller text below describing strategic and hands-on support for various stages and long-term vision.
Services →

We discover the force that makes your brand undeniable.

A diagram illustrating the core components of a design system, including foundational elements like vision, mission, and values at the center, surrounded by the fundamental core with modules such as logos, motion, styles, typography, color, graphics, and voice & tone, and outer layers showing brand expressions like digital and campaigns and external influences including community and commerce as well as signals.

Every great brand begins with a core that people actually care about—a reason to exist beyond making money.

We uncover that truth with you.

From there, your story carries through everything: social media, your website, your products, your events. Each moment is connected. Each touchpoint strengthens the last.

When you get the basics right, everything else becomes easier. Your marketing works harder. Your team moves faster. And instead of just getting people's attention, you actually change how they think and feel.

In a world where everyone's shouting, only the brands that are genuine break through the noise.