Traditional designers create portfolios.
We create materials that sell.
Illegible fonts. Inverted hierarchies. Hidden calls-to-action.
Every day, brilliant copy gets sabotaged by “creative” design that puts aesthetics before readability. The message gets lost. Conversions plummet.
We’re not graphic designers. We’re Direct Response Designers. And the difference is measured in sales.
Why “Keryx”
Keryx (κηρυξ) is ancient Greek for herald: the public messenger of the polis. An inviolable figure, under the sacred protection of Hermes, respected because he had no personal agenda.
The keryx didn’t sell, didn’t negotiate. He announced with clarity what needed to be known. His authority came from credibility, not persuasion.
Keryx Design does the same for your brand: we make your message clear, readable, and impossible to ignore. No shouting, no tricks.
Direct Response Design: Not Aesthetics, Results
Claude Hopkins 
David Ogilvy 
Gary Halbert Direct Response Design has existed for over 100 years. Claude Hopkins. David Ogilvy. Gary Halbert. They sold billions by refining every design choice through decades of split tests, millions of pieces mailed, and results measured in dollars, not likes.
It’s not about “what the designer likes.” It’s about what makes the reader read, understand, and act.
Every choice - typography, spacing, contrast, hierarchy - has a field-tested rationale. And a measurable result.
Creative design wins awards. Direct Response Design sells. We do the latter.
The Keryx Method: Craft, Strategy, Modern Tools
Half a century of direct mail as foundation. Modern tools to execute. Zero compromises on quality.
Field-Tested Readability
Font size, line spacing, contrast, visual hierarchy: every variable has been tested across millions of mailings. We know what makes readers read, because someone measured it before us.
Payoff: the reader reads everything, effortlessly.
Print + Digital Integrated
Sales letters, magalogs, landing pages, emails, ads - all with the same DR principles. Your funnel is consistent from first touch to last click.
Payoff: consistency = trust = conversion.
Precision, Amplified
We use modern tools to speed up research, variants, and testing. But every strategic and creative decision is human. Technology is an amplifier, not a replacement.
Payoff: 10x speed, unchanged quality.
Our Process
Strategy call
We analyze your business, funnel, and objectives. Free, no commitment.
Custom proposal
You receive a detailed plan with timelines, deliverables, and investment.
Collaborative execution
We design, you review. Structured feedback rounds until approval.
Delivery + follow-up
Print-ready or web-ready files. Post-delivery support included.
Results That Speak
Chief Design Officer
3 years leading the graphics department at Metodo Merenda, the largest direct marketing company in Italy.
Hundreds of campaigns. Dozens of clients. Millions in traceable revenue generated.
Trained by Lori Haller
First Italian designer trained directly by Lori Haller, the most famous Direct Response Designer in the United States.
Classic American methodology applied to the Italian and European market.
The Numbers
- + 500+ direct response materials designed
- + 50+ businesses served in Italy and abroad
- + 100% direct response approach on every project
Our Principles
Total Transparency
Every design choice is explained and justified. No “trust me, I’m the creative.” You know exactly why every element is where it is.
Results > Aesthetics
An “ugly” piece that converts is worth 100 times a “beautiful” piece that doesn’t sell. We always aim for numbers, never for awards.
Collaboration Not Ego
Your copy is sacred. We never modify it. Our job is to amplify it, not overwrite it. The designer serves the message, not the other way around.
Selectivity
We don’t work with everyone. We only accept projects where we can truly make a difference. If we’re not the right fit, we’ll tell you upfront.
How We Don’t Work
- Design without a sales objective (every piece must have a measurable goal)
- "Creative" design for its own sake (aesthetics serve conversion, not the other way around)
- Projects where the designer overrides the message (your copy is sacred)
- Clients who want to "look professional" without tracking results
- Blind quotes without a strategy call first
Davide “Dave” Filippini - Founder of Keryx Design
The Founder: Davide Filippini
Davide started as a “traditional” graphic designer. Creative portfolio, awards, visually stunning projects. Then came the turning point: he joined as Chief Design Officer at Metodo Merenda, the largest direct marketing company in Italy.
There he discovered a completely different world. Materials don’t have to “look pretty” - they have to sell. Every font, every margin, every color has a measurable impact on response rates. Aesthetics serve conversion, not the other way around.
The Turning Point
After 3 years and hundreds of campaigns, Davide trained directly under Lori Haller - the most famous Direct Response Designer in the United States. He became her first Italian student. From that moment, the mission was clear: bring true Direct Response Design to Italy and Europe.
The Philosophy
“There’s no beautiful or ugly design. There’s design that sells and design that doesn’t. I didn’t learn this in school. I learned it by shipping materials and measuring what happened next.”
Ready to Work Together?
We don’t work with everyone. Here are the criteria to work with us:
- You have written copy (or a copywriter who will write it)
- You want measurable results, not just to "look professional"
- You're willing to invest in design that converts
- You respect the process: strategy call → proposal → execution