Studio Illicit

The client and the challenge

Studio Illicit is a creative agency with DIY punk roots and a rebellious streak that still shapes its work today. From a warehouse studio in Exeter, the ten-person team supports over 150 clients across industries – from tech to food and drink, education to retail.

But as the agency scaled, its old hosting provider couldn’t keep up. Uptime fell, support slowed, and performance issues started affecting their own clients.

“We were spending more time managing hosting problems than doing the creative work we love,” says Amy McGill, Creative Director. “It just wasn’t sustainable.”

Powering performance and creativity

Krystal’s Katapult platform gave Studio Illicit the dependable infrastructure they needed: scalable VPS hosting, full root access, flexible backups and exceptional support. Site speed dropped from four seconds to less than one. Uptime soared. Issues that used to take days to resolve now take minutes.

After trialling Katapult on new builds, the team migrated 100+ client sites to Krystal – and hasn’t looked back.

“Katapult was a total game-changer for us,” says Amy. “Almost immediately, we went from constant firefighting to smooth, dependable performance every time.”

Sustainability that speaks to clients

As Studio Illicit works towards B Corp status, Krystal’s 100% renewable infrastructure and verified certification help extend their values to every site they build.

“It’s a huge plus that Krystal is ethically powered,” explains Amy. “Being able to offer our clients carbon-conscious hosting has made that extra bit of difference which wins new business.”

A partnership built on trust

Krystal now underpins Studio Illicit’s hosting offer, delivering performance, credibility and a powerful foundation for growth.

“We don’t lose sleep over hosting anymore,” Amy says. “It’s become an important revenue stream for us. We’re offering our clients the best of both worlds - blistering performance combined with impeccable principles.”