Exploring Life & Business with Leah Faust of Future Foundry

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Faust.

Leah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story is about bridging two worlds that people often see as separate – art and operations.

I started creating art at 18, combining a BFA in painting and graphic design with writing, photography, and architecture. What I discovered early was this ability to translate what exists beyond words into visual communication.

The real education came in 2002 when I moved to NYC to be with my love, to learn what it was to be scrappy and work 3 jobs. I landed one of my first big projects – designing the custom logo for TAO’s launch at the Venetian in Las Vegas. That project showed me the power of creative vision meeting flawless execution.

I relocated to Los Angeles in 2007 during a recession when creative work was scarce in NYC. LFNCO was founded during the Bottega Louie days, and by 2013 had evolved into FaustLevito, working on launches for The Broad Museum, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Tartine. When FaustLevito closed, I chose to rebuild – this time with more clarity about the kind of business I wanted to run, and the partnerships that would serve the work. That restart taught me invaluable lessons about resilience and staying true to your vision even when everything feels unclear and distant.

Now, making my home in Michigan since 2023, where our kid loves growing up, and our business can scale in an actively evolving community. I’ve crystallized what I learned: the best work happens when you deeply understand both artistic vision and operational reality. This year we’re launching Future Foundry. We are partnering with businesses to inspire their teams, operate with finesse and maintain gorgeous brands that resonate with their audiences.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
2002, fresh out of school, I land in New York. First, I’m working at an antique store and a bakery, trying to make ends meet while doing pro bono design work and learning the ropes. Not glamorous, but necessary. You learn what work actually means when you’re doing whatever it takes to keep going while building something on the side.

The LA days brought different challenges – litigious clients, over-delivery, and over-spending on parties, dining out and looking good. I learned expensive lessons about boundaries and what actually builds a sustainable business versus what just looks impressive from the outside.

Here in Michigan – the people I thought I needed to work with, they were the “old guard”. Wise mentors and friends explained the best angle: find your community. 3 years in, lots of investment and collaboration later, I have identified my people!!!”

As you know, we’re big fans of Future Foundry. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Most studios get stuck in a false choice: beautiful creative that can’t scale, or ops efficiencies that strip out all the soul. We’ve built our entire practice around balancing the two. The value isn’t what we deliver, it’s who you become when we build together. We understand that brands with beauty and backbone require partners who can both inspire and implement at enterprise scale.

Our process:
Capture: Define the foundation
Create: Shape the Vision
Transfer: Embed into Operations
Impact: Equip Teams to Move Forward

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
From the first moment, I loved how Detroit felt like a new city being born from an old-world place. The balance of innovation and preservation give me goosebumps. People here share their ideas, welcome differences and debate openly. Right now you can experience our work at Michigan Central Station, itself a symbol of Detroit’s rebirth and ingenuity, where Neighbor x Folk, our very special retail collaboration lives.

One thing I don’t love: The lack of funds flowing towards small business. As Detroit grows it’s reputation, developers are placing corporate concepts to guarantee rent. Grants are too few and too small to fund startup concepts. We lose our sparkle when we dim the independent businesses.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://futurefoundry.biz
• Instagram: futurefoundry.biz
• Other: lfn.company