21 Awesome Graphic Design Companies to Work With

What is a graphic design company? There’s no single answer to that question. From famous graphic design firms that move the industry to startups offering modern graphic design solutions for the contemporary fast-paced company Here is our pick of the 15 movers and shakers of graphic design.

With the rise of digital marketing, graphic design became a necessity for every business, big or small. If in the past design agencies worked mostly on brand identities, packaging design and print advertising, now they include services such as modern graphic design, contemporary needs and solutions.

When learning about graphic design and the services creative agencies offer, you probably often stumble upon the same names over and over again. In this article, we will offer insight into more than the design studios that define the graphic design industry, but also contemporary startups that change the way graphic design is created.

Top graphic design companies

No matter how much and in what direction the design industry moves, some studios and branding agencies will stay important stakeholders and will keep defining the new rules of brand strategy and design. 

From the Mad Men-era to the new digital world, these professionals and companies have defined the looks and identities of companies known throughout the world.

1. Pentagram

This is one of the most well known and biggest graphic design firms. Their impressive client list includes Benetton, Rolls-Royce, Slack, Warner Brothers, Saks Fifth Avenue, Starbucks, The Guggenheim, United Airlines, Verizon, Walgreens, Windows, Mastercard, MoMA, United Airlines, and many more.

Among the alumni of Pentagram, you will find famous designers such as Alan Fletcher, Michael Bierut, Paula Scher, Kenneth Grange, Yuri Suzuki, and many, many others.

The design studio is equally owned by 24 graphic designers and art directors, and describes itself as the “world’s largest independently owned design consultancy”.

As for its services, Pentagram covers any type of graphic design, with a venerable portfolio in building well-known brand identities. In the pictures below, you can see only a tiny shred of the many projects they have recently been working on.

2. Sagmeister and Walsh

Sagmeister and Walsh are the young, brave and pushing-the-limits duo of the 21st century. Founded by partners Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh, this top graphic design company creates conceptual works and shows and don’t simply work for clients, but also for the creation and art itself.

Stefan Sagmeister is a modern design veteran, and even has a Grammy Award for his design of the Talking Heads boxed set for “Once in a Lifetime”. Jessica Walsh is a child prodigy when it comes to graphic design: she started working for Pentagram at only 22 as an intern and declined their offer for a permanent position to start her own studio. She became a partner at Sagmeister Inc. at 25, and since then the company goes by its current name.

The duo has worked together on projects for many clients, but what makes them different are the many conceptual works and projects they have created together. Most recently, they work on their project “Beauty”, in which they beautify old buildings with art and murals.

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3. Wolff Olins

Tate, Apple, Spotify, eBay, London Olympics, TikTok, AOL, Google, Grubhub, Uber, The Met… When you see this list of clients, you are aware that it seems like there is nothing Wolff Olins cannot do. And it tells a lot about how many modern brands they helped define.

They focus on brand strategy, brand redesign and thorough changes of brand perceptions, Wolff Olins is a dynamic, modern and respectable company that has built many contemporary brand images for some of the biggest startups of today.

Their mission is to create transformative brands that move “businesses, people and the world together”. Of course, their expertise has a shiny price tag since the LOI 2012 holds the Guinness Record for the most expensive logo design for the Olympic games, costing a “modest” 645.645 dollars.

4. Meta Design

Volkswagen, Lacoste, Porsche, Deutsche Telekom, Yves Saint Laurent, Berlin Concert Hall, Raiffeisen Bank are some of the clients of Meta Design. This selection immediately tells you that this creative agency deals only with respected brands that aim for greatness, quality and respectability.

They specialize in all spheres of design, from packaging and brand consultancy, all the way to spatial design and packaging.

5. Happy Cog

If there is a design studio mostly known for web design, it’s undoubtedly Happy Cog. Founded by Jeffrey Zeldman, a web designer with a respectable background, it has clients like Airbnb, MTV, Associated Press, AMC Theatres, Papa John’s, Ben & Jerry’s, Harvard and many others.

Their services are mostly centered around digital design and marketing, ranging from branding concepts, all the way to content strategies and optimization.

6. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv

Creators of many of the world's most iconic and enduring brands, Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv is an independent design firm specializing in the development of trademarks and identity programs.

That is how this iconic company describes itself, and I couldn’t do it better if I tried. With clients like NBC, Showtime, US Open, National Geographic and Animal Planet, this iconic design firm boasts a wide range of clients and capabilities.

And they are veterans in what they do: the company was opened in 1957, with founding partners Geismar and Haviv still holding the anchor of this iconic graphic design company.

7. Saffron Brand Consultants

Another team of masters of branding, Saffron Brand Consultants is working with a vast array of clients from many industries. From Facebook to V&A (The Victoria and Albert Museum), YouTube to the City of Vienna, they do best what they specialize in: building memorable and unique brand experiences.

8. Landor

If you like the new designs of your breakfast cereal, thank Landor, the creators of all the new colorful packaging of Kellogg’s flakes. But this brand consulting is much more than that. It was founded in 1941 by Walter Landor, who is known as a pioneer in contemporary brand design, and consulting methods that this industry still uses.

Recently, they have been working with Nestle, Apple, British Airways, Nike, Australian Open, etc.

Social change and adopting new technologies are some of the most important values they follow, and they are ever-expanding. Landor is currently the largest specialist brand and design group with more than 1.200 employees and offices in more than 20 countries.

9. A Practice for Everyday Life

Every design studio has an ace up its sleeve, and A Practice for Everyday Life’s one is typography. This design studio and type foundry is based in London, and they take a conceptual approach in creating brand projects for their clients.

It is probably the most contemporary and minimalist design studio on this list, targeting a younger audience with its appeal.

Most of their clients are book authors, artists and exhibitions since their conceptual and gentle style with lots of unique typography is suitable for a less commercial, and more artistic industry.

10. House Industries

Fan of groovy designs, flowy letters and the 70s? You’re at the right place. House Industries is a design studio and type foundry, responsible for some of the most iconic typefaces you’ve seen on TV and media: The Cher Show, Vogue, The New Yorker, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and many, many other examples of signage and brand identities.

With its unique retro flair and exquisite attention to detail when it comes to lettering, it is a design studio with a niche. But, they are amazing at their niche, no doubt!

11. Studio Dumbar

If you’re based in Europe, this Rotterdam-based graphic design agency might be a great option to consider. They have over 30 years of experience, with high-profile clients like Instagram, VMAs, and Transavia airline.They specialize in brand identity creation, including sound identity. So, if you’re looking for someone to create memorable jingles or add sound cues to your site, this agency can help.

12. Leo Burnett

Believe it or not, this top graphic design company was founded way back in 1935! Almost 90 years on, it’s one of the most respected creative companies worldwide.This agency prides itself on a human-first approach.

All of their work is created with people at its core and represents their dreams, wants, and struggles. From McDonalds to Procter & Gamble, you’ll notice these marketing professionals always find a way to humanize brands and make them more appealing to a wider target audience.

Unsurprisingly, this is the graphic design company that created some of the most well-loved characters like Kellog’s Tony the Tiger, Charlie the Tuna and Marbloro Man.

13. Spin

Spin is definitely one of the younger graphic design companies on the list. However, over a period of 30+ years it has an impressive portfolio and a long list of clients. They create edgy designs, often making commercial projects like posters or motion graphics look like works of art.Their own company website design is one of the most creative solutions you’ll find on the web, so they certainly have considerable skill and experience in web design too.

‍They have a very sleek, modern style, as you can see from this collection of logos they created. So, if this is a design style you gravitate towards, their portfolio is definitely worth checking out!

14. Clay Design Agency

This San Francisco-based company is one of the leading players in web and UX design. Unsurprisingly, they work with some of the biggest names in the tech industry, such as Meta, Slack, and Amazon.However, as a full-service agency, they also cover services like graphic design, content branding, user research and testing, and more. So, whether you need specific elements of graphic design, web design, or mobile app development, they can definitely help. 

15. Socio Design

If minimalism is your cup of tea, this graphic design company could be a great partner to team up with. These London-based creatives have a stunning portfolio, mainly focused on brand identity creation. From packaging design to business cards and stunning minimalistic websites, everything they do exudes a sense of elegance and style. 

16. Pearlfisher

Pearlfisher is a relatively young company, so they bring a lot of modern solutions and creative ideas to the table. Even with established brands like McDonalnds and Cadbury’s, they’re able to create designs that appeal to modern audiences. They’re true masters of illustration, CGI and motion design, so if this is an area of expertise you need, feel free to contact one of their offices in London or New York.

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Modern design solutions

These are definitely some of the best graphic design companies in the world. However, in this day and age the question “what is a graphic design company” doesn’t have one single answer.

Traditional creative agencies like the ones listed above charge extremely high fees. So, small businesses, startups, entrepreneurs, and even small marketing agencies can hardly afford their services. 

Luckily, there are other ways to get professional graphics, and still stay within your budget. Here are a few graphic design companies and platforms that allow you to get professional design for less. 

17. Canva

Thanks to a user-friendly interface, a large library of templates and the multi-user feature in Canva Pro, the Australian-based company has more than 30 million active users across 190 countries. 

It definitely can’t compare with a professional design studio. Still, it can be a great starting point for simple graphics like social media posts or email banners.

Agree or disagree, Canva graphic design company is a force to be reckoned with. They figured out the needs of their average user and created a market from scratch. After their success, many other online DIY design tools showed up, and although some are great in what they do, Canva remains the queen of quick and easy design solutions.

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18. ManyPixels

You need a lot of design work, but have a limited budget. What’s the solution? An unlimited design service such as ManyPixels!  An unlimited graphic design company works on a flat-rate subscription model for unlimited design requests.

Our scope of work ranges from simple graphic design projects like social media graphics and print design, all the way to branding and logo designs and web design.

ManyPixels is also a regular stop for marketers and designers because of its library of free illustrations, which are customizable and created in multiple styles.

19. Penji

Similar to ManyPixels, Penji is another subscription-based design company, with big brands like Reebok and Lyft in their customer list.

They are a young and community-driven startup that believes in diversity, dependability and quality.

20. Design Pickle

As far as unlimited design services go, Design Pickle is a true veteran. With more than 700 people in its team, this company is ever-growing and built a formidable client base throughout the years.

Similar to the prior two companies, they cover the same design products, with an exception of custom illustrations, which are not included in its Essentials or Pro pricing plans. Instead, they have a special pricing plan for custom illustrations.

21. 99Designs

Instead of employing graphic designers in their team, 99Designs is a membership-based organization where designers can apply to join, and after a vetting process, they can take part in competitions and claim projects posted by companies.

This platform’s forte is the huge number of great designers, but unlike the previous companies, they don’t have internal management and quality control.

The services and pricing packages are also different: instead of based on the delivery and unlimited graphic services, you can choose between a logo and branding, logo and business card, logo and social media graphics, logo and hosted website, etc.

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