The best Graphic Design companies and agencies worldwide
It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between graphic design companies and agencies, advertising agencies and media agencies, as they work in an increasingly integrated way. Even so, they share certain traits.
The best graphic design firms often offer comprehensive branding services to international clients, who entrust them with their most valuable projects. As a result, they tend to attract the most talented designers and creatives and, consequently, they tend to win more awards and recognition for their Graphic Design.
In the following list you will find the most distinguished companies in the sector, both for their size, level of creativity, importance of their clients and projects, as well as for their awards.
The 10 Best Graphic Design companies and agencies in the world in 2024.
1. AKQA
Source: All images by AKQA
The best multimedia graphic design agency
AKQA is a multimedia design agency founded in London in 1994 by Ajaz Ahmed and now, after merging with WPP, employs more than 6,000 professionals in over 50 countries.
Although specialized in design for digital media, AKQA is an agency that integrates design with various disciplines such as storytelling, commerce, technology, product creation or architectural spaces.
Through its offices have passed clients such as Nike, Google, Coca-Cola, H&M, Loewe, Netflix, EA Sports, Oakley, Adobe, Rolls-Royce, Siemens, Evian, Bvlgari, Volvo, Levi’s, Minecraft, Verizon, HP, IBM and Carlsberg, among others.
Its multiple awards include several Cannes Lion Grand Prix, and it was also named one of the world’s leading innovation and experience design agencies, according to analysts at Gartner and Forrester.
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2. Pentagram
Source: All images by Pentagram
The best graphic design agency
The Pentagram agency was born in London in 1971 and today, in addition to its London headquarters, has offices in New York City, San Francisco, Berlin and Austin (Texas).
Its specialties include brand identity design, signage, book design, campaigns, data visualization, digital design, editorial design, exhibitions, film & motion graphics, industrial and product design, interior architecture, naming, packaging, sound design and typography.
Pentagram is one of the design agencies with the longest history and has collaborated with brands such as Rolls Royce, Virgin, Zalando, Waze, Warhammer, Fisher-Price, Warner Bros, Yahoo, Slack, OPPO, Baskin Robbins or Swarovsky, to name a few.
Books related to Pentagram
Learn more about Pentagram’s projects and way of working through these books.
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3. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv
Source: All images by Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv
The best logo design agency
Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv’s specialties are brand identities in general and logos in particular, some of which are among the most recognized in the world: NBC, Pan Am, Mobil Oil, PBS, Chase Xerox or National Geographic.
This graphic design and branding agency was born in New York in 1957, from the union of designers Tom Geismar, Ivan Chermayeff and Robert Brownjohn, although the latter left the team at the beginning, so it does not appear in the name. Years later Sagi Haviv joined, completing the current name of the firm.
This studio stands out for having worked with several television channels such as NBC, National Geographic, Showtime, PBS or Discovery+. But the truth is that they have worked with major brands of all kinds, and on their website you can see projects done with Animal Planet, Chase Bank, Mobile State Farm, Harvard University Press, UNDP, Merck, MoMA (NY), Princeton University Press and many more.
Learn more about logo design with Sagi Haviv
If you would love to be able to design logos like Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv, what better than to learn directly from one of their partners, Sagi Haviv. In Domestika’s course “Logo Design: From Concept to Presentation“, Sagi will teach you the essential principles of logo design, from conceptualization to final presentation to the client.
Books related to Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv
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4. Landor
Source: All images by Landor
The best brand design agency
Landor is one of the world’s leading design agencies, and one of the most important in terms of brand strategy and design. Several of the world’s leading companies rely on Landor when they need to rebrand their most important products or services.
Brands that have worked with Landor include Nike, Apple, Bang & Olufsen, Kellogg’s, Nestlé, Lego, Microsoft, De’Longhi, British Airways, S&P, Kraft, BMW, Henkel, Old Spice, BP, Citroën and Jameson, among many others.
The agency was founded in 1941 by Walter Landor in San Francisco (U.S.A.). Today, Landor Associates is present in more than 19 countries and employs more than 1,200 people. For many years it was part of the Young & Rubicam Group network and later became part of the WPP group, which has also been joined by AKQA (agency that you can find in this guide).
Landor’s shelves are packed with awards, including dozens of international Grand Prix recognizing its value in brand strategy and design.
5. Saffron
Source: All images by Saffron
Best design agency in Spain
Saffron is a brand consultancy that stands out for its branding and visual identity design services. Its trajectory has been meteoric and, in recent years, rebrandings such as Youtube have given them an unparalleled international projection.
Although it started in Madrid (Spain) back in 2001, you can currently find Saffron offices in London, Vienna, Istanbul or Mumbai. From all of them, brands can hire their strategy, design and brand identity and experience creation services.
Saffron has carried out projects for major international brands and corporations such as YouTube, Facebook, Bankinter, Vueling, Siemens, T-Mobile, C&A, Banco Santander, Fujitsu, A1 Telekom Group, Warner Music, British Council, Visit London, V&A or Flying Tiger, among others.
Learn more about branding and corporate identity with Saffron’s team.
Do you want to know how big agencies plan and develop projects? In Domestika’s course “Branding and Identity: Construction and Development of a Brand“, you will learn branding and visual identity directly from Saffron’s team, with real examples and practical exercises. Its audio is in Spanish but has English subtitles.
6. JKR Global
Source: All images by JKR
The most awarded agency at the D&AD Awards
JKR is one of the most awarded design and branding agencies in recent years at the D&AD Awards, especially for its projects for Burger King, Heinz, Budweiser and the School of Visual Arts (SVA).
JKR is an independent creative agency, founded in 1990 by Joe Jones, Andrew Knowles and Ian Ritchie, from whose surnames come the acronym JKR.
Its first office was in London, but it now also has offices in New York, Singapore and Shanghai, cities where it has its main clients.
The agency’s main projects include those for Burger King, Budweiser, Dunkin’, Heinz, Foot Locker and Domino’s, among others.
Its services range from brand strategy and consulting to brand design, identity design, naming, brand experiences, packaging, film, motion graphics or copywriting.
7. Metadesign
Source: All images by Metadesign
Germany’s best design agency
MetaDesign is one of the most prominent agencies in Europe, known above all for its work for its 2 main clients: Volkswagen and Deutsche Telekom, with whom it has won countless international design and branding awards.
But the list of clients who have entrusted projects to MetaDesign does not end there, and we can add to it brands such as E.ON, Porsche, Lacoste, Coca-Cola, DHL, Fortis, New York Philharmonic, University of California or Whoohoo, among others.
The main services MetaDesign offers its clients are brand strategy, brand creation, brand experiences and brand activations. Today they have grown significantly and offer their services from offices in Beijing, Zurich, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Lausanne, New York and San Francisco.
Books related to Metadesign
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8. Huge
Source: All images by Huge
The best design and innovation agency
Huge stands out for merging design, technology and marketing in projects for major brands such as Nike, Google, Spotify, Verizon, McDonald’s.
Its portfolio of services includes Business Consulting, Branding, Data Science, Research, Experience Design, Physical Design, Service Design, Technology, SEO, Marketing Campaigns, Content Development, Social Media, PR and CRM.
Huge has grown a lot in recent years and now has more than 1,500 employees. In addition, it has become part of the Interpublic Group (IPG), to which large advertising agencies such as FCB, McCann Worldgroup or MullenLowe Group belong.
Its main offices are still in Brooklyn, where the agency started, but today it has 12 more locations: Atlanta, Bogota, Chicago, DC, Detroit, London, Los Angeles, Medellin, Oakland, Singapore, Toronto and Tokyo.
9. Firstborn
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One of the best digital design agencies
Firstborn is a New York based agency focused on the development of digital design and branding projects.
In his portfolio you can find projects for big brands such as Beats by Dre, Adidas, Royal Caribean, Foot Locker, Jägermeister, Jet.com or Supercell.
10. Essen International
Essen International logo- Essen design project for Mathias Dahlgren
- Essen design project for Gant
- Essen design project for OX2
Source: All images by Essen
The best design agency in Sweden
Essen International is an originally Swedish design agency, which stands out for its strategic side, as well as for the quality of its designs. It has been nominated Agency of the Year several times in Sweden and today has offices in Amsterdam, New York, San Francisco and Stockholm.
In addition to design services, Essen offers its clients strategy, content creation, technology development and legal advice. As a result, it has collaborated with clients such as Gant, H&M, Flippa K, SVT, Mileway, OX2 and San Francisco Design Week, among many others.
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