12 Best Branding Agencies for Startups
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If you’re trying to get your business off the ground, branding is your secret weapon. You might believe in your product, but for it to succeed, you need others to believe in it, too. When you build your company, you also need to build your brand — one that captures and maintains your audience’s interest.
That’s where a startup brand agency comes in, and we’ve got the low-down on some of the best in the business. Read on to learn more about the top branding agencies for startups around the world.
How did we create this list?
As a creative studio, we know a thing or two about branding services for startups. Our startup branding agency has nearly 15 years of industry experience, giving us a deep understanding of the competitive landscape. Over the years, we've taken mental notes of other agencies in our field, appreciating their talent and unique strengths.
Why does startup branding matter?
Maria Surawska, our director of design, said it best: branding is more than how you look; “it’s also how you position yourself as a company." Rooted in contextual storytelling, branding fuses visuals and messaging to create a brand identity that resonates with the people you’re trying to reach. A cohesive brand narrative also aligns your team around a clear vision and goal, allowing them to effectively communicate your company’s value proposition.
Branding is especially important in the early growth stage; it also helps boost your market standing, increase brand awareness, differentiate you from the competition, and attract investors to your long-term potential.
Why work with a startup branding agency?
In such a saturated business landscape, partnering with a startup branding agency isn't an option — it’s a necessity. Newer companies often have smaller teams, which means there’s only so much you can tackle at a time.
When you work with a startup brand agency, you gain access to its experience and expertise. These creative studios specialize in transforming emerging businesses into recognizable brands, with entire teams dedicated to brand strategy, design, and copywriting — the services you need to create a brand identity that embodies your values and builds credibility at every phase of growth.
Best Branding Agencies for Startups
1. Best Branding Agency for Startups in America: Big Human
Are you surprised? We’re not. We might be at the top of our own list, but we’ve got the credentials to back it up. For over a decade, we’ve used our human-first philosophy to build better brands, apps, and websites for startups, Fortune 500 companies, and ourselves. When we aren’t localizing the streaming experience on Netflix, mapping multi-layered digital journeys for Fusion Worldwide, or mainstreaming audio erotica with Quinn, we’re incubating our own products. (Yes, we’re the team behind some of your favorite award-winning apps like Vine, HQ Trivia, and Subdial.)
Strategy, branding, design, development, and content — we do it all, no matter the industry. See more examples of our work here.
Notable clients:
Gemini: In 2015, we helped bring New York’s first Bitcoin exchange to life and built the foundation for the Gemini brand you see today.
Rockefeller Center: We’ve been the NYC landmark’s agency of record for a few years now, holistically innovating its experiences in both digital and physical spaces.
2. Best Startup Branding Agency in the UK: Ragged Edge
The London-based branding agency often pushes the boundaries of conventional thinking, offering its clients creative solutions based on strategic insights. Its services include brand strategy, UX/UI design, and messaging.
Notable clients:
Monzo: The startup branding agency refined the digital bank’s brand identity and continues to work on its marketing materials, website, and app.
Camden Market: Ragged Edge modernized the identity of London’s largest market while still honoring its heritage, focusing on its brand visuals and positioning.
3. Best Branding Agency for Startups in Germany: Yumeda
Known for its imaginative approach to complex problems, Yumeda is a creative agency that offers branding, UX/UI design, web development, and marketing services. The studio is often recognized for its work, earning the top spot on The Manifest’s list of the Top 100 Branding Agencies in Germany.
Notable clients:
Impact Festival: To help Europe’s largest event for sustainable innovation boost ticket sales, Yumeda crafted branded marketing materials, optimized its website, and mapped out a comprehensive SEM strategy.
Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association: A leading figure in the plasma industry, PPTA partnered with Yumeda to reinvent its brand vision and redesign its website.
4. Best Startup Branding Agency in Canada: Locomotive
Based in Montreal, Locomotive is a startup branding agency that uses digital-first solutions to expand companies’ online presence and brand recognition. It combines design thinking with technical expertise to develop unique brand identities, innovative websites, and holistic digital strategies.
Notable clients:
Dr. Dabber: The startup brand agency built a robust eCommerce website for the technology-driven vaporizer company, enhancing its digital strategy with branded visuals and creative content.
Carlton Villa: For Carlton Villa, a luxury vacation rental in Barbados, Locomotive used a visual storytelling approach to elevate its brand and create an immersive digital experience that gives users a taste of beachfront living.
5. Best Branding Agency in Australia: Made Agency
Made Agency specializes in building impactful brand identities, digital strategies, and marketing campaigns that help businesses establish and grow their market presence. The full-service studio works with existing businesses and up-and-coming entrepreneurs across a variety of industries, including real estate and finance.
Notable clients:
Hilton: Made was a creative director for a photoshoot at the Hilton Resort & Spa in Port Douglas, shaping a marketing narrative that aligned with Hilton’s brand identity.
KPMG: The agency developed a coordinated corporate strategy for KPMG’s client, a major internet service provider, that included infographics and interactive messaging.
6. Best Startup Branding Services in The Netherlands: Aardig
Aardig strives to connect local initiatives and mission-driven organizations with their target audience through creative online experiences. The Amsterdam-based digital design studio has a small but nimble team that focuses on brand identity, web development, and scalable digital solutions.
Notable clients:
Homeup: A real estate platform for first-time buyers, Homeup collaborated with Aardig to carve a brand identity that stood out among its competitors and accounted for future growth.
De Bildung Academie: To artfully communicate the university’s mission and vision in the digital space, Aardig revamped its brand identity and developed an intuitive, user-friendly educational website.
7. Top Startup Branding in Sweden: The Studio
With services like brand strategy, UX/UI design, copywriting, and creative coding, The Studio blends tactical insights with engaging design. It’s known for holistic techniques that reinforce a brand’s identity throughout every touchpoint — digital and physical.
Notable clients:
Lemonaid: After refreshing Lemonaid’s brand identity, The Studio updated its packaging designs, using bold typography and vibrant colors to elevate Lemonaid’s shelf presence.
Swedish Royal Court: In 2023, Sweden celebrated a double jubilee with a special, year-long exhibition at the Royal Palace of Stockholm. The Studio was responsible for the showcase’s graphic identity, advertising campaigns, and marketing materials.
8. Best Branding Agency for Startups in Denmark: Norgram
Norgram is a Danish design studio that works with both local and international clients, using thoughtful design to create impactful online experiences. Regularly awarded for its work, Norgram’s services include creative direction, brand design, and digital product design.
Notable clients:
IKEA: Norgram worked with the furniture retailer on two projects: Hej, an AI-powered information-sharing platform for the company’s employees, and IKEA Place, a virtual room planning tool.
Setio: For Setio, a performance optimization app for runners, Norgram balanced form and function to bring a human-centric brand identity to the tech-forward platform.
9. Best Startup Branding Agency in Norway: Neue Design Studio
As one of Europe’s top independent agencies, Neue Design Studio takes a minimalistic approach to its brand identity and product design services. By emphasizing only the essentials, the Oslo-based team produces digital narratives that are both compelling and enduring.
Notable clients:
Norway: It’s rare to see an entire country listed on a company’s client roster, but Neue won a nationwide competition with its redesign of Norway’s passports, ID cards, and travel documents.
Norwegian Meteorological Institute: To communicate all of the institute’s functions and initiatives, Neue designed an abstract but versatile and easily recognizable visual identity.
10. Best Branding Agency for Startups in Brazil: Questtonó
Questtonó merges its skills in systemic design with its understanding of human behavior to create transformative, relevant digital and physical experiences. Incorporating the latest technologies into its all of its offerings, the studio serves clients across various industries, including beauty, finance, and retail.
Notable clients:
Budweiser: Questtonó brought its global expertise to Budweiser’s legacy brand, refreshing its beer bottle labels to appeal to an international audience.
Unilever: The Brazilian agency led the brand strategy and design for Meu Mercado em Casa, Unilever’s online marketplace, helping improve the end-to-end customer experience.
11. Top Branding Services for Startups in France: Studio M
Studio M excels in art direction, branding, and digital experience design. With offices in Paris and Antwerp, Studio M is the fashion world’s go-to for luxury branding and high-end visual identities.
Notable clients:
Chanel: An iconic fashion powerhouse, Chanel enlisted the design studio to create branded social media templates and animations for its namesake beauty line.
NOAH mgmt: Studio M refined the Parisian modeling agency’s visual style, updating its logo, website, stationery, and presentation decks.
12. Best Italian Startup Branding Agency: Caratti e Poletto
Established in 1971, the long-running Italian branding agency sees creativity as a multi-purpose tool that connects art, science, technology, and culture. Its services include graphic design, advertising, and content writing.
Notable clients:
Latte Verona: To support the launch of Latte Verona’s new products, Caratti e Poletto designed the line’s look and feel and developed a multi-channel campaign for the entire Verona area.
Cavazza: The winery and vineyard wanted its nearly 100-year-old history to resonate with a contemporary audience, so Caratti e Poletto leveraged visual storytelling to bring Cavazza’s physical experiences into a digital space.
Need a hand with your startup’s brand strategy? Send us a message.
