There is one thing that connects businesses in industries as diverse as construction and food service — the fact that exceptional design can put a brand on the very top. From logos and print ads to websites and social media posts, design touches every area of any business, and how potential customers perceive of that style makes all the difference in earning their trust. The most successful companies know how to use signature elements to remind and persuade consumers throughout the entire purchasing journey, some going far beyond traditional measures to deliver a message that pushes their brand to top-of-mind status.
For brands at any stage of the game, putting a serious investment into quality design is nothing to scoff at. Turn to these design agencies in San Francisco for game-changing creative solutions that breathe new life into any company.
Top Design Companies in San Francisco
- Awake
- Clay
- Extractable
- Manmade
- Platform
- Redshift
- Stimulant
Founded: 2014
Design focus: Product Design, User Experience, Digital
What they do: Awake’s goal is to make user experience with any product sensational beyond traditional means. The creative team helps brands go digital, creating innovative campaigns, smart tools, connected products, apps, prototypes and online services to bring exceptional ideas and products to life.
Featured clients: Gucci, Puma, Apple, Microsoft, Saint Laurent, Dolby, Nokia, Jawbone, Motiv and Zepp.
Founded: 2001
Design focus: Web Design, User Experience, Branding
What they do: Driving brands entering the digital space forward is Baunfire’s specialty. The agency specializes in responsive website design and development, excelling by offering a full suite of design services that include UI/UX design, motion graphics, corporate identity and marketing materials. Additionally, Baunfire empowers brands with SEO services, insight and analytics, content management and strategy.
Featured clients: Nike, Netgear, Cisco, Hitachi, FX, Nokia, The Walt Disney Company, Orbi and Snowflake.
Founded: 2012
Design focus: Video, Branding, Web Design
What they do: Belmondo’s team of designers, filmmakers, writers and market researchers create a variety of design deliverables revolving around film, brand identity and website design. The studio is home to a THX-certified screening room, color correction facilities and the largest production stage in Northern California, making Belmondo capable in everything from commercial video and trade show exhibits to mobile apps and branding campaigns.
Featured clients: Adobe, Samsung, Square, Ticketmaster, Yahoo!, Paychex and Sage.
Founded: 2016
Design focus: User Experience, Branding, Video
What they do: Clay is an innovative UX/UI design agency that works with clients to create unique user experiences that reach across all brand touch points. The staff is skilled in a variety of strategy, design, development and content abilities, with design services including user experience, brand identity, website design, mobile app design, prototyping, video, animation, iconography and 3D graphic design.
Featured clients: Google, Facebook, Slack, Coca-Cola, Credit Karma, Uber, Sony, T-Mobile and L’Oreal.
Founded: 2006
Design focus: User Experience
What they do: Expanding the parameters of user experience is what EchoUser’s goal has been from the beginning. The agency takes a focused approach to the user’s journey, gathering research, developing personas and creating journey maps that develop into full-proof interactive design activations. EchoUser expands on development with its EchoUser as a Service platform, along with workshops to empower client abilities.
Featured clients: Google, Stitcher, Cisco, Panasonic, Salesforce, NASA, Oracle, Playstation and GE.
Founded: 1999
Design focus: User Experience
What they do: Consulting exclusively with clients in the financial services industry, Extractable takes an agile approach to visual design, content strategy, user experience and digital strategy. Extractable starts with responsive website and visual design, perfecting the user journey from the beginning of the process and utilizing analytics to develop strategies that are a breeze to interact with.
Featured clients: Visa, Charles Schwab, BMO Bank of Montreal, Lendingtree, Fifth Third Bank and Motif.
Founded: 2011
Design focus: Branding, Web Design, User Experience
What they do: Hunter & Bard is a digital marketing agency with experience taking startups and emerging brands to new heights through forward-thinking design and PR services. The agency offers strategic branding services that include logo and identity formation, web design services, and UX design, giving brands an at-home feel and allowing for exceptional user journeys along the way.
Featured clients: Allianz, Radix, Ridgeline, Card pay, Sixth Continent, CloudEndure and Totango.
Founded: 2008
Design focus: Digital, Branding
What they do: A group of creatives obsessed with the newest trends in technology, LLOBE emphasizes a bold approach to its process of building mobile-first websites, crafting all-original designs and forming deliverables for social media growth. LLOBE’s services are all tailored to provide a unique and powerful journey for its clients’ users, with offerings including website development, content development, SEO, mobile app interface building, optimized graphic design and viral marketing.
Featured clients: Adidas Originals, Eleven11, Side/Project/SF, Machean Consulting, The Terma Foundation and Help Me Get In.
Founded: 1995
Design focus: Branding, User Experience, Consulting
What they do: A small consultancy applying a strategy-first approach to the work it produces, Manmade provides clients with identity, information and interaction services that allow for game-changing solutions. A tight-knit team allows Manmade to tailor solutions directly towards each client’s needs, delivering on brand strategy, corporate identity, logo design, data visualization, iconography, presentation and web design solutions.
Featured clients: Borrego Solar, Playstation, Polaroid, NASA, Warner Brothers, Genentech, The Gap and SpringAhead.
Founded: 1999
Design focus: Packaging, Branding
What they do: Murray Brand Communications centers its approach around the purchasing cycle for packaged goods, executing creative design that affects users at every point in the journey. The agency creates consumer packaging, branding and identity pieces, landing pages and POS collateral, ensuring that the brand’s story is carried out across all mediums.
Featured clients: Springfield, Sonoma Creamery, Kronos, Walmart, Ghirardelli, Logitech and Chevron.
Founded: 2007
Design type: Digital
What they do: Platform creates mobile apps and digital experiences to bring tangible results to early stage startups and enterprise brands. The team is comprised of designers, developers and growth hackers, offering app and website design/redesign and development services to help brands of all sizes take huge leaps forward.
Featured clients: BigScoots, Caribu, CapaCV, Setmore, Recipe Chatbot, Royal Caribbean and Abode.
Founded: 2009
Design focus: Branding, Web Design, User Experience, Digital
What they do: A small team of multidisciplinary digital experts focused on providing cutting-edge branding, UI/UX design, mobile development and web development, Ramotion achieves success by working with only a small selection of clients at a time. The agency offers distinctive design services including visual design, front-end development, brand iconography, illustrations, CMS integration, visual interactions and full branding packages.
Featured clients: Bitmoji, Adobe, Salesforce, Mozilla, Netflix, Universal Music Group, HackerRank, Tile, Ink, CafeX and Filecoin.
Founded: 2008
Design focus: Digital
What they do: Redshift Digital features a team of designers, developers and researchers working in concert to create digital experiences that are usable, beautiful and solve real user challenges. The design team features a distinct approach that allows for building across mediums, with websites and applications acting as simply a jumping-off point for visual needs of any magnitude.
Featured clients: Google, Panasonic, OpenTable, Facebook, Groupon, Western Union, TaskRabbit and Symantec.
Founded: 1994
Design focus: Digital
What they do: Stamen Design combines the best of research and development with traditional design practices, providing clients with cutting-edge deliverables that constantly provide clients with unique content beyond the traditional scope. The agency operates in the scientific, media, humanitarian and medical industries, creating innovative visuals, extensive maps and analytics tools that lead to clients reinventing the way they present data.
Featured clients: LA County Arts Commission, World Health Organization, Big Glass Microphone, Hoodline and Penny.
Founded: 2001
Design focus: Interactive
What they do: Stimulant has developed and honed an end-to-end process that allows it to push the boundaries of creativity and technology, bringing about solutions that take a wide variety of forms. Centered around the concept of interactive visual designs, Stimulant can create responsive environments, reactive installations, touch walls, digital signage, generative art, trade show pieces and just about anything else the client can dream up.
Featured clients: Adobe, Amazon, Coca-Cola, HP, Samsung, Oracle, Microsoft, Google, GM and One World Observatory.
Founded: 2005
Design focus: Branding, Packaging, POS
What they do: Founded by big-agency veterans, Trinity Brand Group aims to "combine the iconic branding of a big agency with the transparency of a smaller firm." The agency's approach to branding carries businesses through the launch and early growth processes, emphasizing brand strategy, brand stewardship and brand expression. Design services include identity design, packaging design and POS displays.
Featured clients: Lucerne Dairy Farms, Northwestern Mutual, Norton by Symantec, Corona, Blue Moon and Margaritaville.
