180 Amsterdam
A self-termed "international" agency with a single location in Amsterdam, 180 displays outdoor ads, tv spots and websites for a select number of high-end clients. Very clear and simple site makes us believe their pitch.... More
Lounge Lizard
Top web design and development firm. Specializes in online marketing.
Avatar New York
High-end web design, SEO and e-commerce with award winning results.
A self-termed "international" agency with a single location in Amsterdam, 180 displays outdoor ads, tv spots and websites for a select number of high-end clients. Very clear and simple site makes us believe their pitch.... More
247 is creative and technical development studio with a rather atypical structure; they are an open company of talented designers and programmers forming a collective, sharing projects and ideas. This in turn leads them to create work for an eclectic group of clients. This freedom to explore what they like leads to some immersive and powerful results for webdesign, multimedia and crossmedia productions. To sum up in a few words? Their Flash sites totally rock.... More
A design and development firm with an affinity for producing sophisticated Flash and multimedia experiences. Animation, Broadcast Quality Flash, Streaming Audio and Video and Shockwave are a few of the new media technologies that this firm succeeds at marketing. Overall, this is a widely capable studio for building high-impact web-based solutions. And a nice Flash site. Showcase site: Pittsburgh Penguins.... More
From Madrid -- hot, sweaty, sexy, slow long looks through a thick fringe of dark eyelashes. The barest hint of smile is offered, till YOU smile -- then --!! The flash of sharp white teeth. That's Acrylick. You can spend hours on their website; it weaves childlike and phallic images without apology. Amazing use of color and iconography. Some annoying typos and English language glitches (fair warning for the NARROW-MINDED), but absolutely nothing is lost in the translation. Very, very cool. And, ah, did we mention hot and sweaty? And sexsexsexy? Go now. Sweat.... More
Here's a Finnish firm that truly lets their work do the talking. Their web site copy is basically limited to one phrase: "We are a digital agency" and one full-screen showreel. Of course, when you watch the showreel, the post-production work is so in your face that it makes their work appear more vivacious then a browser ever could... But it makes us think they come close! If catching our attention was the goal, they did it with flying colors, and then some. Cool stuff.... More
Across the pond, the influential work of the Addison Group towers like Big Ben over Britain. From establishing campaigns for the leading contenders in travel, retail services and utilities, Addison keeps a steady design eye on the pulse of the English beat. While expunging delightfully detailed goals of each individual client and their respective projects, glaring lack of flash parts and a failure to provide popups or expanding thumbnails provides a few subtractions in Addison’s otherwise check-plus performance.... More
Impressive firm, boasting many of the world’s top corporate clients. Makes us want to be associated with these Big Dogs! Kudos to AKQA’s honesty: “We also outsource when we know that someone else can do something better than us.” Clean, crisp and stream-lined portfolio. We surfed, we saw, we are impressed.... More
A small company of compassionate designers. Their portfolio shows emotional depth, and care for local clients. They create clear identity, print, posters and websites designs. An effective boutique-style design studio.... More
Based in Utrecht/Amsterdam (the Netherlands) Anothercompany is a very interesting art, fashion and communications design firm founded by Joachim Baan. We were blown away the polished design work and fascinating range of projects. Each development has multiple layers of meaning and delves deeply into the marriage of form and function. The result is a collection of crisp graphics, professional design and art work that leave us simply... envious. Hurrah for Dutch design!... More
An interdisciplinary agency of communicators, designers, engineers and architects. Creating signage, corporate communications and exhibitions. This international office has garnered over 120 awards for their work. Fantastic typography, identity, and print design.... More
B-Reel is a Swedish full motion and interactive design company that puts the activity in creativity. As implied by their name, they do motion design, commercials and on-air promos, but they also have been in the business of crafting cutting-edge web experiences since 1999. Much of their work is for home-based Swedish clients, but rest assured, even if you don't know the language or the clients, it all shines with top-notch multimedia interactivity.... More
A fantastic minimal little portfolio for a great print, packaging and identity design studio based in Sweden. We love the fast-loading site design, the simple colors and limited type that show this firm understands the online medium too. Birth understands and heralds the importance of good design, and communicates with a modern, yet bold design style. Nice typography and clean print work.... More
A full-service design studio, biz-R has a given us a very fresh approach on their portfolio in this classically motivated, yet very modern design. Their expertise is in identity systems, branding, print communications and clean typography. And obviously their Flash-based portfolio design has a great overall look 'n feel. We're loving the teal and grey colors of the site.... More
Blake Brand Workforce is a boutique studio located in Argentina that provides branding solutions for clients around the globe. From logos to print, on-line and on-air, they've developed a little bit of everything... from airport signage to video effects, and a rich mix of bold, colorful logo work.... More
Founded in 2003 by David Puzey and Matthew Hunt, bleach is a multi-disciplinary graphic design consultancy practiced in brand identity and development, design for print, packaging, web and motion graphics. bleach clients define the firm's diversity, ranging from youth leisure brands, and art galleries, to retail developers.... More
A very nice small Scandinavian firm with an ambitious blend of disciplines covering everything from branding to shopkeeping (they run a concept store called One), and all the many levels of design falling between graphic design and technology. They have a nice, slightly quirky approach that leans towards a mostly illustrative style. Unique looking stuff, and a great looking site.... More
Block is a tight team of 5 Australian designers with different backgrounds who have come together in the belief that "all design is a form of advertising". This allows them to tackle each project as a unique branding opportunity, and create an effect beyond the products' immediate purpose. Great philosophy and solid work from this crew based in Perth, AU.... More
Brandwide is an inspiring design firm from Poland that specializes in creating visual identification systems for brands and products. What we really liked the raw minimal look to their site, which gives the allusion to a simple light box or cutting board. In turn, the portfolio samples are surprisingly strong, creating an advantageous contrast between the work and the deconstructed site design. This "undersell" continues on to their marketing, where they say on their site: "Brandwide is competent to offer a good design". Hey, we get it... they're great at what they do, and modest too!... More
Originally established in 2001 by Michael C. Place, Build is a print design studio focused on the creative process... And sticking to their creative guns, they have forged an international reputation as a forward-thinking graphic studio. They have an exceptional eye for detail, typography, and high quality printing techniques. Their inspirational sense of style transcends popular trends, taking us beyond graphic design, and into the realm of artistry.... More
Bunch was established in 2002 by Denis Kovac and Paulo Silva. It spread organically from London to Zagreb and then to Singapore. Talented friends joined, and they formed the multi-disciplinary design agency that is the Bunch of today. Bunch's focus is on the creation of intelligent and consistent brands for a diverse range of international clients. One of their cool side projects was inviting 100 graphic designers to re-invent and mess with their logo in a side-site called Made in Bunch.... More
A nice creative site for a Candian online media company whose work focuses on professional sites with high-end video integration. We quite liked their overall site which integrates brisk copy with a strong visual slideshow that unspools like a long reel of work. It's also worth checking out their company profile pages that have taken some commonplace ideas (such as the in-house web cam) to the next level. After all, they bill themselves as an "ideas studio", and this site definitely stands on its own as quite a creative accomplishment.... More
Cappen launches a cute new site for their online advertising agencyand just to be straight, when we say 'cute', we really mean 'nicely refined, solid and innovative IA, driven by a little flying bird mascot'-level of cute. It's just a different and friendly way to construct a portfolio that many "cooler" designers would not be able to pull off in such an approachable manner. And since Cappen caters to a number of multimedia fields, from online ads to e-mail marketing, it's absolutely correct to engage the largest audience possible by cultivating such a friendly atmosphere.... More
From individual to corporate design, Chewing The Sun is a modern advertising design studio that caters to a class of clients that you might imagine sipping champage in a jacuzzi in the middle of the Swiss alps (though they are based in Germany). From fashion sites to artists, musicians, photographers and individual creatives, Chewing crafts a certain creative mood and polished veneer that appeals to the 'high-life'.... More
New site for Chilli, a Belgian design and multimedia firm. They take on design projects for classy Belgian firms. From logo design to print, and Flash-based fashion sites, their work breathes with a modern understanding, refined down to its pure classical and minimalist essence.... More
The future has come, and it is bright. Clementina Presentation drags you into a world of tomorrow with their touch-screen this and their interactive that. Big names like HBO, Philips, and Fox are already doting on them, but soon enough they'll find their way into your own home. The touch-screen menu on your next refridgerator will come courtesy of these time-travelers. And twenty years down the line, what won't have a touch-screen on it? Think cell phones. Think dashboards. Think public toilets. These are the people who will lead the index-finger revolution. Sit back. Relax. Feel yourself getting fatter and lazier as the years go by. These guys are dragging us into the future, so thank your lucky stars they're doing it in style. The future is at our fingertips, literally. Think...moist toweletes.... More
Cookie is a fantastic print, identity and web design studio based in Gdansk, Poland. Understandably, it's a unique surprise for us to see such high quality design coming from Poland - not that it's unlikely - it's just a pleasant reassurance that good design is not only accredited to Western Europe and the Scandanavic countries. On that note, however, Cookie does have quite a solid Swiss-grid style to their portfolio... which includes great projects, Flash sites, and identity design for local Polish brands, but also for firms as far away as New York City. Truly, a fabulous international design studio with great design chops.... More
This creative consultancy, marketing, and advertising firm is one hard-rockin', ass-kickin' group of artists. Record covers, book jackets, identity, web sites. You name it – they've done it! If you really want to see what puts them into overdrive, check out the illustration section. (Listed here since 2004)... More
A solid studio firm from Germany, occupied with print and identity design. Tends to focus on corporate design. A very nice portfolio interface design.... More
Australian-based DDX narrows the lens to focus on an macrocosm of potential Flash applications. Developing platforms and applications in Flash, from CMS to publishers, and widgets. Using technology to create multimedia solutions.... More
The fact-o's about De Facto, are that while they appear to specialize in print design, their true strength is their ability to effectively take branding projects and translate them across all forms of media. In fact-o, this is a creative group of graphic design purists, who can execute any style cleanly. Their portfolio showcases an innate ability to tackle all forms of advertising, marketing and promotion... got that, Jack-o?... More
Built up of a three-man team, and located in Montreal Canada, studio DDI seems to be a synergistic team of talents whose work is clean, creative, colorful and captivating. Their work tends to bleed towards motion and video when possible, but their talents are rooted in incorporating all new media into cohesive, collaborative online concoctions. Quite nice!... More
No, they don't have an all-singing-all-dancing website... And that's exactly why we can't stop looking through their portfolio. Although you won't find many words in this fresh minimal portfolio, you will find intelligent, minimal print design with a simple concepts and elegant typography. From title sequences to annual reports, mailers to booklets and branding, the refinement of this work is second to none. Nice color choices too!... More
You may initially recognize Die Gestalten as the book publishing company behind many of the zeitgeist ("spirit of the times") fine art graphic, art and architecture books published since 1995. But dgv also plays a much larger role in developing and designing; Their new media studio, based in Berlin, offers curation and consultation in art direction... and creates corporate design projects, artwork, packaging and film productions for music CD’s and DVD’s as well as web design. Quite a well-rounded firm with a solid core in multiple digital mediathis company is definitely one to watch.... More
"Quality is a habit" at this unique branding and advertising agency based in Colombia... a quote verified simply by visting their online Flash portfolio - with 2,500 lines of Flash ActionScript, Enigmind.com took more than a year to develop and organize! But beyond just an immersive GUI and one-of-a-kind site, the designers at Enigming span a range of talents, creating everything from identity to industrial design and print. Although limited to a few select case studies at this posting, certainly, future projects from this South American design firm will be something to watch.... More
Eskill is a big fish in a small pond, and lays claim to being Iceland's largest web design company. In this nice site, you'll learn very little if you don't speak Iceland's native tongue... although they did tell us they like corporate design, and they are a provider of Microsoft solutions.... More
Hearkening back to the height of the Industrial Age, the emergence of the wireless Internet world has spawned the new age of the Factory. Displaying its work in a scrolling format reminiscent of the assembly line, each project comes handcrafted with the finest factory-backed detail. With two perfectly engineered processes for branding and web development in place, this company should remain a Factor for a while.... More
Filmtecknarna is a Stockholm animation group that wows Europe regularly with its award-winning commercials and music videos. Many of these are on the web site, so you can see for yourself. Very MTV influenced, very bold, in-your-face stuff. Great animation, too. In a few years, these guys will be appearing in the nightmares of the major executives at Disney and Dreamworks. In fact, considering how many nightmares those people must have, Filmtecknarna is probably already there.... More
Yes, we have higher standards than ever before... But that selectiveness has to tempered and judged on a sliding scale. While Fisheye does not blow other American, UK or German firms out of the water, they are a leading graphic design and consulting firm in New Delhi, India. The partners have had 15 years of work experience in design communication across industries, both globally and in India. In the end, what is really special about their studio is their close network with professionals and education institutes in the field of industrial design, architecture and visual communication which keeps exploration, debate and learning an integral part of the environment. Well, when you put it that way... they actually do blow many other international and local design firms away.... More
How do you sum up a company like Fitch? For over 30 years, with 20 studios in 12 countries, Fitch is a true globe-trotter with an extraordinary range of design capabilities. Their online home base is a powerhouse worth an extended visit. Projects range fom developing an Automatic Public Toilet with a self-cleaning floor (for Adshel) to an award-winning recruitment film for the British Army to the packaging design for Ben&Jerry's.... More
A design agency based in Antwerp, Belgium, Flink communicates very clearly with their design, producing everything from branding and corporate identity, to print, packaging and digital design. We really loved their website, especially the large navigation buttons, and their attention to type details, which really shows strongly in their work. A great little firm with a strong design factor, they have also been showcased in several design magazines for their creative work.... More
Flk is a design studio collective located on Dame Street in Dublin, Ireland. The focus of the studio is collaborative, focusing on innovative design, print, multimedia and motion graphics work. Currently they are requesting a call for entries for The Back 2 Old School book, which will feature 20 of Irelands most innovative and vital designers. The aim to raise much needed funds and art supplies for the play department in the Children's University Hospital, Temple Street.... More
For experimental bespoke bedroom musicians, you can post comments/links/mp3s/anything you want (floorboard), so if you do have any buddies with audio and no site this is an excellent way for them get live. Floorles media provides digital authoring (and Web sites).... More
Graphic design that feels like a visit to a not-as-wealthy-as-they’d-have-you-believe distant relative’s cabin at the lake – right down to the wood paneling. This collaborative effort by two fine art degree carrying designers is a good choice for basic website design and print advertising with an ‘organic’, laid-back feel and a slightly discordant nature. Not a first choice but probably a good fit for the needs of the “small to mid-sized clients” (they measure their clients?) the “creative partnership” cater to.... More
Keep your computer hydrated with frequent trips to this watering hole! Fluid smoothly flows into four distinct divisions, including a game-specific site with enough goodies to keep gamers moist with delight. Speaking interfaces evoke nostalgic memories of Tron, but can't convince the webmaster to avoid long load times, making this UK-based site flows at its own pace: trickling.... More
These guys are just plain cool – they have the product and they aren’t afraid to make a song & dance of it – literally. Websites, video, audio (their favorite media/pastime), a dash of print and a liberal sprinkling of branding over all. It’s also worth mentioning that the products are styled to suit the individual clients. Stick a Fork in it – it’s done.... More
Leapfrogging over the competition, Frog design initially staked its claim in small pond/ long name city of Mutlangen Schwabisch Gmand, Germany. Constant globe hopping and a broad colorful appeal has sprouted frogspawn throughout the world, introducing five new offices including their central headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. With major players like Disney and Microsoft hopping on board, Frog Design's founders are already princes in the eyes of many.... More
Furi Furi offers a quick buzz but little complexity. Retro-futuristic character design and a flair for unique color pairings make for extra fun graphics. The firm consists of two gents, three ladies and a black Laborador Retriever (gender undetermined at press time). The product line has vinyl figures, graphic t-shirts, and toss pillows. DO check out the site. Take a few swigs of it, and you might wake up next to the cartoon of your dreams.... More
The Fuse is lit and set to explode in the UK…or is it? The flash intro cleverly injects the targeted corporate market with playful, colorful, and energetic visuals. But rather than dazzle with an explosive design, a tour of their html site reveals an elementary structure and a sparse portfolio. This lit Fuse promises fireworks but fizzles rather than sizzles, leaving visitors burned and unfulfilled.... More
Reinforcing our current conviction that the guns, skulls and crossbones era of design is finally... well, dead (huzzah!), here's another shangri la-esque site for a full service design agency from South Africa. It's goal is simple: to transport us to a place of sanctuary and natural beauty, which it mostly accomplishes. While the over-loaded Flash design may distract from the ability to navigate or view the entire company's work, the effort and attitude are boldly shown on the "green" sleeves of the designers, and that speaks volumes.... More
Good Technology provides creativity -- of the sensible sort! Pleasant. Nothing too complicated. Message gets across. Don't even need to have the newest version of Flash. Teal blue hues soothe the eyes. They even take care of site hosting and maintenance. We have a good idea what sort of clients these folks get, and they all probably get more hours of sleep per night than we do.... More
One of the premiere web design firms and Flash developers in BrazilGrafikonstruct specializes in the design of Flash-powered sites for the fashion industry and other purveryors of style. These are the guys to go to if you want to engage your audience with sophisticaed graphics and interactive sites... Our only critique was the awkwardness of their sitein the quest to make an uber-Flashy showcase, they lost sight of usability and the power of basic copy. In the end, the work speaks for itself, and until they redesign, the latest projects are one click away on the homepage.... More
Sorry, but you don't name your design firm "Great Works" unless you have something to back that statement up. And it better be something great... even if you are being somewhat ironic. Well, we discovered this Sweden-based deisgn firm has a unique blend of creative talent and a mission to create designs that focus on and around the conversion of the Internet with TV and advertising. Meaning simply they create very lively and media rich campaign sites, TV commercials and print ads that feel fresh, fun and fabulous. And often times pretty great.... More
Greenparka is a full-service dedicated digital division of Graphic Partners, one of Scotland’s leading integrated design agencies. Since 2001, they've applied their in-house skill set to cover everything from strategy, through design, to coding, development, SEO and email marketing.... More
Guerrini Design Island is a studio specialised in the design of institutional and corporate brand identity. That means they work on projects such as visual identity of the State of Argentina, but also on socially conscious ecological posters for non-governmental organisms such as United Nations, UNICEF, UNIFEM, UNESCO, OPS, Amnesty International, and CLACSO. Additionally, Guerrini has completed branding for companies in over a dozen countries. We love their clean and simple design style.... More
Hellllo Monday! Welcome to a new week, and a new start with this pure creative agency with a strong line of professional digital and analogue work. Designing for some of the top clients in the industry, and based in New York, Copenhagen and Aarhus (first time we heard of that city too), Hello Monday is an awarded agency that focuses on web design, demos, print and identity design. We especially liked their featured work for Lego and Google... and overall, their portfolio from top to bottom is showcase of highly polished work.... More
Willkommen zu I-D Media…this German-based firm seeks to give a new I.D. to European design. Geared more toward selling service concepts and a little less on showcasing the works themselves, the site voices their commitment to re-creating strategy and marketing plans.... More
A strong graphic design boutique, specializing in urban prints and graffiti inspired illustrations. Great work for from poster work and t-shirts for Nike to environment billboards for Pepsi. From large scale, to small... A great team of graphic design innovators.... More
Ladies and Gentleman, Digitalthread is pleased to present, The Big Boys. With offices peppered over Europe, Asia and North America, strategic location is merely a hint at the skills this communication catch-all holds. Indulge us for a moment, you're a corporation looking for some design firepower and we're a wise-guy reviewer. You want brand experience events and environments? Check. New media presentations for financial roadshows? Check. Perhaps, film, websites, live performance or even interior design? Check, check, check, check. You get the point? The projects are as impressive as the client list - but we have the sneaky suspicion they don't do missing dog flyers. (Snobs.)... More
In2media was Denmarks first web agency, starting in 1994, and the experience really shows... The site, which uses dynamic flash with motion graphics to show selected portfolio pieces feels like it took over ten years of experimentation to realize... It's that good! Honestly, the portfolio - which also has a mouse and keyboard friendly navigation - just feels refined and considered to such a degree that you just know their work is going to be top notch. And we were proven right, as the showcase pieces - from motion, to web and digital advertising, also display an highly tuned and professional finishing that we've come to expect from only a few select firms. Lots of nice projects for the fashion industry, and some nice little surprises await inside.... More
Justalab is not "just" your average web design & web development studio. For starters, they are based in both Paris, France and San Diego, California. Their website is sharp and dynamic. And for just staring out in 2010, their work is fresh, and promising. We'd say they are making a just go of it. Good luck!... More
One of the more impressive sites and portfolios we've seen from a design agency in a while, KentLyons is a specialist in print and identity campaings that demand clean typography and classic, modern graphic interpretations. They are no slouches at interactive web design either, but their style in collateral and print campaigns are definitely their shining beacon. Solid, clean, minimal and exceptional.... More
Versatility is the name of the game with this UK-based firm. Some designs belong in the Guggenheim. Others, an uptight housewife's magazine. Here are some talented people with no downfall in sight: No ego! No pretention! No capitalized letters! Simpler than the sites they've designed for their edgy rocker clientelle, their website is straightforward. One has the chance to immediately form their own opinion of the work. Surely, designers like these have no need to hide behind code-laden webdesign, confusing menus, or the most basic rules of grammar.... More
A very pro firm with beautiful colors and a forward-facing portfolio layout that creates and modern and inviting feel. Love the projects, and the site colors are really fun. Covering print and web.... More
Based in Melbourne Australia, Lemonade creates award winning brand design, graphic design, web design and web site development solutions. Their rather deep portfolio showcases a nice range of projects and some fresh ideas, but without the sour bite. Quite nice and dare we say... sweet.... More
The online home of Less Rain is energized by all the rich media you could name. It's a powerhouse of design prototypes, which is especially impressive from such a small company. Less Rain has a particular ethos: "making a few design elements work more intelligently, unusually, and organically." Their portfolio is a rich compendium of web works for clients like Red Bull and Hennessy, but offline works include the world's largest victory monument for the Nike Scorpion Football Event. This firm can do anything. Anything.... More
Liquid is a design agency that embodies a relaxed, soft attitude with a beautifully light portfolio. It's quite appealing, and we love the little fishes, swimming around, but we were a bit challenged by the side-scrolling presentation... contrary to the soothing atmosphere, we just were not quite comfortable leaving our browser in mid-scroll. Also, some of the HTML links are just too light to be read. But beyond that, the work is outstanding. They have accomplished wonders in print and design for books, and the website design and corporate work is not too shabby either! For book covers to brochures, magazines and more, Liquid is the place to dive in a take a swim. Just don't scare the fishes, or get the pages wet.... More
Now this is an interesting concept... Buy quality premade company logos, business logos, and logo designs at a discount to custom designs. All of the logos from this Swedish design studio are created for a one-time usage, and there are hundreds to choose from. On top of it, they are all pretty good looking pieces of work! A great choice for a client with a small budget.... More
What's nice about Logo My Way is you can do more than just submit your logo design work for competitions to win freelance design contracts. It's a great destination to gather some inspiration and see what people are doing in the world of logo design. You can also gain insight decision-making process between client & designer as you follow publicly in real-time which designs clients select. Overall, it's a great resource when you are in a pinch for an affordable logo job, and a great place to just look around and soak in a wide variety of identity ideas. That's "My Way" of having a good time.... More
LB (Lost Boys) cranks out award-winning business solutions, such as website make-overs and fully interactive retail sales enhancements, as if it were child's play. They also supply a little cutting-edge technology, in case the world-class design and usability gets tedious. These magic tricks include things like real-time inventory checks by sales associates, and then there's the dressing room touchscreens for adding products to a personalized profile... and that's just a sampling of some their abilities.... More
Oh Loworks, how many ways can we count how cool you are? The ways are many... For Loworks is a design studio in Japan with its own unique style and approach to design. Centered in part around illustrated mascots of walking speakers and iPods, Loworks does print, animation, interactive art, web design and some pretty funky animated motion design. We loved their uniquely interactive website, and especially the little music area (which you'll have to find yourself). Kudos to a firm that makes their site fun to explore.... More
Manicomio - meaning insane asylum in Italian - is a new firm from Vancouver specializing in print, clothing, and product graphics. Why 'Manicomio'? Because they claim to provide a sanctuary for their clients and prescribe design remedies. Well, they definitely have a full blown portfolio to prove their case. In fact, the extensive portfolio provides a veritable case history, showcasing every final product in full photographic glory. Yes, this is the kind of design company that can even make their competitors a little crazy... Crazy jealous.... More
Founded in London in 2004 by a group of Central St. Martins graduates, Maräng is a team of sharp, young, motivated creatives. Currently operating from an office in Stockholm, Sweden, they operate in an international marketplace, providing full service design and marketing solutions... and even though their own marketing copy drips with a slight touch of the grandiose (like the tag line, "Next Generation Creative Visionaries"), they certainly have a nice range of print projects and interesting clients to back up (most of) their claims.... More
Rocking one of the best logos we have seen in quite some time, "Me" is actually "We" - meaning a two man design agency based in Amsterdam. Specializing in typography, corporate identity, and naturally print, this site doubles as portfolio and daily blog of photos of great found type and art and stuff that shows how they think... which in turn, just may change the way you think. It's certainly great to see some daily shots of Dutch design from the Netherlands, and share some of the inspirations they seem to draw upon to create the strong type and graphic design in their porfolio. 'Njoy!... More
A brand new illustration and graphic design studio from Brasilia, Brazil, Mopa has a great flair for color, illustration, print and graphic design. We're especially big fans of collage work right now, and taking that concept one step further... we really feel like the collective work of the artists in this studio working on everything from t-shirts to posters, cd sleeves and magazines has some very powerful potential. We really loved their improvement on the single page scroller that doesn't use framesonly nice, valid HTML and CSS.... More
Mutado is a renown, but small international firm whose work includes design, animation and interactive work from brand-supporting print and advertising to online animations, motion design and illustrations. Strong at character work, online systems and games, Mutado's focus is to enable brands to interact with their clients. Which is why, in turn, it's not really a surprise when Mutado's own client list includes the likes of Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeonbrands well known for their pioneering use of animation and interaction. Great little site... simple, detail-oriented, and easy to use.... More
The Nomadic Labs site, in elegant grays, blacks, and a perfect smattering of pinks, borrows its visuals from crisp computer schematas and electronic bar codes. It counts among its corporate clients Regent Funds Management and Johanna Skin. The simplicity of this "process-oriented" company is the kind of innovation that is too often underrated. That is -- by everybody but us.... More
Technically clean design and personable designers seem to go hand in hand at this Paraguayan agency. They pride themselves on creating attractive work, but they also play well together as a team. Which is more important? Neither! What's more important is they are happy together doing their work, and the end result is that everyone wins!... More
A really good "English ad shop" in Scandanvia, Open brings their unique marketing and advertising perspective to their international projects and clients. The advantage is bringing great Scandanvian products to the world at large in English, and with an English flair. We quite liked their 'open' white site and easy to navigate information. Meanwhile, most of the portfolio shows print, branding and design work. Good stuff.... More
You won't often find a web firm based in Karachi, Pakistan with such refinement in presentation. Sure, they've killed the 'orange' metaphor a bit, but what US or UK-based firm hasn't been guilty of similar marketing giddyness in the heyday of the web boom? Well, on a sliding scale of sophistication, we at least have to give this international firm passing marks and a vitamin C+ for effort.... More
Do they roam around our the virtual globe with paperbags on their heads cause they're so damn ugly... or are they just so pretty, they don't want to distract us from the workwhich is rather beautiful. For a company that also features marketing, e-commerce and hosting as feathers in their paper hats, they produce some really visually attractive Flash websites. Maybe they are nerdy, but they've re-worked the old standards to give us a nice break from the conventional portfolio approach.... More
In one of the most original illustrated and interactive portfolio interfaces we've seen in recent time, we happily introduce you to a bright and colorful landscape of the PARK studio website. Strong in both packaging and motion design, we were wowed by their fun Flash interface that requires you to 'awaken' the birds from the trees to view the projects. The site trancends language barriers, so you won't need to learn Russian to figure out this firm has a fabulous level of creativity as you view the design projects spanning multiple mediums.... More
To all fans of progressive Japanese ideas and experiments... "Hello, we are Photon Inc. and we are looking into new paradigms for instant communication and global messaging in the new online world. Through the RhythmEngine [we bring] music and image communication which has rich emotion to the Web-world. Others have recognized our accomplishment, and we are going to showcase RhythmEngine at SIGGRAPH and ARTS ELECTRONICA. Please get familiar with out project and carry out a test play ... Thank you!"... More
Perhaps alluding to "pi" the Greek letter meaning "periphery", as in the periphery of a circle, pi6 is essentially a two-three person studio located in Athens, Greece, which was apparently brought together by a blessing of good fortune. The partners all had jobs to work on design for the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics. In fact, between the two main partners (from Germany) and 3rd associate designer, it seems they single handedly designed almost all of the 2004 Olympic Games posters, logos, and collateral - even the offical medal awards podiums. Strong in identity design, this classic design firm have already won some awards, and if the winning designs found inside are any indication, the oracle says they will be heading back to the podium for more... look for pi6 design in the future across Europe and the US.... More
Hailing from the Czech Republic, but also based in London, England, Positive Zero is a corporate identity and web design firm with some nice talent. We really loved how their portfolio took the large format presentation to the next level with sorting and categorization. The very minimal portfolio presentation made the experience completely seamless and even a little bit sticky.... More
Another website that gives a slightly simplified view of this design firm's work... but upon closer inspection and digging, reveals a pretty sophisticated print, packaging and design firm based in Moscow, Russia. You definitely have to work your way through some of the links and English misspellings to get to the heart of the work, but once you do, you might begin to discover the hard work ethic and refined class of this industrial design and print firm.... More
Reactive Media from Melbourne is a web design firm supported by a lengthy list of clients from their native continent. Their work is focused on the strategy, development, and marketing side of the business, and they have working relationships with a number of other local agencies that they collaborate with to create some of their projects. Work focuses on Australian firms, travel agencies, and Oceanic-based campaigns.... More
A German firm that specializes in corporate branding? Say it isn't so! Yes, Scholz&Volkmer specialize in the design, and implementation of promotional and corporate websites, and they do a very good job at it. But, their specialty and drive is currently focused around live user interaction, and how they can integrate it with marketing for their clients. In the category of full-service interactive work S&V is strong in design, quite advanced in development, and very well-considered in execution... and certainly with 85 employees (at the time of this posting), and clients like Mercedez-Benz and Coca-Cola on their roster, who wouldn't want to get immersed in this live experience?... More
Here we go…another shy introvert trying to change the world. Based out of the UK, Shynola’s concentration of material stems from mostly video and music accompaniment. These visionaries demonstrate an utter lack of fearlessness reminiscent of their shyness-implying handle. Far from cautious, they represent an intriguing portrait of confrontational, hard-pressing brushstrokes that is the shining beacon for the art/media merger movement.... More
Square Circle is a full service creative multimedia agency with a staff of visual artists, developers and producers who interact to create award winning solutions for internet, broadcast, CD/DVD and print. They have one of the slicker 'zooming' flash sites out there, which lets you pan across a virtual work-table of goodies that you can interact with to discover all about the company. Definitely cutting close to the edge of what can be done in high-end web design.... More
A gorgeous little website for this Italian multimedia studio, St.Francis uses a very fun connect-the-dots motif to draw us into their portfolio. Their work spans from advertising to web, including print and packaging. We also enjoyed their pattern design areawhich in our experience is a very overlooked field of design. Overall, a very nice treat showing a fun and playful design mind is putting all the right pieces together.... More
Subakt. Loose translation: Very, very classy. Subakt caters to a distinctly highbrow culture. We gleaned this when we got their pitch in both English and French. The simple interface belies many colorful projects within, including several well-developed fashion campaigns, so keep looking around. C'est tres tres chic, n'est-ce pas?... More
At first glance of the Suponix site and its brushed steel background complete with a reflecting logo and 3D robots, we immediately thought of a single word; "polished". Delving into this Ukraine-based multimedia firm, this was confirmed by a showcase of highly refined and detailed design work. Apparently, Suponix is developing on a 3D cartoon among their other projects, such as web design, Flash, video production and 3D visualization services (read: industrial design). Their web work is quite special too... But to visit Suponix, you have to understand their obsession with 3D, shiny metallic textures, and especially modeling and animating robots. It's pretty cool stuff - definitely not your everyday web design firm, yet it's all nicely packaged, presented and very polished.... More
These guys are young, cool, hip, renegade indy-rock designers. Think Keanu Reeves before "The Matrix." River Phoenix before the Viper Room. Their backgrounds include Electronic Media, Chicago Institute of the Arts, and smoking in high school. They are very, very, MAC. They will forgive PCers, but cannot condone your behavior. We'd like to meet these guys -- but not in a dark alley. Which is what they keep suggesting.... More
Transfer is a small "logo-less" print design studio based in London. Why they have no logo on their site is a mystery to us since they specialize in logos, typography and letterhead development for their tight group of clients. But no matter... Who says they need one anyway? Not when they create such powerful and clean design work for print, packaging, and even make some pretty slick looking websites too. Their entire portfolio, in fact, is a testament to the undeniable power of solid typographical skills... from a firm that has no logogo figure.... More
Troika is a small, but influential art and design studio located in London, founded by three former students from the Royal College of Art in London. Their work can be found lately in pretty much every printed graphic design magazine, from I.D. Magazine to Creative Review, ICON to Metropolis. As a multi-disciplinary practice focused on art, design and communications, they produce some truly outstanding and original artistic ideas.... More
A top notch interactive agency based in Japan, TYO-ID spares no yen in the development of highly immersive online adverts. Their specialty is bringing electronic products to life onscreen interactively, using Flash and refined graphics to create unique, professional virtual experiences. And they work closely with select advertising agencies and worldwide web agencies in creating these designs for products around the globe. These are the creators of Flash designs that reach out and grab you... or in many cases, make you want to reach out and grab what's on the screen.... More
Coming across a great design studio we neglected for years feels like... discovering the account number to a Swiss bank account we forgot existed. The interest is crazy! And these guys are nuts too. Not many agencies in their level produce as much high quality design and illustration work. Based in Barcelona, Spain, Vasava does design, illustration, motion graphics, interactive and exhibitions. Custom typographer Alex Trochut (link) worked there for two years. They also have a gallery in front of their shop called Vallery (link), where they have exhibitions with well known artists like Non-Format, Parra, Rinzen, Mario Hugo, Kozyndan, Emil Kozak, and others! They also edited the 1 x 1: Pixel-Based Illustration & Design book (buy it: $37.96) and the Place Project Book. Most recently they just did the posters and logotype in the latest Gnarls Barkley Video. Ah... Please withdraw one billion dollars!... More
Otherwise known as 29 Degrees, this collective of artists and designers from Switzerland have a cohesive philosophy, as demostrated by their logo of interlocking hexagons forming a chain... a chain of design power! Framed in this fabulous site, and only in French, we see some great photos, but not much showing of the work they have finished. Yet, while it seems they are graffiti, industrial designers and toy designers, we actually suspect there's more print and graphic work being done here, and they've just been too busy to post it all. Well, we're curious already!... More
The genius behind the madness here is, Richard Miklos, a man who has certainly "werked" (sorry) on a sturdy and admirable portfolio. And succeeded. A techno-urban style. Deep in every portfolio area. Terrific Werke. And that's no pun.... More
Yucca Studio is a multi-disciplinary creative boutique with a pleasant independent approach to web design. Part of their design philosophy comes from the subtraction of items, allowing the more important elements to rise to the top. It's an vital part of building a working minimalist and information-driven site that we can certainly appreciate. Covering print, branding and web design.... More
Flash development & design specialists from a studio down under, Australia. Dedicated only to Flash sites – but including video, music, games, animation and more. Creating and pushing for innovative experiences.... More