Top Design Companies in 2026

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Design Agencies

The top Design Services agencies in 2026 are Motto and Metalab, selected from 2 agencies vetted by DesignRush on the basis of verified client reviews (4.5 avg. rating), project outcomes and industry expertise. Motto leads the ranking for Design Services, followed by Metalab.

#	Agency	Rating	Min project	Hourly	Location
1	Motto	New	$50,000 & Up	$400/hr	New York City, New York
2	Metalab	New	$50,000 & Up	Inquire	Victoria, Canada

4.5 avg. rating from 2,884 verified reviews

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Best Design Companies

Every design agency on DesignRush meets evaluation criteria around expertise and client feedback to empower informed choices. Some listings may be paid.

Motto
Ideas Worth Rallying Around®

Motto® is a strategic branding and digital agency that helps global brands and daring startups scale, disrupt, and lead. From strategy to identity, we build bold, standout brands that win hearts and markets...

Top Services:

Branding

Web Design

Design Services

Logo Design

Creative Services

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Location

New York City, New York

Number of Employees

Under 49

Average Hourly Rate

$400/hr

Minimal Budget

$50,000 & Up

Portfolios Count

2 Projects Listed
Motto Services

Branding

Web Design

Design Services

Logo Design

Creative Services

Business Consulting

Digital Services

Web Development

Digital Strategy

Product Design

Data sourced from the agency's DesignRush profile, its website, and other relevant accounts
Disney

Hershey's

Virgin Voyages

Brooklyn Brewery

Google

NFL

USA Today

Andela

20th Century Fox

Microsoft

Data sourced from the agency's DesignRush profile
Motto Reviews & Testimonials

Rob Meng Review from Google

5.0 ★

Rob Meng's Review Sourced from Google

Motto was an exceptional partner as we went through our critical rebrand to FasterLines. They helped distill our message down the the essence for our passion for helping move the line, save people time, and help our clients have the right resources at the right time to serve their customers and team. Thanks to the entire Motto team for helping us successfully move forward! FasterLines, Why Wait!?!?

Reviews verified by DesignRush and sourced from the agency's profile View All Reviews
Visit Website View Profile

5.0 5.0 (1)
Metalab
Since 2006, we've helped some of the world's coolest companies build products and services that are attractive, thoughtful and enjoyable to use. Slack, Coinbase, Uber, TED, Apple, Disney and Google, to name a few. When you need to design and build software from the ground up with a high powered product team...

Top Services:

UI/UX Design

Branding

Design Services

Web Development

Mobile App Development

Show more

Location

Victoria, Canada

Number of Employees

100 - 249

Minimal Budget

$50,000 & Up
Metalab Services

UI/UX Design

Branding

Design Services

Web Development

Mobile App Development

Data sourced from the agency's DesignRush profile, its website, and other relevant accounts
Slack

Headspace

Nike

Uber

Google

Suno

Windsurf

Robinhood

Midjourney

Coinbase

Data sourced from the agency's DesignRush profile
Metalab Reviews & Testimonials

Tamer Marshiqe Review from Google

5.0 ★

Tamer Marshiqe's Review Sourced from Google

Ashley Provided great customer service and assisted with contacting customer service for support regarding gen 1 products. She was great help

Reviews verified by DesignRush and sourced from the agency's profile View All Reviews
Visit Website View Profile

4.9 4.9 (13)

Design Services Specializations

Services Related to Design Services

Popular Services

How to Hire Design Companies

What can design companies do for businesses?

Design firms help businesses grow revenue, improve customer experience, and reduce product/marketing risk by combining strategy and design execution, including branding, UX/UI design, web design, and product design.

An agency can define or refresh your brand strategy, positioning, messaging, and visual identity, so your business looks consistent and credible across channels (website, product, sales materials, ads).

A good design is strongly linked with stronger business performance, as noted in McKinsey's 5-year study of 300 public companies.

The study showed that top-quartile design leaders outgrew peers by 32% in revenue growth and 56% in total shareholder returns over the period.

Consistency plays a major role in branding.

Namely, research shows that consistent branding across channels can increase revenue by up to 23%, and 68% of companies report 10-20% revenue growth from strong brand consistency.

UX brings a measurable business impact as well

Design agencies run research, UX audits, usability testing, information architecture, and UI design to remove friction and make key flows (signup, checkout, lead forms) easier.

Studies suggest that every $1 invested in UX can generate up to $100 in return, which equals a 9,900% ROI, through higher conversions, retention, and customer satisfaction.

According to several studies, the average documented online shopping cart abandonment rate is 70.22%. That's a large pool of potential customers where UX and checkout improvements can directly translate into recovered revenue.

For apps and SaaS, the best design agencies can support product discovery, prototyping, design systems, and handoff to developers, which helps teams validate direction earlier and avoid costly redesigns later.

In McKinsey's report, one example cites a final concept reaching a 90%+ usability score vs. 76%+ for two competitors, illustrating how design work can translate into materially better user satisfaction.

Top design agencies also support content creation and visual storytelling, which strengthens digital campaigns and improves engagement across social media and marketing channels.

When should I hire a design agency instead of building an in-house team?

Businesses should consider hiring a design firm instead of building an in-house design team when they need specialized expertise, faster execution, or flexible capacity without the long-term costs of hiring and managing employees.

The best choice depends on factors such as budget, project scope, growth stage, and design needs.

When you need specialized design expertise quickly

Agencies typically include multi-disciplinary teams, such as UX designers, web designers, graphic designers, strategists, and developers, who work together on client projects.

Building this expertise internally can be expensive, considering:

A junior designer in the U.S. earns about $53,000 annually,
A mid-level designer averages around $62,000,
A senior designer averages about $93,000 per year.

A small in-house team of 3-5 designers can cost around $221,000 per year in salaries alone, excluding benefits and tools, according to industry reports.

When your company needs to scale design capacity quickly

Design needs often fluctuate, especially for product launches, website redesigns, branding projects, or marketing campaigns.

Hiring full-time designers can take months, and the average cost to hire a new employee is about $4,700, according to HR research.

Agencies can start working almost immediately and scale resources up or down depending on project demand.

You want access to broader experience and perspectives

Design companies work with multiple industries, products, and clients, which gives them exposure to a wider range of design challenges.

This cross-industry experience often leads to:

More innovative solutions
Knowledge of best practices across markets
Faster problem-solving

In contrast, in-house designers may work on a single product or brand for years, which can sometimes limit exposure to new approaches or ideas.

How do I choose the best company for my business?

Consider the following key criteria when evaluating a B2B design agency:

Define your goals, scope, and budget
Before contacting agencies, clearly define what problem you want the design company to solve, so you can find agencies that specialize in the right area, such as graphic design, web design, branding, or product design.
Review the agency's portfolio and case studies
Look for projects similar to your industry or product, case studies showing the problem, solution, and results, and consistent quality across multiple projects.
Evaluate their design process and methodology
The best design agencies follow a structured design process, typically including research, strategy, UX planning, design, testing, and implementation. Agencies that prioritize research and user insights tend to deliver stronger results because they understand your business and customers before designing solutions.
Assess communication and collaboration with clients
Observe whether the agency asks thoughtful questions about your business, explains timelines and deliverables clearly, and provides transparent pricing and feedback processes. Strong communication ensures smooth collaboration between the design team and the client, helping projects stay on schedule and aligned with expectations.
Check client references and long-term results
Talking to previous clients is one of the most reliable ways to evaluate a design agency. Metrics such as conversion rates, customer engagement, or revenue growth help verify whether the agency's work produces real business impact.
Compare pricing and value
Instead of choosing the cheapest option, evaluate the expertise of the design team, the strategic value provided, and the long-term impact of the design work. Higher-quality design often delivers stronger ROI through improved branding, user experience, and conversions.

How can I find the best design firm on DesignRush that fits my budget?

Our directory features top design companies across different budget ranges, so you can identify partners that align with your spending expectations.

High budget: $50,000	DELVE Constructive Urban Insight
Low budget: $25,000-$50,000	Goji Labs LLT Group Murmur Creative

Beyond budget, our agency directory allows you to filter agency profiles by location, area of expertise, agency reviews, client types, team size, and hourly rates.

What is the typical design process when working with an agency?

Most design firms follow a structured design process, including 5-7 core stages, to ensure that projects deliver measurable results and align with business goals.

Discovery and research

The process starts with understanding the client's business goals, target users, and market landscape.

Typical activities:

Stakeholder interviews with the client
Market and competitor analysis
User research and surveys
Product or website audits

Research is critical for project success. Studies show that 85% of successful design projects begin with a structured research phase, highlighting how data-driven insights guide better decisions.

Strategy and concept development

After gathering insights, a design firm defines a clear direction for the project.

Deliverables may include:

Creative brief or product strategy
Customer personas and journeys
Brand or product positioning
Feature prioritization

These deliverables align the B2B design agency and client around clear objectives and success metrics before design begins.

UX structure and experience design

Next, a creative agency designs how users will interact with the product or website.

Typical outputs:

Information architecture (sitemap)
User flows
Content hierarchy

This phase is crucial because usability directly affects business performance.

94% of users form their first impression of a business based on website design, and they do so in about 0.05 seconds.
Poor UX can cause visitors to leave immediately, reducing conversions and marketing ROI.

Wireframing and prototyping

Designers then create early versions of the product before investing in full graphic or web design.

Deliverables typically include:

Wireframes
Interactive prototypes
Early UI concepts

Iteration during this stage dramatically improves product success. Research shows that products with at least three prototype iterations are about 50% less likely to fail compared to products that skip iterative testing.

Graphic design and visual UI design

Once the structure is validated, design companies design the final visual experience.

This phase may include:

Brand-aligned graphic design
UI layouts for websites or apps
Responsive web design for multiple devices
Design systems and component libraries

Strong UX and UI design can significantly improve performance. Studies show that well-designed interfaces can increase conversion rates by up to 200%, while optimizing the entire user experience can increase conversions by as much as 400%.

Testing and iteration

Before launch, design firms validate design solutions through usability testing and feedback.

Common testing methods:

Usability testing sessions
A/B testing
Stakeholder reviews

Testing helps identify usability problems and measure metrics like task completion rates, errors, and user satisfaction, which are core indicators of design quality.

Handoff, development support, and launch

The final stage prepares designs for implementation.

Typical deliverables include:

Final design solutions
Graphic assets and design systems
Developer specifications and documentation

A good B2B design agency often continues supporting the client through development, QA, and post-launch improvements.

Following a structured design process helps businesses avoid costly product failures and improve ROI.

88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a website after a poor experience, showing how design directly impacts retention and revenue.

Why Companies Trust DesignRush

Rated 4.8 on Google and 4.7 on Trustpilot, DesignRush Agency Directory is a reliable resource for finding design agencies. We owe this to our executive selection team, which follows a strict screening process when featuring agencies on the platform, assessing key performance indicators, like portfolio, client reviews, and industry reputation.

Learn more about DesignRush Agency Ranking Methodology.

Sources

DesignRush sustains a directory of over 40,000 agencies categorized by service category, location, expertise, and reviews. We build our database in two ways:

Our dedicated team of agency experts actively searches the web for top-performing companies. We then pull information from their websites, online presence, and client testimonials to verify their status and qualifications prior to listing.
The agencies listed get notified of their profiles on the website and they can choose to claim it or not, which suggests their availability for more collaborations.

Agencies can also reach out to DesignRush and must go through the verification process prior to being listed.

Frequently Asked Questions About Design Agencies

What services do design companies offer?

They offer a mix of branding, digital product design, and creative services to help businesses build recognizable brands and user-friendly digital experiences, often combining graphic design, digital marketing support, and content creation.

Core services include:

Branding and brand identity: Creating logos, visual identity systems, brand guidelines, typography, and messaging frameworks. These services are widely used because a consistent brand presentation can increase revenue by up to 23%, according to marketing research cited in design industry reports.
Web design and web development: Building responsive website design, landing pages, eCommerce design, and front-end implementation, often supporting broader digital marketing and content marketing strategies.
UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) design: Usually accounts for 60-70% of agency offerings, according to many design agencies' insights. UX/UI design focuses on usability, research, and interface design for digital products such as websites, SaaS platforms, and mobile apps. Agencies handle user research, wireframes, prototypes, usability testing, and final UI designs, often applying innovative design approaches to improve usability and engagement.
Product and app design: Creating digital products such as mobile apps, SaaS platforms, and dashboards that combine UX research, interaction design, and prototyping before development.
Graphic design and marketing design: Producing marketing and communication assets, such as social media visuals, advertising creatives, packaging design, presentations, and editorial design, to support brand campaigns.
Design strategy and research: Providing strategic services such as design thinking workshops, product discovery, customer journey mapping, and innovation consulting to align design decisions with business goals. Some agencies apply concentric design principles, focusing on aligning user needs, brand identity, and product functionality around a unified experience.

How much do design services cost?

Design agency pricing varies by scope, seniority, and market, but most agencies sell work in three common ways: fixed project fees, hourly/day rates, or monthly retainers.

Most design companies charge $75-$250 per hour, while full projects typically range from $5,000 for small branding work to $100,000+ for complex digital product or website design projects.

In the United States and other high-cost markets, design agencies typically charge:

$100-$250/hr. for UX/UI and product design specialists.
$75-$200/hr. for general graphic design or digital design agency services.

Regional averages for UX/UI design in North America often range from $50 to $200/hr, depending on expertise and specialization.

Branding and brand identity

Basic brand identity packages: $5,000-$25,000 for logo design, typography systems, color palettes, and brand guidelines.
More comprehensive brand design projects can range from $ 5,000 to $30,000+, depending on the strategy work and deliverables.

Website design

Smaller website design projects: $3,000-$20,000+, depending on the number of pages and customization.
Full website redesign projects typically cost $10,000-$200,000+, especially for large or enterprise websites.

UX/UI design projects generally start around $10,000 and can exceed $100,000 for complex products or SaaS platforms.

How long does a typical design project take?

The timeline of a design project depends on the type of service, project complexity, and the speed of feedback. Still, most professional design firm projects take between 6 weeks and 6 months from kickoff to final delivery.

Branding projects: 4-12 weeks, including research, strategy, and visual identity; larger rebranding solutions can extend to 3-6 months or more, depending on stakeholder involvement and deliverables.
Website design: 8-20 weeks to design and launch a website
UX/UI and product design: 2-6 months

Complex digital products, enterprise websites, or large-scale rebrands can extend timelines to 6 months or longer.

What’s the difference between branding, UX design, and product design?

Branding, UX design, and product design are closely related but focus on different layers of how a business creates and delivers value to customers.

	Branding	UX design	Product design
Focus	Creating a recognizable identity and emotional connection with customers. It includes logos, colors, typography, messaging, tone of voice, and brand guidelines	Making digital products easy, efficient, and enjoyable to use. UX designers optimize user experience through research, testing, and design iterations.	Designing the entire product, from defining the problem to launching and improving the solution.
Deliverables	Logo design and visual identity system Brand strategy and positioning Brand guidelines and messaging Marketing and communication design	User research and interviews Customer journey mapping Wireframes and prototypes Usability testing and optimization	Product discovery and problem definition Feature planning and prioritization UX/UI design and prototyping Aligning user needs with business goals

How can I evaluate the quality of a design agency's work?

The best design companies demonstrate measurable business impact, strong design processes, and proven results across multiple projects.

Review the agency's portfolio and case studies to look for design projects that delivered measurable outcomes such as 25% higher conversion rates or 35% growth in daily active users after UX improvements.
Evaluate usability and user experience metrics, such as task completion rates that improve from 50% to 90%, time needed to complete key actions, customer satisfaction scores, and reduction in support tickets or errors.
Assess the agency's design process and research approach, check whether it includes stages like discovery and research, user interviews and insights, wireframes and prototypes, usability testing, and iteration and optimization.
Evaluate companies based on how well their work contributes to revenue growth, customer retention, or operational efficiency.

Latest Trends Related to Design Services

Design Services

Best Design Companies

Motto

Ideas Worth Rallying Around®

Motto Services

Motto Reviews & Testimonials

Metalab

Metalab Services

Metalab Reviews & Testimonials