Searching for a branding agency to help shape your company’s brand and messaging? We have reviewed thousands of verified client feedback and case studies of the world’s best branding companies online to build our listing and empower businesses like yours to find the right partner. Check out our directory and customize your search by location, pricing, minimum budget, team size, and other criteria to kickstart your search.
We analyzed over 10,000 branding agencies, carefully considering their services, awards, portfolios, industry reputation, pricing, and client reviews. Read on to learn more about what these agencies can offer and relevant case studies to get you one step closer to finding your partner.
Table of Contents
The Number 1 Branding Agency as Selected by DesignRush Is:
1. DD.NYC®

- Best for: Overall
- Average hourly rate: $150
- Minimum budget: Inquire
- Founded: 2015
- Size: 50 - 99
- Location: New York City, New York
- Notable clients: Forbes, Scholastic, Home Depot, Walmart, 1010 Wilshire
DD.NYC®’s creative technologists develop ideal brand identities, guidelines, and custom branding assets that are ready for business scaling and market adoption. Since the agency’s inception, it has worked on both startup and enterprise projects, developed enduring relationships with 250+ clients, and won 15+ awards in branding.
The agency's branding solutions follow a four-stage process:
- Strategy: Audit, market research, and planning
- Concept: Positioning, personality, and insights
- Design: Ideas, concept testing, and scaling
- Production: Asset design, brand identity guidelines, and usage rules
DD.NYC® developed a sophisticated and contemporary brand identity and web design for 1010 Wilshire, an LA real estate company. It built a powerful representation of 1010 Wilshire's capabilities and offers, which comprised six building portfolios and 150+ brand assets.
By incorporating a unique and modern visual identity, the brand identity agency effectively promoted the client’s new-age living and working spaces. DD.NYC®'s brand redesign initiatives yielded a 7.4x greater ROI, solidifying the client's position as a leader in LA's competitive real estate marketplace.
2. The Bureau of Small Projects

- Best for: Food companies
- Average hourly rate: $150
- Minimum budget: $10,000 - $25,000
- Founded: 2014
- Size: 50 - 99
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Notable clients: Stanford University, Warner Brothers, Pocari Sweat, Swiss Government, Gluten Fakery
While its team of experts boasts experience working with Fortune 500 and big brands, The Bureau of Small Projects also devotes its efforts to serving small to mid-sized businesses. It works with startups, the healthcare sector, non-profit organizations, and more.
During business development, it performs a competitive landscape analysis and develops messaging and value proposition for a cohesive brand story. It can also help create business or product names, slogans, and logo designs, as well as launch your brand.
The Bureau of Small Projects uses the "Evolutionary Branding" process that emphasizes flexibility and affordability — two critical components for small business success. It has a proven track record of delivering effective branding solutions, demonstrated by its partnership with Gluten Fakery, a food shop specializing in gluten and dairy-free cake mixes.
Its brand and design strategies achieved outstanding results, including a 2.27-second website load time, a low bounce rate of 12%, and a 75% increase in conversion rate.
Check The Bureau of Small Projects Agency Profile
3. Ramotion

- Best for: Peer-to-peer businesses
- Average hourly rate: $150
- Minimum budget: Inquire
- Founded: 2011
- Size: 50 - 99
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Notable clients: Netflix, Adobe, NBCUniversal, Salesforce, Turo
Founded over 10 years ago, Ramotion houses a distributed team of 70+ experts specializing in brand strategy, brand identity, and UI/UX design. Its design services have become an indispensable part of many startups' success, with $3.5+ billion in exits and $750+ million raised. It also serves as an extension of the branding teams of Fortune 500 companies and other established businesses.
Turo, a San Francisco-based carsharing company, collaborated with Ramotion to revamp its customer support interface. The project focused on redesigning the support portal to maintain a consistent visual identity, resulting in improved navigation and usability.
The self-service score increased by 58%, while the new search box and article layout boosted the content's readability by 4x. As a result, the support team's workload decreased by 30%, getting them back on track with deliverables and preventing backlogs.
4. Clay

- Best for: SaaS companies
- Average hourly rate: $175
- Minimum budget: Inquire
- Founded: 2016
- Size: 50 - 99
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Notable clients: Coca-Cola, Facebook, Amazon, Streetbeat, Sony
Clay’s expertise in design, strategy, and storytelling allows brands to align with the latest trends and consumer preferences. It helps build or revamp branding experiences for startups, small and medium-sized businesses, large corporations, and established Fortune 100 companies.
With 80+ multidisciplinary specialists across the globe, it offers extensive branding solutions that include naming, logo design, and communication and style guide development. It has completed 500+ branding projects to date.
Streetbeat, a subscription-based AI platform for more simplified stock market navigation, partnered with Clay to enhance its brand identity and product experience. The brand identity company designed bold typography, illustrative language, and an animated logo symbolizing the complexity of the investment market. It built a comprehensive illustration system with pictograms, icons, and isometric illustrations to make complex information more digestible.
Ultimately, Streetbeat commended the team's innovation and attention to detail, which would lead to positive changes in its product and metrics.
5. Anchour

- Best for: Retail businesses
- Average hourly rate: $160
- Minimum budget: Inquire
- Founded: 2013
- Size: Under 49
- Location: Lewiston, Maine
- Notable clients: Apple, Samsung, TaskRabbit, MOD Pizza, Winterstick
Anchour polishes existing strategies or devises new ones by leveraging market insights and innovation. It can expand brands into new categories, markets, and audiences. Its efforts have been recognized by Inc. 5000 and AdWeek, both of which have named Anchour one of the fastest-growing companies in Maine and America, respectively.
Anchour rendered the following services to Winterstick, an established company that filed the patent for the first-ever snowboard:
- Branding strategy, messaging, and positioning
- Content, creative, and digital design
The collaboration yielded an increase of 302% in eCommerce revenue, 217% in conversion rate, and 31% in search traffic shortly after the project launch.
6. Catchword

- Best for: B2C tech industry
- Average hourly rate: $250
- Minimum budget: Inquire
- Founded: 1998
- Size: Under 49
- Location: Oakland, California
- Notable clients: Starbucks, General Motors, Amazon, Uber, TikTok
Catchword has 25+ years of industry experience, an internationally recognized portfolio, and a diverse client base ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Through the years, it has earned 70+ awards for creativity and customer satisfaction, including DesignRush’s Top Branding Agency in 2019.
With a team of experts from diverse backgrounds in marketing, media, visual art, and music, it has successfully completed 1,300+ successful projects across different industries to date. This unique blend of skills and specializations makes it a powerful branding partner and thought leader in the business.
Catchword rendered brand naming services to TikTok. The agency coined "Effect House" for TikTok's augmented reality platform. The product naming process focused on making content-sharing more imaginative and fun for creators and viewers alike. The client picked up the name and launched it in late 2021 and has since inspired the creation of 1.5+ billion videos, with 600+ billion views worldwide.
Check Catchword Agency Profile
7. Qubstudio

- Best for: Fintech
- Average hourly rate: $50
- Minimum budget: $10,000 - $25,000
- Founded: 2007
- Size: 50 - 99
- Location: Canary Wharf, London
- Notable clients: Oracle, MyLoqta, Finova Financial, KLIP, Vapulus
Qubstudio has been in the branding business for 15+ years. It is home to 70+ experts in design, business strategy, content writing, and project management. The agency has 500+ projects under its belt and is a long-term partner to many digital-first organizations, helping them excel in digital transformation.
Its solutions focus on:
- Logo design and visual systems
- Content strategy, development, and testing
- Brand diagnostic, positioning, and differentiation
- Market context research
- Brand expression
Qubstudio took a major part in the reinvention of Vapulus, a smartphone/tablet-based app for end-users and a mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) web app for merchants. The project required expertise in branding, business analysis, and UI/UX design.
Providing brand identity and mobile app design services to the client, Qubstudio was able to build a highly scalable system that maintained the product’s consistent look and feel. The project scope covered 98 user flows, 56 app features, 600+ UI kit components, and a total of 800+ screens.
Check Qubstudio Agency Profile
8. Idea Grove

- Best for: B2B tech industry
- Average hourly rate: $175
- Minimum budget: Inquire
- Founded: 2005
- Size: Under 49
- Location: Dallas, Texas
- Notable clients: Amazon Alexa, Amazon Web Services (AWS), CloudTrucks, Innoveo, I.D. Systems
Idea Grove works with high-consideration product and service enterprises through branding, organic marketing, and public relations. It has a proven track record of launching products that eventually become household names. The agency helps small startups achieve nine-figure exits and forges strong partnerships with some of the most trusted names in business.
It has been named a 3x Inc. 5000 Company, a Top 25 Tech Agency by O'Dwyers in 2021, the Dallas PRSA Agency of the Year in 2020, and a leader for the Dallas-area HubSpot Users Group in 2019.
One of Idea Grove’s clients was I.D. Systems, which provides vehicle management systems and asset intelligence solutions to streamline complex supply chains. To appeal to two different buyer groups, Idea Grove’s team collaborated on concepts to intersect these vertical markets.
The agency crafted compelling content for every phase of the sales cycle and executed lead generation campaigns. With a modern, responsive website design based on analytics, the client reported a 70% growth in conversions from site visitors.
Check Idea Grove Agency Profile
9. RNO1

- Best for: eCommerce
- Average hourly rate: Inquire
- Minimum budget: Inquire
- Founded: 2009
- Size: 50 - 99
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Notable clients: Airbnb, Ericsson & Cox Media Group, LOLIWARE, Spring Labs, Prive
RNO1 excels in branding for eCommerce and other businesses in IT. It operates on an agency-subscription model, which involves a recurring fee for ongoing services and support instead of a one-time project fee. This provides more sustainable value if you require a long-term agency partner.
The agency’s subscription formats are:
- Revolve: For purchasing a "Block of Hours" to be distributed among design and digital services
- Retrn: For using cryptocurrencies or tokens as payment
- Ryde: For branding, organic marketing, and paid advertising services paid according to your business's marketing cycle
In a collaboration with Prive, a subscription platform for selling and shopping, the agency helped improve the brand’s visual identity, design systems, and animations, implementing a robust branding and content strategy. During the multi-year partnership, Prive was able to raise $1.7 million in pre-seed funding for a customizable eCommerce space for D2C brands.
10. Digital Silk

- Best for: Large-scale enterprises
- Average hourly rate: $150
- Minimum budget: Inquire
- Founded: 2015
- Size: 100 - 249
- Location: New York City, New York
- Notable clients: IBM, Sony, Microsoft, P&G, Impendi
A full-service digital agency, Digital Silk has a team of seasoned experts offering comprehensive branding solutions. It has a successful history of creating captivating online brand identities for global corporations, tech firms, financial institutions, healthcare enterprises, and more.
The agency’s branding process includes:
- Brand research: Performing brand audit and industry analysis
- Brand foundation: Creating or reinventing a brand’s identity
- Brand positioning: Defining the tone of voice, key messaging, and unique selling proposition (USP)
- Brand book: Documenting branding templates and guidelines
Impendi Analytics, a strategic sourcing execution firm, approached Digital Silk to redesign its website. The goal was to attract more leads and potential recruits. The agency came up with a fully optimized website and brand strategy, which resulted in an 81.09% surge in unique visitors shortly after the project's completion.
Check Digital Silk Agency Profile
How We Picked the Best Branding Companies
DesignRush is a trustworthy resource for top branding companies thanks to our executive selection team. Composed of former agency executives and leaders, it is well-versed in the business and knows what to look for in the best branding firms.
The agency ranking process is based on these strict criteria:
- Vetted reviews: Client satisfaction, agency’s level of authority in the category, and quality of work
- Robust portfolio: List of projects and their outcome as proven by case studies
- Accolades and press mentions: Thought leadership, industry reputation, and innovation
- Team bios: Workforce’s profiles, experience, and specializations
- Top services: Areas of expertise and core service offers
Each brand identity agency listed in our directory possesses expertise in:
- Market and competitor research
- Internal and external branding
- Content design and development
- Visual identity design
- Web and UI/UX design
- Social media management and marketing
- Rebranding, repositioning, and relaunching
- Campaign success monitoring and analysis
For further information, head to our DesignRush Agency Ranking Methodology page.
Top 10 Branding Agencies Compared
Agency name | Location | Hourly rate | Size | Best for |
DD.NYC® | New York City, NY | $150 | 50-99 | Overall |
The Bureau of Small Projects | Los Angeles, CA | $150 | 50-99 | Food companies |
Ramotion | San Francisco, CA | $150 | 50-99 | Peer-to-peer businesses |
Clay | San Francisco, CA | $175 | 50-99 | SaaS companies |
Anchour | Lewiston, ME | $160 | Under 49 | Retail businesses |
Catchword | Oakland, CA | $250 | Under 49 | B2C tech industry |
Qubstudio | Canary Wharf, London | $50 | 50-99 | Fintech |
Idea Grove | Dallas, TX | $175 | Under 49 | B2B tech industry |
RNO1 | San Francisco, CA | Inquire | 50-99 | eCommerce |
Digital Silk | New York City, NY | $150 | 100-249 | Large-scale enterprises |
Best Branding Company Rankings
- Freelance Graphic Designer specializing in brand identity design and web design for small businesses looking to level up. We also offer a number of other graphic design services such as print design [... view the full profile of Vectoria Creative]Wasaga Beach, Canada Under 49 $65/hr $1,000 - $10,000
Branding Agency Hiring Guide
What is a branding agency?
A branding agency is an agency that helps businesses create and develop their unique identity, making them stand out in the market. It designs logos, chooses colors, creates slogans, and builds a brand story that reflects the company's values and goals. By shaping how a business looks and feels to customers, branding agencies help create a strong and lasting impression, making the company more recognizable and memorable.
What does a branding company do?
A branding company combines business savvy, behavioral psychology, and communication strategy to define their clients’ brand values and positioning. It maintains, monitors, and evolves brands within ever-changing market conditions.
A branding agency's core service offerings include:
- Target market research
Analyzing competitors, customer behavior, and industry trends to guide branding decisions - Brand strategy
Developing a clear plan that defines the brand's identity, target audience, mission, values, and positioning in the market - Visual identity design
Creating logos, color palettes, typography, and other visual elements that represent the brand - Brand messaging
Crafting taglines, slogans, and a brand voice that communicates the brand's values and personality - Packaging design
Designing product packaging that aligns with the brand's identity and appeals to its audience - Digital branding
Creating assets for online platforms, including websites, social media, and digital advertisements - Brand guidelines
Developing a detailed document to ensure consistent use of the brand's elements across all channels - Rebranding
Refreshing or completely reworking an existing brand to stay relevant or target a new market
How much do branding services cost?
Professional branding services cost between $16,000 and $63,000 and above. The total cost can be impacted by the project scope, goals, and timeline, as well as the size and reputation of the brand identity agency.
Here’s a basic breakdown of the different services provided by branding companies:
- Brand identity development: $1,000 to $5,000
- Market research: $1,000 to $7,000
- Logo design: $2,000 to $8,000 and up
- Visual style guide: $2,500 to $5,000
- Editorial style guide: $1,500 to $4,000 and up
- Brand book: $3,000 to $4,000 and up
- Website design and development: $5,000 to $30,000 and up
The top 50 branding agencies on DesignRush charge an average of $119 per hour. 12.7% of the agencies offer boutique services for startups and small businesses with a minimum budget of $1,000. In comparison, 2.4% are experienced with providing enterprise-level branding packages and require a $50,000 minimum budget.
Why should I hire a branding agency?
You should hire a branding agency because it can improve customers’ perception of your business through compelling and consistent brand identity and messaging. This, in turn, can lead to more visits, conversions, and revenue.
Branding companies:
- Create a unique and strong brand
- Ensure your brand looks the same across all touchpoints
- Research to help you stand out and reach your audience
- Make your business easier to remember
- Save you time by handling branding work so you can focus on core business activities
- Help you compete with other businesses
- Build a brand that grows with your business
- Strengthen trust and loyalty with customers
Success story
The following case study, picked by our agency experts, perfectly illustrates the benefits businesses can achieve by partnering with an expert brand identity agency.
- Challenge: Edge Studio needed to refresh its old branding. It also wanted to update two of their websites, which were severely out of date.
- Solution: Lounge Lizard conducted strategy workshops with the client and used the knowledge they’ve gained to craft a brand and user experience strategy that best aligned with the project requirements. The agency also combined outdated websites into one platform to streamline user experience.
- Results: Lounge Lizard gave the newly merged websites a fresh look and feel by incorporating trendy, responsive design elements that retained the brand’s essence. Its efforts yielded the following results:
- a 40% increase in domain authority
- 114% increase in total organic traffic
- 847% growth in backlink profile.
How do I choose the best brand identity company for my project?
To choose the best brand identity company for your project, follow these steps:
- Define your project requirements
Outline your branding needs and timeline. What problems do you intend to solve with branding? What are your goals and vision for the project? When do you plan to launch the branding project? - Set a budget
Branding initiatives are an investment. Be sure to allocate a realistic amount while considering the deliverables and the time frame. Understanding how much the prospective partners charge will help you find a brand identity company that fits your budget. Find the balance between affordability and value of services. Costs should be reasonable and sustainable. - Gather references
Research top branding agencies on reputable online directories like DesignRush and curated blogs. You can also ask for references and recommendations from industry peers. Based on your research, build a long list of prospective agency partners. - Browse their portfolios, client roster, and reviews
See if they have worked on similar projects and brands within the same sector. This will give you stronger insight into the designs your prospective partners can create, the campaigns they can execute, and the results they can deliver. Their reviews also speak volumes about their work quality, transparency, level of trust, and more. - Research their experience level and industry reputation
Read their brand story to see how long they have been in the branding business. Find out their core expertise and the employees’ specializations. Check affiliations, certifications, and industry awards. - Check for well-defined processes
Investigate their methodologies and strategies for building and conveying authentic brands to varying markets and audiences. To ensure work is high quality, on time, and within budget, you should partner with a branding agency that uses a data-driven and research-based approach. - Consider the agency size
Do you prefer collaborating with a larger branding agency or a smaller boutique firm? The resources you will need depend on the project scope, its complexity, the overall deliverables, and your assigned budget. - Shortlist candidates
Based on your research, narrow your list to up to five agencies. Reach out to them and express your intent to partner with them. Send a branding request for proposal (RFP) to each. - Receive and review proposals
The proposals submitted will speak volumes about their technical and creative capabilities. These also display their enthusiasm for researching your business and learning more about your brand. - Arrange interviews
Get to know the shortlisted candidates up close and personal. This is also their opportunity to discuss the proposals in greater detail. - Understand the potential ROI
You're paying for a strong ROI when you enlist the best creative branding agency. Take the time to learn the business growth possibilities each agency can offer. Ask in-depth questions about its pricing tiers, expertise, and past results. - Make a final decision
Choose the agency partner that best meets your requirements and budget, following your evaluation of the proposals and the interviews. It should also be aligned with your culture and work ethic.
Need assistance in finding the ideal branding agency partner? Go to the DesignRush Marketplace and tell us more about your project. We’ll connect you with five of the most suitable companies based on your requirements — for free.
What red flags to watch out for when hiring branding agencies?
When hiring a branding agency, watch out for these red flags:
- Lack of experience
If the agency cannot provide a portfolio or examples of successful projects, it may indicate they lack the necessary skills and expertise to handle your branding needs effectively. This can make it difficult to trust their ability to deliver quality work. - Poor communication
Slow responses, vague answers, or difficulty understanding your needs can lead to confusion, missed deadlines, and frustration throughout the project. Clear communication is essential for a successful partnership. - No clear process
Agencies that cannot outline their step-by-step approach to building your brand may lack the organization or strategy needed to deliver a strong and consistent identity for your business. - Overpromising
Unrealistic claims about immediate results or guaranteed success can indicate dishonesty or inexperience. Branding is a long-term process, and quick fixes rarely lead to lasting impact. - Bad reviews
Consistently negative feedback from previous clients suggests issues with reliability, quality of work, or client satisfaction. Check testimonials and third-party review sites for insights. - Hidden costs
Agencies that are not transparent about their pricing structure may surprise you with unexpected fees, leading to higher expenses and potential conflict later. - Generic ideas
If the agency’s work looks unoriginal or one-size-fits-all, it may not effectively represent your unique business or help you stand out from competitors. - Pushy behavior
High-pressure tactics to get you to sign a contract without enough time to review details or ask questions could mean the agency hides crucial information or is not client-focused.
How do I find the best branding agency on DesignRush that fits my budget?
To find the best brand identity agency on DesignRush that fits your budget, we recommend sorting your search by minimum budget. Go to the branding directory filters, select a minimum budget, and rank by highest or lowest.
The top-rated branding companies on DesignRush, according to common pricing tiers, include:
Low Budget: 1k above | |
Mid Budget: 10k above | |
High Budget: 50k above |
You can also use the same filters to sort your searches by agency size, hourly rates, location, and areas of specialization for even more accurate results.
What questions should I ask branding agencies before hiring one?
The top questions you should ask branding agencies before hiring are:
Its Relevant Background
- What is your definition of branding?
- How long have you been providing branding services?
- Does your agency have experience related to my industry?
- Do you have case studies of projects with styles similar to those I plan for my brand?
- What are the pricing options that you provide?
Its Services and Processes
- What is your agency’s approach to branding?
- What elements do you include in the brand entity?
- What steps will you take to know our brand, business, customers, and competitors?
- What does your branding process look like?
- How long does it usually take for you to complete a branding project?
- Which design styles does your team specialize in?
Related to Your Project
- What type of team would I be working with?
- What will your proposed brand strategy include?
- How do you evaluate the success of a branding campaign?
- What can we expect our ROI to look like?
- How often should I update my branding?
- How will you ensure the project will meet its goals and objectives on time and within budget?
What are the best branding agencies in the US?
The best branding agencies in the US that you can find in DesignRush are:
- SmartSites
- 5.0 stars on DesignRush (51 reviews)
- 4.9 stars on Google (434 reviews)
- Top clients: AGA Truck Parts, Flight Courtier, Newark Academy, NJ Institute of Technology
- RNO1
- 4.8 stars on DesignRush (13 reviews)
- 5.0 stars on Google (1 review)
- Top clients: Airbnb, LOLIWARE, Spring Labs, Wand
- Propaganda Creative
- 4.9 stars on DesignRush (12 reviews)
- 5.0 stars on Google (60 reviews)
- Top clients: Hoopfest, Elite Construction, HDG Architecture, Canopy Credit Union
- Clay
- 4.9 stars on DesignRush (21 reviews)
- 4.8 stars on Google (26 reviews)
- Top clients: Coca-Cola, Facebook, Amazon, Sony
- Digital Silk
- 4.9 stars on DesignRush (38 reviews)
- 4.6 stars on Google (19 reviews)
- Top clients: IBM, AT&T, Sony, Microsoft
How legitimate is the content in the hiring guide?
To further provide a reliable and accurate source for branding companies, we reached out to Digital Silk's Brand Strategist, Courtney Bozigian, to answer the above industry-specific insights to guide you in your agency search process.
Courtney Bozigian is the Director of Brand Strategy at Digital Silk. With over ten years of experience in brand management and marketing, she previously led brands at Hasbro, Inc., where she oversaw digital-first brand storytelling and spearheaded brand creative vision, targeted messaging, product line extension, and package rebranding.
Why People Trust DesignRush
Rated 4.7 on Google and Trustpilot, DesignRush Agency Directory is a reliable resource for finding branding 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.

Sources
DesignRush sustains a directory of over 30,000 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.