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Find the Best Branding Agencies in the United States

A logo is only the visible tip of a branding project. Behind it sit the name, the colors and typefaces, the tone of voice and a set of guidelines that tells everyone how to apply the identity on a sign, a website or an invoice. The agencies listed here design logos and full corporate identity systems, rename companies and steer rebrands. Narrow the list by city and compare their awards and the brands they have built.

All (3,770)New York City (297)Chicago (128)San Francisco (97)Los Angeles (90)Atlanta (57)Seattle (49)
3,770 agencies listed, How is the directory ranking calculated?
Agency ↕Age ↕Location ↕
Showing 3,101–3,125 / 3,770 listings

Choosing a Branding Agency

Almost every design studio in the United States will offer to draw you a logo. Far fewer can run a proper branding project, with interviews with management, a look at competitors and a positioning everyone agrees on before any visual work begins. When you review portfolios, look past the logo itself and ask to see the identity in use on signage, stationery, vehicles or a website, because that is where weak systems fall apart.

Our directory currently lists 3,770 branding agencies in the United States. We compiled them from the results of design competitions, from the services each agency lists on its own site and from the companies it has given an identity to. Independent identity studios therefore share this page with large agencies that run brand work alongside advertising.

Finding the Right Branding Agency

Agencies that have claimed their record are listed first on this page, and within each group the order follows a directory score. Every agency in our directory has 20 stars to give. It places them on the categories where it is strongest, and each star an agency puts on branding is worth 10 points in this list. Our system does not let an agency look equally strong in every category. So the order here is not a verdict on the quality of the work. Because stars carry most of the score, focus on branding matters more than anything else.

For agencies that have not yet claimed their record, we place the stars ourselves. We look at the services listed on the agency's own website and at any awards it has won. On top of the stars, a complete profile adds up to 10 points, and each work in the agency's portfolio adds 1 point, up to 20. How we calculate the directory ranking explains in detail how the listing order is worked out.

The Branding Top 100

The Branding Top 100 covers agencies all over the world. Agencies from the United States are judged against the rest of the world with the same yardstick. The list rests mainly on each agency's award record in branding, and an award won in another field does not lift an agency here. No agency can pay to get into the Top 100 or to climb it.

Branding Agencies by City

Branding work leans heavily on conversation. The early stages are made of workshops with founders and managers, and the agency often needs to see your offices, shops or factory floor to understand what the company actually is. A studio in the same city makes those visits easy. Use the city filter above the list to see agencies in one place, or keep the country-wide list for the United States if your city does not appear.

Is Your Agency Not on This List?

If your agency works in Branding and is not on this page, you can tell us about your agency via the submission form. If you already have a record in the directory, you can claim it and update your logo and details yourself. Claimed agencies are listed first in the directory lists they belong to; the Top 100 lists are not affected. Listing in our directory is free.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What affects the price of a logo and corporate identity?+

A logo on its own and a full identity system are very different jobs, and the price follows the gap. Strategy work before the design starts adds time, as does every extra logo route you are shown and every revision round you ask for. A naming project brings trademark checks in each market you plan to enter. Then comes the guideline document: a short sheet with colors and fonts costs far less than a full manual with templates for every format your company uses.

Which are the best branding agencies in the United States?+

There is no single answer, because the job differs so much between clients. An agency that does fine work for start-ups may have no experience of rebranding a bank with hundreds of branches. On this page, agencies that have claimed their record come before the rest, and both groups are sorted by directory score. Most of that score is the stars an agency gives to logo and corporate identity work; a full profile and portfolio pieces add the remainder. It is not a verdict on quality. How the directory ranking works goes through it step by step. If award record is what you want to compare, open the Branding Top 100.

Are all of an agency's awards shown here?+

Not always. Our directory does not cover every competition, or every award within a competition, and awards from a competition outside our coverage do not appear on the list. Some award levels, such as honorable mentions, student categories and finalist places, may be missing too. So the awards you see on an agency's page are often only part of what it has won.

What should I look for in a branding agency?+

Start by naming the problem. A new company needs a name and an identity from scratch, while a rebrand has to keep what customers already recognize and drop what holds the business back. Look for an agency that has handled your kind of situation, and read case studies that explain the reasoning behind the design rather than just showing the final logo. Ask how the agency will test the identity in real use before you sign it off. The quote should list every deliverable, from logo files in each format to the color palette, typefaces, templates and the guideline document. It should also confirm that you own the rights to the finished work, including any custom typeface. Quote requests go through our site to agencies that have claimed their record.

What do branding agencies do?+

Branding agencies typically handle the jobs listed here.

• Logo design: wordmarks, symbols and monograms, with versions for small screens and large signs

• Corporate identity systems: color palettes, typefaces, graphic elements and photography style

• Brand guidelines: rules and templates that show staff and suppliers how to apply the identity

• Naming: names for companies, products and services, with checks on trademark availability

• Rebranding: updating an existing identity and planning its rollout on every sign, screen and document

• Brand strategy: positioning, brand architecture and tone of voice that guide the design

Posters, illustration and one-off visuals without a wider identity system are covered by Graphic Design & Illustration. Designing the pack that carries your brand onto a shop shelf is a job for Packaging Design. If you need advertising campaigns built on the brand, look at Creative & Full-Service Advertising.

How many branding agencies are listed in the United States?+

Our directory lists 3,770 branding agencies in the United States.

Which cities in the United States have the most branding agencies?+

In our directory, New York City (297), Chicago (128) and San Francisco (97) have the most branding agencies in the United States.