Best Pentagram Alternatives for Startups (2026)

The short answer

Pentagram is one of the most famous names in design, and a strong choice when an established organisation wants an identity led by a named partner. If you want a design firm like Pentagram with a different fit, the best Pentagram alternatives for startups are Studio Huncho, Koto, COLLINS, Wolff Olins, Order and Ragged Edge. Pick by what you need most: brand, website and launch film from one team (Studio Huncho), a global studio for fast-growing companies (Koto), a brand that reframes the whole business (COLLINS), a large brand transformation (Wolff Olins), a rigorous identity system (Order) or a bold brand with a campaign to launch it (Ragged Edge).

About Pentagram

Pentagram describes itself as the world's largest independent design consultancy. It is owned and run by its partners, who are practising designers based in New York, London, Austin and Berlin. Its work covers graphics and identity, strategy and positioning, products and packaging, exhibitions, websites and digital experiences, and motion. It says it is the only major design studio where the owners of the business create the work and are the main contact for every client.

Founders who look for firms like Pentagram usually want the same standard of identity with a different fit on one of four things:

• Scope: the identity plus the website build, product UI and launch film from one team.
• Stage: a studio whose everyday work is funded startups, not institutions.
• Speed: a raise or launch that is weeks away.
• Focus: a team that works mainly with AI and B2B software.

How we picked

We've included ourselves. Every other firm here was checked on its own website and had to meet three tests:

• Identity work on show. Named brand identity projects in the public portfolio.
• Tech clients. Software, AI or venture-backed companies among the work, alongside any large organisations.
• A clear difference. A real reason to choose them over Pentagram, whether scope, stage, speed or focus.

The list isn't ranked. Each entry says who the firm is best for.

The alternatives

1. Studio Huncho (Bengaluru, India)

Best for: funded AI and B2B SaaS startups that want the identity, the website and the launch film from one team, timed to a raise or launch.

That's us. We are a creative studio that designs brand identities, websites and product UI, builds in Webflow and Framer and makes launch films, for companies from seed stage to IPO. Our work includes the brand, website and motion behind Further AI before its $25M Series A led by a16z, the brand and website rebuild for Sprinto around its $20M Series B, and Refold AI's rebrand from Cobalt in 45 days.

Worth knowing: 250+ projects across 16 countries and 5.0 on Clutch. Brand projects usually take 4 to 6 weeks and most websites 2 to 6. We work remotely with founders in the US, the UK and Europe.

2. Koto (Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin and Sydney)

Best for: fast-growing and established tech companies that want a brand from a global studio.

Koto calls itself an international creative agency with five studios on three continents. Its services cover strategy, visual, motion, verbal and sonic identity, digital product and website design, and campaigns. Its software work includes a brand refresh for Workday and a rebrand of Stack Overflow.

Worth knowing: much of its client list is large global brands, so ask how it works with early-stage teams. See our Koto alternatives too.

3. COLLINS

Best for: later-stage companies where the brand has to reframe the whole business, for example before an IPO.

COLLINS lists eight Agency of the Year titles from Ad Age and D&AD. It sells its work as eleven programmes, including Brand Refresh, Reposition, Scale-Up and Exit (IPO/Sale). Case studies on its site include Robinhood, Figma, Dropbox, Mailchimp, Spotify and Twitch.

Worth knowing: it says it is built to move companies upmarket. For a seed-stage identity it is usually more than you need.

4. Wolff Olins (London and New York)

Best for: larger companies planning a brand transformation.

Wolff Olins is a global brand consultancy with offices in London and New York. Its services cover brand strategy, brand architecture and visual and verbal identity. Selected work on its site includes Lloyds, Decathlon, Patreon and Blank Street.

Worth knowing: it is built for large brand programmes, so ask what a project looks like at Series A or B.

5. Order (Brooklyn, USA)

Best for: founders who care most about a rigorous identity system: logo, type and guidelines.

Order is a design studio whose projects cover identity, guidelines, typefaces, iconography and motion. Work shown on its site includes identities for Kickstarter and Justworks and identity work for Make with Notion.

Worth knowing: its work is identity-led. If you need a marketing site built or a product designed, check how much of that it takes on.

6. Ragged Edge (London, UK)

Best for: AI and software brands in crowded categories that want a bold identity and a campaign to launch it.

Ragged Edge is a London brand company working since 2007 on brand strategy, identity systems, rebrands and campaigns. It led the full rebrand and relaunch of Granola, the AI notepad, and rebranded Wise across 175 countries.

Worth knowing: it is brand-led, so confirm whether the website build and product UI are part of the scope.

Pentagram vs the alternatives at a glance

• Pentagram: partner-led design across identity, digital, products and exhibitions, in New York, London, Austin and Berlin.
• Studio Huncho: brand, website, product UI and launch film for AI and B2B SaaS startups, Bengaluru, working remotely.
• Koto: brand, strategy and campaigns from five studios.
• COLLINS: brand programmes for companies moving upmarket.
• Wolff Olins: brand consultancy for large transformations, London and New York.
• Order: identity systems, typefaces and guidelines, Brooklyn.
• Ragged Edge: bold brands and launch campaigns, London.

How to choose a firm like Pentagram

• Decide what the identity has to ship with. An identity on its own is rarely the whole launch. If the website and a launch film have to land on the same day, pick a team that does all three.
• Ask who leads the work. Pentagram's model puts a partner on every project. Ask every other firm who leads yours and how much of their time you get.
• Look for work at your stage. A museum identity and a Series A software brand are different problems. Our guide to startup branding covers what an early brand needs.
• Start from your date. Ask what would be live on the day you announce.

For a wider list, see the best SaaS branding agencies.

We wrote this list and included ourselves. Every other firm was checked on its own website. Last checked: 11 November 2026.

Related reading: Best Koto alternatives · Best COLLINS alternatives · How to choose a branding agency

FAQ

What does Pentagram do?

Pentagram is an independent design consultancy owned and run by its partners in New York, London, Austin and Berlin. Its work covers identity, strategy, packaging, exhibitions, digital experiences and motion.

What are the best design firms like Pentagram?

Koto, COLLINS and Wolff Olins are the closest in scale and reputation. Order suits founders who want a rigorous identity system, Ragged Edge suits bold challenger brands, and Studio Huncho suits funded AI and B2B SaaS startups that need brand, website and launch film from one team.

Is Pentagram right for a startup?

It can be, and it says its clients come in every size. Most of the work it shows is for large organisations and cultural institutions, so ask what a startup-sized project would look like and who would lead it.

How long does a brand identity take?

For us, brand projects usually take 4 to 6 weeks and most websites 2 to 6. Larger programmes at global firms usually run for months, so ask each one for a dated plan.

Comparing Pentagram with a few others? Send us your brief and your date and we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit.

Three brand projects from our own work

We put ourselves on this list, so here is the work behind that. Each identity shipped with the website it lives on.

Further AI (YC W24) builds applied AI for commercial insurance. Our brand, website and motion went live in the window before its $25M Series A led by a16z. Read the Further AI case study.

Sprinto is a GRC and compliance automation platform backed by Accel. We rebuilt the brand and website around its $20M Series B and the launch of Sprinto AI. Read the Sprinto case study.

Refold AI replaces traditional middleware with AI agents. We took the company from Cobalt to Refold, with a new brand and website in 45 days, ahead of its $6.5M raise. Read the Refold AI case study.

When Pentagram is still the right choice

• You want a named partner to lead your identity. Its partners create the work and are the main contact for every client.
• The job goes beyond screens. Its work covers packaging, exhibitions, signage and typefaces as well as digital.
• You are an established organisation or institution. Much of the work it shows is at that scale.

Who we left out, and why

• B2B brand specialists. Focus Lab is a good fit for B2B software, with a very different model. We cover it in our Focus Lab alternatives.
• Design subscriptions. A subscription can produce assets from a brand. It is not built to create one. We compare that model in our Superside alternatives guide.
• Logo marketplaces and contests. A logo is one output of a brand project, not the project.

How much does Pentagram cost?

Pentagram showed no prices on the pages we checked on 11 November 2026, so you will need to ask for a quote. We scope each project after a short call.

Can a smaller studio deliver a world-class identity?

Yes, if identity is its everyday work and you can see results at your stage. Ask for three identities it designed for companies like yours, the guidelines that came with them and the websites they launched on.