Wolff Olins
Wolff Olins is a global brand consultancy founded in 1965 that designs brand strategies, visual and verbal identities, culture programs, and experience systems for Fortune 500 enterprises and global cultural institutions across London, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1965
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Wolff Olins does
Wolff Olins is a global brand consultancy founded in 1965 in Camden, London, by Michael Wolff, Wally Olins, and Jane Scruton. The firm pioneered the corporate identity industry and now operates from four offices — London (headquarters), New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco — with projects spanning more than 150 countries and 75 languages. Its work is anchored in an integrated three-discipline model covering Brand (strategy, visual identity, verbal identity, brand architecture), Culture (employee value proposition, culture strategy, employer brand, change and learning, workplace experiences), and Experience (strategy, innovation, ecosystem design, implementation), plus activation and governance support.
The consultancy's deliverables are bespoke professional services rather than software products: brand systems, custom design languages, proprietary typefaces (e.g., Bower for McKinsey, Decathlon Sans for Decathlon), motion behaviors, brand architecture models, and engagement frameworks tailored to each client's strategic inflection points. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees on multi-month, multi-year enterprise engagements. Clients are predominantly large multinational corporations and cultural institutions — including TikTok, Uber, McKinsey & Company, Lloyds Banking Group, Kenvue, GSK, Instacart, The Met, BMG, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, LG Electronics, Decathlon, The Economist Group, ABB, and Patreon — typically accessed through direct enterprise sales, competitive pitches, and senior-level referrals. The firm is privately held with no disclosed parent company, no funding rounds, and no public revenue disclosure.
Wolff Olins firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wolff Olins
- Legal name
- Wolff Olins
- Website
- https://wolffolins.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1965
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Wolff Olins is a global brand consultancy founded in 1965 that designs brand strategies, visual and verbal identities, culture programs, and experience systems for Fortune 500 enterprises and global cultural institutions across London, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wolff Olins industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Brand Consulting
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (541810), Graphic Design Services (54143), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Brand Consulting, Audits & Research (Brand Health, Equity, Competitive) (BPAFAEAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Employer Brand Strategy & Talent Branding (BPAFAEAH), Sustainability & Purpose Brand Design (ESG Narrative, Impact Branding) (MPAAAEAL), Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage) (MPAAAEAG)
Keywords
Where Wolff Olins is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Wolff Olins business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Brand Consulting and Strategy Engagements: Project-based consulting engagements with global enterprises for brand strategy, transformation, and identity development. Revenue is generated through professional services fees for strategy consulting, design, and implementation projects of varying duration and scope.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise consulting engagements |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Wolff Olins product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wolff Olins is a global brand consultancy that creates transformative brands for ambitious organizations at pivotal inflection points. The firm delivers project-based professional services across brand strategy, visual identity, verbal identity, brand architecture, culture and engagement programs, and experience design, developing proprietary brand systems, bespoke typefaces, motion behaviors, and verbal frameworks that scale across digital, physical, and environmental touchpoints for global enterprise clients.
Product overview
Wolff Olins is a global brand consultancy offering an integrated suite of services across Brand, Culture, and Experience disciplines. The Brand services encompass strategic brand consulting, visual identity creation, verbal identity development, and brand architecture design. Culture services include employee value proposition development, culture strategy and leadership narrative articulation, employer brand expression, change and learning programs, and workplace branding. Experience services cover experience strategy, innovation, ecosystem design, and implementation. Rather than a software product, the firm delivers professional consulting engagements to help organizations transform their brands, culture, and customer experiences at pivotal inflection points.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Brand Strategy and Consulting Services
- Visual Identity
- Verbal Identity
- Brand Architecture
- Culture Transformation Services
- Experience Design Services
- Activation and Governance
Quantifiable outcome
- 51% increase in brand value ahead of Uber's IPO
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Wolff Olins
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Wolff Olins technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Wolff Olins partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ABBnotablePartnered with ABB, a global leader in engineering, to develop a distinctive brand positioning and employer value proposition. Engagement program involved cross-disciplinary stakeholder team to co-create work for ABB's 105,000 employees across 100+ markets worldwide. Project focused on internal brand engagement and transformation support.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Wolff Olins competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Landor & Fitch: Global brand consultancy offering strategy, identity design, and experience, housed within WPP. Most direct comparable to Wolff Olins in scale, service breadth, and Fortune 500 client base.
- Interbrand: One of the founding global brand consultancies offering brand strategy, naming, visual identity, and valuation services. Operates within Omnicom and competes directly with Wolff Olins on enterprise brand transformation engagements.
- Pentagram: Independent, partner-led design consultancy focused on visual identity and brand systems. Comparable on craft excellence and bespoke enterprise work, though structured as a partnership rather than integrated consultancy.
- FutureBrand: Global brand consultancy (part of IPG) offering strategy, design, and experience. Comparable on Fortune 500 client mix and full-service brand transformation scope.
- Lippincott: Boutique brand strategy and identity consultancy known for rigorous brand work with major corporates. Comparable as a premium, independently-positioned alternative in the same enterprise brand space.
- Saffron Brand Consultants: Independent brand consultancy with a strong reputation in strategy-led identity and purpose work. Comparable on enterprise client roster and boutique positioning.
- Superunion: Brand-led creative agency within WPP focused on brand identity and design. Comparable as enterprise-focused brand consultancy with similar integrated strategy-design offering.
- MetaDesign: Global brand and design consultancy with strong European heritage, comparable on visual identity craft and enterprise client roster in DACH and global markets.
Broad incumbents
- IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy with broader human-centered design and product development scope. Overlaps with Wolff Olins on experience design and corporate innovation engagements.
- R/GA: Global digital agency and consultancy within IPG offering brand, experience, and marketing innovation. Comparable on enterprise digital transformation engagements with overlapping scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Wolff Olins social profiles
Digital presenceWolff Olins financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wolff Olins leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Wolff Olins funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wolff Olins M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wolff Olins
What does Wolff Olins do?
Wolff Olins is a global brand consultancy that creates transformative brands for ambitious organizations at pivotal inflection points. The firm delivers project-based professional services across brand strategy, visual identity, verbal identity, brand architecture, culture and engagement programs, and experience design, developing proprietary brand systems, bespoke typefaces, motion behaviors, and verbal frameworks that scale across digital, physical, and environmental touchpoints for global enterprise clients.
When was Wolff Olins founded?
Wolff Olins was founded in 1965. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Wolff Olins based?
Wolff Olins is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Wolff Olins make money?
One revenue line is on record: brand Consulting and Strategy Engagements.
Who are Wolff Olins's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Landor & Fitch, Interbrand, Pentagram, FutureBrand, Lippincott, Saffron Brand Consultants, Superunion and MetaDesign. Broad incumbents are IDEO and R/GA.
Does Wolff Olins have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wolff Olins.
What industry is Wolff Olins in?
Wolff Olins's product category is Brand Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAEAJ, Brand Consulting, Audits & Research (Brand Health, Equity, Competitive), with a secondary code of BPAFAEAH, Employer Brand Strategy & Talent Branding. Its NAICS code is 541810 and its SIC code is 7311.