Carbon Design Group
Carbon Design Group is a boutique B2B marketing strategy and creative agency that uses AI-enabled personality-based marketing (Carbon Quadrants) and proprietary positioning (MyndShyft) to help mid-market and enterprise clients run person-level ABM and differentiated campaigns.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Carbon Design Group does
Carbon Design Group is a privately held, boutique B2B marketing strategy and creative agency headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina (operating under legal entity Carbon Design LLC), founded by Scott Gillum. The firm serves mid-market and enterprise B2B clients, including Novo Nordisk, Medidata (Dassault Systèmes), Deluxe, Comcast, Gartner, Unanet, Coalfire, Trextel, EVE Park, and Lee Hecht Harrison, with a focus on differentiating offerings in noisy B2B marketplaces through audience insights and personality-based marketing rather than traditional company- or role-based targeting.
The company's core offerings center on two proprietary methodologies: MyndShyft, a positioning and messaging process that helps clients connect with audiences and create differentiated offerings, and Carbon Quadrants, an AI-enabled personality-based marketing solution that profiles individual buyer personalities, motivations, and decision-making styles to enable person-level ABM execution. Underlying capabilities include natural language processing of buyer communications, recommendation logic for personality-matched content, and predictive analytics built on seven years of primary research into hundreds of B2B buyer journeys and thousands of decision-maker profiles. The agency is extending this research base into published IP via 'The Hidden Buyer Journey,' a book by Scott Gillum scheduled for early-Summer 2026 release, and has won industry recognition including MarTech Outlook's 2022 Brand Management Solutions Provider designation and multiple Davey Awards in 2025.
Carbon Design operates on a project-based and retainer services model (professional services pricing), with 90% of annual revenue reportedly sourced from inbound referrals and a senior-only delivery team whose average tenure is 16 years and where 85% of staff hold 15+ years of experience. The firm claims 20% faster and 30% less expensive delivery than large agencies, distributes thought leadership through a blog, e-books, webinars, podcasts, and PR in outlets such as The Drum and MarTech, and maintains core strategic partnerships with xiQ (Sales Xelerator platform) and Challenger Inc., alongside a distributed, flexible-work talent model. The company has raised no external funding and remains founder-owned.
Carbon Design Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Carbon Design Group
- Legal name
- Carbon Design LLC
- Website
- https://carbondesign.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Carbon Design Group is a boutique B2B marketing strategy and creative agency that uses AI-enabled personality-based marketing (Carbon Quadrants) and proprietary positioning (MyndShyft) to help mid-market and enterprise clients run person-level ABM and differentiated campaigns.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Carbon Design Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marketing Strategy Services
- NAICS
- Graphic Design Services (541430), Graphic Design Services (54143)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Brand Experience (BX) & Service Design (BPAFAEAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage) (MPAAAEAG)
Keywords
Where Carbon Design Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Carbon Design Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Strategy and Creative Services: Project-based and retainer engagements for B2B companies seeking audience insights, positioning, messaging, and creative services. 90% of annual revenue consists of inbound referrals indicating strong reputation-driven acquisition.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Carbon Design Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Carbon Design Group is a B2B marketing strategy and creative agency that helps mid-market and enterprise clients differentiate through audience insights and personality-based marketing. Its core deliverables include proprietary positioning and messaging work (MyndShyft), AI-enabled personality-based marketing programs (Carbon Quadrants), and accompanying creative execution delivered as project-based and retainer engagements.
Product overview
Carbon Design Group is a B2B marketing strategy agency offering a portfolio of AI-driven audience insight and personality-based marketing solutions. The core offerings include Carbon Quadrants (AI-enabled personality-based marketing platform), MyndShyft (proprietary positioning and messaging methodology), and The Hidden Buyer Journey (a book and associated research). The agency operates as a strategy-first organization that applies creative thinking to marketing challenges, combining research, strategy, and creative execution.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Carbon Quadrants: AI-enabled personality-based marketing solution enabling account-based marketing programs
- MyndShyft
Products and services
- MyndShyft Proprietary positioning and messaging process that helps B2B clients better connect with their audiences and create differentiated offerings.
- Carbon Quadrants AI-enabled personality-based marketing solution that profiles buyer personalities to help B2B clients sell to individuals rather than accounts, supporting ABM programs.
- The Hidden Buyer Journey (Book) Book by Carbon Design founder Scott Gillum that shares research findings on the hidden factors driving B2B purchasing decisions, drawing on seven years of buyer-journey research and personality profiling.
Quantifiable outcome
- 20% faster delivery than big agencies
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Carbon Design Group
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Carbon Design Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature3 records
Carbon Design Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- xiQcorexiQ and Carbon Design partnered to offer ROI-focused professional services built on xiQ's Sales Xelerator platform that help sales teams reignite stalled deals and create ABM programs that produce results.
- Challenger Inc.coreLong-standing partnership to turn Challenger's commercial insights into marketing campaigns and assets through workshops. Carbon Design helps clients convert commercial insights and messaging into marketing material that changes audience minds.
- COTAPminorCarbon Design is a proud sponsor of COTAP.org, an organization focused on social/environmental impact
- QuarryminorMarketing partner listed on About page
- PowerNoodleminorPartner using Basadur techniques shared by Carbon Design for problem-solving and ideation
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Carbon Design Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Carbon Design Group social profiles
Digital presenceCarbon Design Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Carbon Design Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Carbon Design Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Carbon Design Group 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 Carbon Design Group
What does Carbon Design Group do?
Carbon Design Group is a B2B marketing strategy and creative agency that helps mid-market and enterprise clients differentiate through audience insights and personality-based marketing. Its core deliverables include proprietary positioning and messaging work (MyndShyft), AI-enabled personality-based marketing programs (Carbon Quadrants), and accompanying creative execution delivered as project-based and retainer engagements.
Is Carbon Design Group a public or private company?
Carbon Design Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Carbon Design Group founded?
Carbon Design Group was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Carbon Design Group based?
Carbon Design Group is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Carbon Design Group make money?
One revenue line is on record: strategy and Creative Services.
Does Carbon Design Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Carbon Design Group.
What industry is Carbon Design Group in?
Carbon Design Group's product category is Marketing Strategy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAEAI, Brand Experience (BX) & Service Design, with a secondary code of MPAAAEAG, Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage). Its NAICS code is 541430.