What Birsel+Seck does

Birsel+Seck is a New York-based human-centered design and innovation studio co-founded in 2004 by industrial designers Ayse Birsel and Bibi Seck. The studio operates with a small core team (1-10 employees including a VP of Design & Project Planning, a senior industrial designer, and a graphic designer) and applies a proprietary methodology called Deconstruction:Reconstruction (DE:RE), which breaks down assumptions and systems to rebuild products, experiences, and strategies with clarity and purpose. Its work spans product design (furniture, kitchenware, glassware, tile, watches, automotive concepts), exhibition design (World Design Expo Dakar Pavilion, Chanel Le 19M), and strategic framework development (Amazon Design Excellence Summit, Design the Life You Love movement).

The studio's deliverable portfolio includes the Overlay, Teneo, and Resolve office systems for Herman Miller; the Överallt collection for IKEA; the M'Afrique/Madame Dakar collection for Moroso; the U2 Urban Utility Concept for Toyota; the Laak Jom sustainable furniture collection for Chanel Le 19M; the Delish Essentials kitchenware line; the Tru Red Expert Notetaking collection for Staples; the Cura tile line for Kale; and the Tag Heuer Microtimer. Co-founder Ayse Birsel's work is part of MoMA's permanent collection, and the Madame Dakar chair was recognized by The New York Times as one of the 25 Most Defining Pieces of Furniture of the Last 100 Years.

Revenue is generated through project-based design consultancy fees paid by enterprise clients and, for designs that reach mass production, licensing/royalty arrangements with manufacturing partners (Herman Miller, Moroso, IKEA, Tag Heuer, Pasabahce, and others). Go-to-market is sales-led: the firm is engaged directly by Fortune 500 companies, visionary startups, and non-profits through bespoke co-creation projects, with brand awareness driven by a portfolio website, Instagram, published books, and speaking/workshop engagements. The business is privately held, with no disclosed external funding and an apparent equal-partnership ownership between the two co-founders.

Name

Birsel+Seck

Legal name

Birsel + Seck

Website

http://birselplusseck.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Birsel+Seck is a New York-based human-centered design studio founded in 2004 by Ayse Birsel and Bibi Seck, serving global Fortune 500 companies, startups, and non-profits through project-based product, exhibition, and strategic design engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Design Consultancy Services: Project-based design consultancy fees for custom design work including product design, exhibition design, strategic framework development, workshop design and facilitation, and visual storytelling for enterprise clients.
2. Product Design Licensing: Designs produced for clients like Herman Miller, Moroso, IKEA, and other manufacturers. Revenue may include licensing arrangements when designs are mass-produced and sold commercially.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Birsel+Seck is an award-winning human-centered design and innovation studio that delivers custom product design, exhibition design, strategic framework development, workshop design and facilitation, and visual storytelling for global brands. The studio applies a proprietary Deconstruction:Reconstruction (DE:RE) methodology to produce human-centered industrial designs, sustainable furniture collections, and design strategy engagements for Fortune 500 enterprises, visionary startups, and non-profits.

Product overview

Birsel+Seck is an award-winning human-centered design and innovation studio offering a diverse portfolio of products and strategic services. Their work spans industrial design (furniture, accessories, tiles, watches, vehicles), exhibition design, and design strategy consulting. Key product lines include the Overlay Office System and Teneo Storage System for Herman Miller, the Överallt Collection for IKEA, M'Afrique/Madame Dakar for Moroso, Delish Essentials kitchenware, Tru Red notetaking for Staples, Pasabahce glassware, Fitzfelt acoustic panels, Alev conference tables for Nucraft, Djembe stools, Cura Tile, Toyota concept vehicles, and Chanel sustainable furniture collections. The studio also offers strategic services including the Amazon Design Excellence framework and the Design the Life You Love methodology based on their proprietary Deconstruction:Reconstruction approach. Notable projects include the World Design Expo Dakar Pavilion and various sustainable design initiatives using recycled materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Industrial Design Consulting Custom product design services spanning furniture, accessories, tiles, watches, and vehicles for global brands and visionary startups. Engagements are project-based and tailored to each client's design challenge.
• Strategic Framework Development Strategic framework development and workshop facilitation services that distill insights into actionable frameworks for achieving design excellence within large organizations.
• Design the Life You Love Books and Workshops Movement and methodology including published books and workshops that help individuals apply design thinking to transform their lives and work, based on the Deconstruction:Reconstruction framework.
• Exhibition Design Exhibition design services that fuse traditional craftsmanship with modern design to showcase cultural heritage and contemporary creativity, including pavilion and exhibit installations for cultural and brand events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Design work has been featured in MoMA permanent collection
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Waste&HopecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Waste&Hope for the Chanel 19M Laak Jom collection. The series features a bench, lounge chair, and tables blending shredded, non-recyclable plastics with birch plywood into bold, elemental forms.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IDEO: IDEO is the most prominent global human-centered design and innovation consultancy. Like Birsel+Seck, IDEO delivers product design, strategic frameworks, and design thinking engagements for Fortune 500 clients across industries, and is the benchmark boutique design firm in this category.
• fuseproject: fuseproject is Yves Béhar's boutique industrial design and branding studio, producing award-winning product and brand work for global brands. Its size, founder-led model, and blend of consumer product design with strategic narrative closely mirror Birsel+Seck's positioning.
• Pentagram: Pentagram is a partner-owned design firm working across identity, product, environmental, and digital design for major global brands. Its multi-disciplinary partner model and project-based fee structure make it a structural analogue to Birsel+Seck's co-founder studio.
• Ammunition Group: Ammunition Group is Robert Brunner's boutique industrial design and brand strategy studio, known for consumer electronics and lifestyle product work (Beats by Dre, Polaroid, Nest). Its founder-led studio model and enterprise product focus make it a tight comparable.
• Smart Design: Smart Design is an independent design consultancy that blends industrial design, brand, and user experience work for global brands such as OXO, HP, and Ford. Its horizontal, multi-disciplinary approach and Fortune 500 client base overlap directly with Birsel+Seck.
• Lunar Design: Lunar Design is a long-standing, independent product design and innovation consultancy serving consumer electronics, medical, and lifestyle clients. Like Birsel+Seck, it operates as a boutique studio with deep industrial design expertise and a portfolio of Fortune 500 work.
• New Deal Design: New Deal Design is a San Francisco-based industrial design studio known for category-defining consumer products (Fitbit, Lytro, Google Home). Its founder-led boutique model, product design focus, and work with major tech and consumer brands parallel Birsel+Seck's positioning.
• Teague: Teague is a large independent design consultancy with deep experience in product, transportation, and experience design for clients including Boeing, Toyota, and Samsung. It is a broader, larger-scale analogue of Birsel+Seck's cross-industry product and transportation design practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/birselplusseck
• Xx.com/aysebirselseck
• Facebookfacebook.com/birselseck

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Birsel+Seck