What Elevate Studios does

Elevate Studios is a Chicago-based digital experience design firm founded in 2005 (per company history, though firmographics list 2003) that provides integrated strategy, design, and technology services to premium beauty, fashion, and direct-to-consumer brands. The firm operates as a professional services studio with 11–50 employees under founder and CEO Lawrence Bak, and remains privately held with no disclosed venture capital or private equity backing. Its service offering is organized around three pillars — Strategy (customer research, digital/e-commerce strategy, SEO, brand messaging), Design (brand identity, UX, visual design, design systems, e-commerce platforms, digital marketing), and Technology (e-commerce replatforming, CMS development, performance optimization, accessibility, front- and back-end development) — delivered under a senior-led "white glove" engagement model.

The studio's core technical capability is multi-platform e-commerce implementation across Shopify Plus, BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and Craft CMS, with documented custom interactive features such as shade-matching wizards and mascara effect visualizers. Its commercial model is project-based custom agency work with multi-year contracts; pricing is not publicly disclosed and engagements are initiated via direct outreach, email inquiries, and industry referrals. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting premium brands, with customer acquisition driven by long-standing relationships, word-of-mouth within beauty/fashion/D2C verticals, content marketing via an active educational blog, and a portfolio of detailed case studies.

Customer concentration is heavily skewed toward the L'Oréal corporate portfolio — including Lancôme, IT Cosmetics, Redken, Kerastase, Pureology, Matrix, L'Oréal Professionnel, and Biolage — alongside other premium beauty and lifestyle clients (bareMinerals, Urban Decay, Armani Beauty, Keratin Complex, Trunk Club, Maidenform, Singer, Soom, Champion). The firm cites client relationships spanning more than a decade as evidence of retention strength, and reports quantified outcomes including 300% ROI for Lancôme in under one month, an 11.6% transaction lift on the same engagement, and double-digit sales increases for Keratin Complex within days of launch. The firm has received industry recognition including AIGA, Webby, W3, Davey, and Web Awards.

Name

Elevate Studios

Legal name

Elevate Studios, Inc.

Website

https://elevatestudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Elevate Studios is a Chicago-based digital design agency that delivers strategy, UX, and e-commerce platform builds for premium beauty, fashion, and direct-to-consumer brands, with deep embedded relationships across the L'Oréal brand portfolio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)

Keywords

• Digital experience design
• E-commerce design services
• UX design agency
• Brand strategy consulting
• Web development agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Digital Design Services: Professional services revenue from strategy, UX design, visual design, and technology development engagements with premium beauty, fashion, and D2C brands. Projects include brand websites, e-commerce platforms, and digital marketing campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Elevate Studios is a digital experience design firm that provides strategy, design, and technology services to premium beauty, fashion, and direct-to-consumer brands. The studio delivers brand websites, e-commerce platforms, UX and visual design, and replatforming on BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Shopify Plus, and Craft CMS. Its work emphasizes conversion-optimized customer journeys, brand storytelling, and measurable ROI outcomes.

Product overview

Elevate Studios is a digital design studio that operates as a services-based agency rather than a software product company. They offer three interconnected service pillars: Strategy (customer research, digital strategy, SEO, brand messaging), Design (brand identity, UX design, design systems, e-commerce platforms, digital marketing), and Technology (e-commerce replatforming, CMS development, performance optimization, accessibility, website development). Their approach combines strategy, design, and technology to create digital experiences for e-commerce brands, with expertise in premium beauty, fashion, and direct-to-consumer sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Services Strategic consulting for premium beauty, fashion, and D2C brand clients covering customer and audience research, digital and e-commerce strategy, content strategy, brand messaging, customer acquisition (CRM) strategy, and SEO services. Designed for enterprise brand owners seeking to establish vision and framework before design and build phases.
• Design Services
• Technology Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 300% ROI achieved in less than one month for Lancôme project
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers19 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

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BigCommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform partnership for building enterprise e-commerce solutions on BigCommerce platform.
• Salesforce Commerce CloudcoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform expertise for implementing Salesforce Commerce Cloud solutions for enterprise clients.
• Shopify PluscoreTechnology or IntegrationPreferred platform for D2C brand e-commerce implementations, including Keratin Complex case study.
• Craft CMScoreTechnology or IntegrationContent management system integration paired with Shopify for e-commerce and marketing content solutions.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Huge: Huge is a full-service digital agency with a strong commerce and brand design practice serving enterprise consumers. Closely comparable to Elevate in model (strategy + design + technology) and target customers (premium consumer brands), though at significantly larger scale.
• Corra: Corra is a digital agency focused on commerce implementations across Shopify Plus, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and BigCommerce for premium consumer brands. Closely comparable on platform expertise and enterprise D2C client base.
• AKQA: AKQA is a digital design and brand agency known for premium consumer work and award-recognized e-commerce experiences. Comparable to Elevate in integrated creative-plus-technology delivery for premium brands.
• Dept: Dept is a digital creative agency combining strategy, design, and technology with notable commerce and brand experience practices. Comparable to Elevate in integrated service pillars and premium brand positioning.
• Firstborn: Firstborn is a digital agency combining strategy, design, and technology for premium consumer and entertainment brands. Comparable to Elevate in boutique full-service model, multi-platform commerce delivery, and award-recognized creative output.
• Fjorge: Fjorge is a digital commerce implementation agency specializing in BigCommerce, Shopify, and custom e-commerce builds. Directly comparable to Elevate's technology pillar, though narrower in scope (less creative strategy).
• Bounteous: Bounteous is a digital experience agency with strong commerce platform expertise (including Shopify and Salesforce). Comparable in multi-platform commerce delivery and customer-journey focus for enterprise consumer brands.
• R/GA: R/GA is a global digital agency offering brand, design, and technology services including commerce enablement. Directly comparable in integrated agency model and pursuit of enterprise consumer clients, including beauty and fashion categories.

Broad incumbents

• VML: VML is a global creative and commerce agency with deep relationships across beauty and consumer brand clients. Comparable in integrated brand-and-commerce offering but at significantly larger scale and global footprint.
• Publicis Sapient: Publicis Sapient is a large digital transformation consultancy covering strategy, design, and engineering for global enterprises including premium retail. Comparable end-to-end services but at much greater scale and breadth than Elevate's boutique studio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ElevateStudios
• Facebookfacebook.com/elevatestudios
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elevate-studios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Elevate Studios