Purpose
Purpose is a London-based brand strategy and design agency serving enterprise and mid-sized businesses, with sister-agency Athlon and an implementation arm, Purpose Works, delivering positioning, identity, and brand rollout across sectors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Purpose firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Purpose
- Legal name
- Purpose
- Website
- https://purpose.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Purpose is a London-based brand strategy and design agency serving enterprise and mid-sized businesses, with sister-agency Athlon and an implementation arm, Purpose Works, delivering positioning, identity, and brand rollout across sectors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Purpose industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Brand Strategy and Design Services
- NAICS
- Graphic Design Services (54143), Advertising Agencies (541810)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Brand Strategy & Positioning (BPAFAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Packaging & Brand Identity Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAN)
Keywords
Where Purpose is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Purpose business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Brand Strategy and Identity Services: Professional services revenue from brand strategy consulting, identity design, and implementation services. Engagements include brand positioning, visual identity development, tone of voice guidelines, and brand rollout support.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Purpose product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Purpose is a brand strategy and design agency that develops brand positioning, visual identity, brand guidelines, and messaging frameworks for organizations across sectors. The agency pairs strategic consultancy with an in-house production studio, Purpose Works, located at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, which delivers brand implementation and print production. It operates as a collaboration with sister agency Athlon under the joint identity "Purpose | Athlon."
Product overview
Purpose (also known as Purpose | Athlon) is a brand strategy and design agency that offers a unified service combining brand strategy and visual identity design. The core offering consists of Brand Strategy Services (including positioning, DNA development, and messaging frameworks) and Brand Identity Design (logo, guidelines, and visual systems). Purpose Works serves as the implementation and production arm of the agency. The company works across diverse sectors including finance, healthcare, education, retail, and media, delivering brand solutions for clients ranging from startups to established organizations like Royal Mail, Virgin Atlantic, and the National Apprenticeship Service.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Purpose Works: Implementation and production studio located at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, providing brand delivery services
Products and services
- Brand Strategy Services Strategic brand consultancy including brand positioning, brand DNA development, messaging frameworks, and audience research to help organizations define their brand strategy and narrative.
- Brand Identity Design Visual and verbal brand identity creation including logo design, brand guidelines, color systems, typography, and tone of voice guidelines that define how a brand presents itself visually.
- Purpose Works Implementation and production studio located at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, providing high-quality brand delivery, print production, and implementation services to bring brand strategy and identity work to physical rollout.
Companies that use Purpose
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Purpose technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Purpose partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- AthloncorePurpose | Athlon represents a formal collaboration between two sister agencies built on similar principles. Both agencies recognise that today's clients need the best solutions across brand strategy, design, and innovation with global reach. Having worked closely together for nearly twenty years, they formally came together to offer a wider scope under one roof and as one team.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Purpose competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pentagram: Independent design partnership with a London office producing brand identity, visual systems, and strategy for a comparable roster of enterprise, cultural, and nonprofit clients. Direct head-to-head competitor for identity briefs.
- Siegel+Gale: Global strategic brand, experience, and design consultancy known for simplicity-led brand strategy. Comparable in approach to Purpose's strategy-plus-identity model.
- Superunion (formerly Brand Union): WPP-owned brand agency combining strategy, identity, and design for enterprise clients. Direct competitor for UK and EMEA brand engagements at the scale Purpose targets.
- Wolff Olins: Global brand consultancy offering brand strategy, identity design, and verbal identity to enterprise clients. Comparable to Purpose across service mix and target customer base, but operating at significantly larger scale with offices worldwide.
- Landor & Fitch: Global brand consulting and design firm covering strategy, identity, and experience design. Comparable service offering with broader geographic footprint and larger resourcing than Purpose.
- Saffron Brand Consultants: Independent brand strategy consultancy working with leadership teams on purpose, positioning, and identity. Closely comparable to Purpose's strategy-led, mid-market-to-enterprise positioning work.
Regional players
- Bulletproof: London-based strategic brand and packaging design agency. Comparable mid-size competitor in the UK branding market with overlapping identity and packaging capabilities.
- Elmwood: UK-headquartered brand design consultancy with additional regional offices, working across consumer and corporate brand identity. Comparable offering to Purpose with slightly different sector emphasis.
Emerging players
- Radda Strategic Brand Consultancy: Independent brand strategy consultancy that has partnered with Purpose on award-winning work (e.g., Society for Experimental Biology rebrand). Closely comparable in size and strategy-led positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Interbrand: One of the largest global brand consultancies, offering strategy, naming, identity, and valuation services as part of a broad portfolio. Represents the incumbent scale competitor Purpose frequently competes against on enterprise pitches.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Purpose social profiles
Digital presencePurpose financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Purpose leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Purpose subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Purpose funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Purpose 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 Purpose
What does Purpose do?
Purpose is a brand strategy and design agency that develops brand positioning, visual identity, brand guidelines, and messaging frameworks for organizations across sectors. The agency pairs strategic consultancy with an in-house production studio, Purpose Works, located at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, which delivers brand implementation and print production. It operates as a collaboration with sister agency Athlon under the joint identity "Purpose | Athlon."
Is Purpose a public or private company?
Purpose is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Purpose founded?
Purpose was founded in 2003. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Purpose based?
Purpose is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Purpose make money?
One revenue line is on record: brand Strategy and Identity Services.
Who are Purpose's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pentagram, Siegel+Gale, Superunion (formerly Brand Union), Wolff Olins, Landor & Fitch and Saffron Brand Consultants. Regional players are Bulletproof and Elmwood. Radda Strategic Brand Consultancy is listed as an emerging player. Interbrand is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Purpose have an API?
No public API is recorded for Purpose.
What industry is Purpose in?
Purpose's product category is Brand Strategy and Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAEAA, Brand Strategy & Positioning, with a secondary code of MPAAAAAN, Packaging & Brand Identity Creative Agencies. Its NAICS code is 54143 and its SIC code is 7311.