Selbert Perkins Design

What Selbert Perkins Design does

Selbert Perkins Design (SPD) is a private, woman-owned environmental graphic design firm founded in 1996 by Robin Perkins and Clifford Selbert. The firm integrates six core service lines — Branding, Signage & Wayfinding, Placemaking, Public Art, Environmental Graphic Design, and Digital Design — into bundled enterprise engagements for municipalities, public agencies, universities, health systems, developers, architects, and large corporate clients. Its underlying craft combines traditional graphic design, landscape architecture, sculpture, industrial design, BIM/CADD, 3D modeling, and motion graphics to deliver signage systems, landmarks, gateways, monuments, murals, donor recognition programs, master plans, and interactive digital directories. Marquee projects include the LAX Gateway Columns (serving 88 million travelers annually), Universal Studios, World of Coca-Cola, Canal City Hakata, Boston Children's Hospital, Penn State Health Children's Hospital, City Creek Center, and the City of Lancaster rebrand.

The firm operates four studios across Los Angeles (headquarters and West Coast hub), Boston (East Coast), Chicago (Midwest), and Shanghai (international/Asia), supported by a Deputy GM Asia role. It is WBE-certified through WBENC and holds SBE/LBE certifications, supporting preferential procurement in public-sector RFPs. The business model is professional services revenue generated through quote-based, multi-year project engagements acquired via direct enterprise sales and architecture/design industry referrals, with no public revenue disclosures and no observed venture or private equity backing. The firm is co-led by Robin Perkins and named partners Andrew K. Davey, John Lutz, and Michael Pagliarulo following the March 2026 passing of co-founder Clifford Selbert. Notable recent activity includes the June 2026 publication of a 320-page monograph titled "Landmarks" and a coordinated wave of internal promotions across all three US studios.

Name

Selbert Perkins Design

Legal name

Selbert Perkins Design

Website

https://selbertperkins.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Selbert Perkins Design is a woman-owned, private environmental graphic design firm with studios in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Shanghai, delivering integrated branding, wayfinding, placemaking, public art, and digital design services to enterprise and institutional clients worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Graphic Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Identity & Brand Design Systems (BPAFAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Graphic Design & Visual Content Production (BPAFAIAC), Graphic Design & Visual Communications (Collateral, Illustration) (MPAAAEAC)

Keywords

• Environmental graphic design
• Signage and wayfinding
• Placemaking design
• Brand identity strategy
• Public art consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Environmental Graphic Design Services: Professional services revenue generated through client engagements for branding, wayfinding, placemaking, public art, environmental graphics, and digital design projects. The firm works directly with municipalities, public agencies, institutions, developers, architects, and landscape architects on large-scale projects worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Selbert Perkins Design (SPD) is an international environmental graphic design firm that creates integrated Branding, Signage & Wayfinding, Placemaking, Public Art, Environmental Graphics, and Digital Design programs for enterprise clients. The firm combines multidisciplinary expertise in landscape architecture, sculpture, branding, industrial design, BIM, CADD, and 3D modeling to deliver large-scale projects across education, healthcare, transportation, mixed-use/retail, civic, hospitality, and sports & entertainment sectors from studios in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Shanghai.

Product overview

Selbert Perkins Design (SPD) is an international environmental graphic design firm offering six integrated core services: Branding (logo design, naming, storytelling, brand strategy), Signage & Wayfinding (comprehensive sign plans, ADA compliance, interactive wayfinding), Placemaking (landmarks, gateways, master plans), Public Art (murals, sculpture, art curation), Environmental Graphic Design (supergraphics, murals, donor recognition), and Digital Design (interactive directories, media plans, web design). The firm operates studios in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Shanghai, serving diverse industries including education, healthcare, transportation, hospitality, and commercial development. The services are offered as an integrated portfolio rather than standalone modules, combining branding, wayfinding, and placemaking to drive economic success for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding Brand identity creation including logo design, naming, storytelling, vision and strategy, and guidelines & standards. SPD collaborates with communities and clients to research and define goals and translate them into unified branding, wayfinding, placemaking, and public art programs.
• Signage & Wayfinding Comprehensive sign plans, guidelines & standards, digital systems, ADA/code compliance, signage design, wayfinding programs, and interactive wayfinding solutions for airports, rail, healthcare, retail, and hospitality environments.
• Placemaking Creating vibrant communities through amenities, art programs, banner programs, branded environments, digital integration, master plans, murals & sculpture, and tenant criteria, integrating art and environment to help people experience the identity, history, cultures, stories, and spirit of each locale.
• Public Art Public art connecting communities through landmarks, gateways, monuments, murals, art curation & programming, storytelling, and art guidelines.
• Environmental Graphic Design Environmental graphics (also called supergraphics or experiential graphic design) displayed as signage, banners, wall murals, elevator wraps, window graphics, pavement embedments, and 3D acrylic graphics, including branded environments, donor recognition programs, existing program analysis, murals, and wayfinding design.
• Digital Design Technology-based solutions including advertising plans, content strategies, digital integrations, interactive directories, media master plans, ordinance development, and website design, helping plan, design, source, and implement interactive, dynamic solutions for web, mall, and building environments.
• LANDMARKS Monograph Book A 320-page hardcover monograph by Selbert Perkins Design (ISBN 9781736273180, priced at $40.00) showcasing 62 projects in branding, wayfinding, and placemaking from diverse destinations across five continents, with over 170 color images; published by Visual Profile Books.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88 million annual travelers served through LAX Gateway alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pentagram: Largest independent multidisciplinary design firm in the US, with partners leading identity, environmental, and graphic design engagements. Comparable to SPD in offering integrated branding and environmental design to enterprise and institutional clients.
• Landor & Fitch: Global branding and design consultancy with deep experience in identity systems, environmental branding, and wayfinding for airports, retail, and mixed-use destinations. Directly comparable to SPD's integrated branding-plus-placemaking model.
• Populous: Architecture firm specializing in sports and entertainment venues, with a strong environmental graphics, branding, and wayfinding capability. Highly comparable on the sports/entertainment, civic landmark, and large-venue placemaking segments.
• ESI Design: Boutique experiential graphic design firm specializing in interactive environments, branded environments, and wayfinding for cultural, civic, and corporate clients. Closely matches SPD's EGD and digital design scope and target verticals.
• Mijksenaar: Dutch wayfinding specialist with global airport, transit, and healthcare projects (Schiphol, Amsterdam UMC). Directly comparable to SPD's wayfinding and signage systems practice, particularly on international transit and healthcare commissions.
• Carmel Owen (Two Twelve): Wayfinding and signage systems firm with deep practice in civic, transit, and cultural placemaking. Closely comparable to SPD on wayfinding master planning and signage standards work.
• Entro: Canadian experiential graphic design and wayfinding firm serving airports, transit, healthcare, and higher education. Comparable in vertical mix and integrated branding-plus-wayfinding offerings, with a strong North American focus.
• Roll Barresi & Associates: Mid-sized wayfinding and signage planning firm focused on healthcare, higher education, and civic projects. Directly comparable to SPD's signage systems and master planning scope in similar verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Gensler: Global AEC firm with significant in-house experiential graphic design and wayfinding practices serving airports, healthcare, and mixed-use clients. Competes with SPD on integrated commissions but at vastly larger scale and as part of full architectural mandates.

Emerging players

• City DNA: Placemaking and city branding consultancy working on identity, gateways, and wayfinding for municipalities and mixed-use destinations. Comparable to SPD's placemaking and civic identity work, with a narrower geographic and service focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/selbertperkins
• Facebookfacebook.com/selbertperkinsdesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/selbert-perkins-design
• Instagraminstagram.com/selbertperkinsdesign
• Pinterestpinterest.com/selbertperkins
• Xx.com/selbertperkins

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Selbert Perkins Design