Ysm Design
YSM Design is a privately held, minority-owned full-service architecture firm founded in 1990 in Atlanta, specializing in automotive dealership design and national multi-site brand rollouts for enterprise clients including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Marriott, and Philipp Plein.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersAtlanta, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ysm Design does
YSM Design, P.C. is a privately held, full-service architecture firm founded in 1990 by Miguel Yelos San Martin and headquartered in Atlanta with a second office in Laguna Beach, California. The firm employs 11–50 staff and operates as a Minority-Owned Business Enterprise certified through the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council. Its core offering spans the architectural project lifecycle — master planning, schematic design, design development, feasibility studies, construction documentation, and bidding/construction management — for clients across automotive dealerships, hospitality (Marriott, Element Hotel, Hampton Inn, La Quinta), luxury retail (Philipp Plein), restaurants, corporate offices (Audi, Jaguar, Sodexo), and residential/mixed-use sectors.
The firm's service portfolio is anchored in National Roll Outs (multi-site prototype and brand-consistency programs delivered to BMW, Jeep, and Philipp Plein), supported by technology-enabled workstreams in 3D rendering and immersive VR (pioneered since 1997 via BIM integration), site planning, and laser-scanning-driven Surveys/Plans/360 Tours delivered in partnership with AVA Surveying. Across its 35-year history YSM has completed 1,675+ projects totaling 83.7M square feet across 388 cities, holding professional licensing in 40+ U.S. states plus South America and Europe to enable global delivery at a local level.
Revenue is generated via project-based professional services engagement, with quote-based pricing determined by scope and complexity rather than tiered public pricing. The go-to-market is enterprise sales-led, leveraging long-standing brand-implementation relationships with automakers and major hospitality/retail operators. Marketing is conducted through the firm website (ysmdesign.com), project portfolio/case studies, and brand presence across Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. YSM holds no institutional investors and operates as a founder-led professional corporation.
Ysm Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ysm Design
- Legal name
- YSM Design, P.C.
- Website
- https://ysmdesign.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- YSM Design is a privately held, minority-owned full-service architecture firm founded in 1990 in Atlanta, specializing in automotive dealership design and national multi-site brand rollouts for enterprise clients including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Marriott, and Philipp Plein.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ysm Design industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
Keywords
Where Ysm Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Atlanta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ysm Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Architectural Services: Full-service architecture firm providing architectural design services across automotive, hospitality, retail, restaurant, office, and residential/mixed-use sectors. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services including master planning, schematic design, construction documentation, and project management.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Ysm Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
YSM Design is a full-service architecture firm delivering architectural design from master planning and schematic design through design development, construction documentation, and bidding for automotive, hospitality, retail, restaurant, office, and residential/mixed-use projects. The firm specializes in multi-location national rollouts that maintain brand consistency across hundreds of sites, supported by in-house 3D rendering, immersive VR visualization, laser-scanned surveys, and 360-degree virtual tours.
Product overview
YSM Design operates as a full-service architecture firm offering a unified portfolio of services rather than a modular software product. The core offering centers on Architectural Services, supported by specialized capabilities in National Roll Outs (multi-location brand consistency), 3D Rendering & Immersive Technology (visualization and VR), Planning (site analysis and programming), and Surveys, Plans, & 360 Tours (laser scanning and virtual tours). These services work together to deliver projects from concept through construction, with technology services (rendering, VR, laser scanning) enhancing the core architectural delivery.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architectural Services
- National Roll Outs
- 3D Rendering and Immersive Technology
- Planning
- Surveys, Plans, and 360 Tours
Quantifiable outcome
- 83.7 million square feet designed
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Ysm Design
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Ysm Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Ysm Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council)minorYSM Design is affiliated with the U.S. Green Building Council, suggesting involvement in sustainable/green building initiatives and LEED certification projects.
- GMSDC (Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council)minorYSM Design holds minority business enterprise certification through the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council, enabling access to corporate diversity procurement programs.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ysm Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- HOK: Global design, architecture, and engineering firm with practices spanning commercial, hospitality, and automotive. Comparable in target verticals to YSM but with vastly greater capacity and geographic reach.
- Stantec: Global design and engineering consultancy with commercial architecture practice. Comparable in commercial and hospitality design verticals, though much larger and more diversified across infrastructure and engineering.
- HKS: Global architecture and design firm with practices in hospitality, commercial, and mixed-use developments. Comparable in hospitality and commercial design verticals but at significantly larger scale.
- DLR Group: Integrated design firm providing architecture, engineering, and planning across commercial, hospitality, and mixed-use sectors. Comparable vertical mix to YSM with broader integrated services.
- Leo A Daly: US architecture, engineering, and planning firm with commercial, hospitality, and mixed-use practices. Comparable to YSM in commercial and hospitality design scope with broader service offerings.
- Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm with automotive, retail, and hospitality practices. Overlaps with YSM in automotive retail and branded environments but operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
- Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with diverse practice areas including commercial, hospitality, and mixed-use. Overlaps with YSM in commercial/hospitality design but at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
Direct peers
- Design International: Architecture and interior design firm specialized in automotive retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors globally. Directly comparable to YSM's automotive dealership and brand-implementation focus with international delivery.
- Nelson Worldwide: Multi-disciplinary design firm with a recognized automotive retail design practice for major OEMs. Comparable to YSM in serving enterprise automotive brands across multiple locations with consistent brand standards.
- Ware Malcomb: US architecture and design firm with a well-established automotive retail and commercial architecture practice serving OEMs and dealer groups. Closely comparable to YSM in client mix, multi-site rollout orientation, and mid-sized firm profile.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ysm Design social profiles
Digital presenceYsm Design compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Ysm Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ysm Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
Ysm Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ysm Design 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 Ysm Design
What does Ysm Design do?
YSM Design is a full-service architecture firm delivering architectural design from master planning and schematic design through design development, construction documentation, and bidding for automotive, hospitality, retail, restaurant, office, and residential/mixed-use projects. The firm specializes in multi-location national rollouts that maintain brand consistency across hundreds of sites, supported by in-house 3D rendering, immersive VR visualization, laser-scanned surveys, and 360-degree virtual tours.
Is Ysm Design a public or private company?
Ysm Design is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ysm Design founded?
Ysm Design was founded in 1990. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ysm Design based?
Ysm Design is headquartered in Atlanta, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ysm Design make money?
One revenue line is on record: architectural Services.
Who are Ysm Design's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are HOK, Stantec, HKS, DLR Group, Leo A Daly, Gensler and Perkins&Will. Direct peers are Design International, Nelson Worldwide and Ware Malcomb.
Does Ysm Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ysm Design.
What industry is Ysm Design in?
Ysm Design's product category is Architectural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services. Its NAICS code is 54131.