Cleveland Design

What Cleveland Design does

Cleveland Design, Inc. is a Boston-based, full-service graphic design agency founded in 1994 by Jonathan Cleveland. It operates as a privately held, founder-led firm with 1-10 employees and a senior leadership team consisting of Cleveland (Founder & Principal), Diana Morales (Managing Partner), and Lynn McNamee (Business Manager).

The firm's service portfolio spans six core areas: branding (visual identity systems, logos, messaging frameworks), digital (websites, motion graphics, video, accessible design under WCAG), marketing strategy, internal brand communications, exhibition and environmental design, and content development. It delivers these as project-based professional services using conventional web platforms (WordPress, Drupal, MailChimp) and creative tools, with select client-site integrations such as PetFinder and PayPal on nonprofit projects. Notable deliverables include annual reports, ESG/sustainability reports, corporate rebranding campaigns (e.g., AgeSpan, Integreon), and internal brand engagement platforms (e.g., Thomson Reuters' World in Pictures).

Cleveland Design serves a horizontally diversified client base of Fortune 500 enterprises (Thomson Reuters, Clarivate, Carrier, Cabot Corporation, The Lovesac Company), mid-market companies, startups, and nonprofits (Fidelity Charitable, AgeSpan, School of the Art Institute of Chicago). Pricing is project-based and quote-driven rather than publicly published. The agency positions itself on a direct-collaboration model without account management layers and reports the majority of clients have retained the firm for 10+ years. Operating geographies are stated as global despite a single Boston-area headquarters, with no disclosed external investment, M&A activity, or parent company.

Name

Cleveland Design

Legal name

Cleveland Design, Inc.

Website

https://clevelanddesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Boston-based, founder-led graphic design agency founded in 1994 offering branding, digital, marketing strategy, internal communications, exhibition, and content development services to Fortune 500 enterprises, startups, and nonprofits via a small senior team using direct client engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graphic Design & Branding Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143), Graphic Design Services (541430)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage) (MPAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Graphic design agency
• Brand identity design
• Website design development
• Marketing communications
• Annual report design

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Design and Brand Services: Project-based professional services for branding, digital design, marketing strategy, internal brand communications, exhibition and environmental design, and content development. Engagements include comprehensive brand messaging platforms, visual identity systems, website design and development, and marketing campaign materials.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cleveland Design is a Boston-based full-service graphic design and communications agency providing brand alignment, integration, and management solutions. It delivers project-based branding, digital design, marketing strategy, internal brand communications, content development, and exhibition/environmental design for clients from startups to Fortune 500 companies.

Product overview

Cleveland Design is a full-service Boston-based graphic design agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of design services rather than a software product. The agency's offerings center around six core service areas: Branding (visual identity and brand strategy), Digital (websites, motion graphics, video), Marketing Strategy, Content Development, Internal Brand Communications, and Exhibition & Environmental Design. These services are delivered as project-based deliverables including annual reports, ESG/sustainability reports, logo design, corporate rebranding, video production, and training materials. The company operates as a traditional agency model, working directly with clients from startups to Fortune 500 companies across diverse industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding Services Comprehensive brand development including visual identity systems, logo design, brand messaging, and brand strategy for organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies.
• Digital Services Website design and development, digital campaigns, motion graphics, video production, and interactive digital experiences for web and mobile platforms.
• Marketing Strategy Strategic marketing planning, campaign development, market positioning, and marketing communications strategy to help clients achieve business goals.
• Content Development Copywriting, editorial content, thought leadership materials, and content marketing strategy to engage target audiences.
• Internal Brand Communications Internal brand alignment programs, employee communications, and internal branding initiatives to connect employees with organizational brand values.
• Exhibition & Environmental Design Trade show exhibit design, environmental graphics, wayfinding signage, and event branding for physical spaces and exhibitions.
• Annual Report Design Annual report design and writing services for corporations, including content strategy, layout design, and production for print and digital formats.
• ESG & Sustainability Reports Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting and sustainability report design services, translating complex sustainability data into compelling visual narratives.
• Video Production Promotional video, motion graphics, and multimedia content creation for trade shows, campaigns, and digital marketing purposes.
• Corporate Rebranding Full corporate rebranding services including brand strategy, messaging frameworks, visual identity systems, and implementation guidelines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9% increase in applications submitted to SAIC following Graduate Programs View Book redesign
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pentagram: Partner-led, independent design firm offering branding, identity, digital, and editorial design across a multi-disciplinary structure. Operates with a similar senior-direct, no-account-layer model and competes for the same enterprise and cultural-institution clients as Cleveland Design.
• Lippincott: Brand strategy and design consultancy serving Fortune 500 clients on identity, naming, and corporate brand alignment. Highly comparable to Cleveland Design's 'comprehensive brand alignment, integration and management solutions' positioning and enterprise client roster.
• Siegel+Gale: Global brand strategy and design firm focused on simplicity, customer experience, and brand-led transformation. Comparable offering to Cleveland Design's brand alignment and digital/communication work for large enterprise clients.
• MetaDesign: International branding and design agency offering brand strategy, visual identity, digital, and editorial design. Direct comparable on a multi-disciplinary brand alignment offering for large, complex clients.
• Athletics: Independent, founder-led branding and design studio operating with a similar senior-direct engagement model. Comparable on offering (brand identity, digital, content) and positioning as a senior-creative alternative to large agency networks.
• Porto Rocha: Independent brand and design studio known for visual identity and brand strategy for cultural and enterprise clients. Mirrors Cleveland Design's focus on identity systems plus digital and content development with a small senior team.
• Manual: Brand and design studio serving startups through Fortune 500 on identity, content, and digital. Direct peer given overlapping client-segment mix (startups to large enterprise), services, and studio-scale model.

Broad incumbents

• Landor & Fitch: Global brand consulting and design firm and a WPP subsidiary serving many of the same large enterprise clients (Thomson Reuters-tier brands) on brand strategy, identity, and experience. Comparable in client segment but materially larger and broader than Cleveland Design.
• Interbrand: Global brand consultancy with practices in strategy, naming, identity, and brand valuation. Overlaps with Cleveland Design in brand identity and enterprise client work, though operating at substantially greater scale and breadth.
• R/GA: Global experience design agency offering brand, digital, and connected-product work for major enterprises. Comparable on the digital and marketing-strategy components of Cleveland Design's offering, though at much larger scale and with technology-driven capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cdesignboston
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cleveland-design
• Instagraminstagram.com/clevelanddesignboston
• Xx.com/CDesignBoston

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Cleveland Design