What CoDesign does

CoDesign is a privately-held, two-person design studio founded in 2007 and headquartered in Lakewood, Ohio (Cleveland metropolitan area), operating from a single office at 17617 Franklin Avenue. The firm provides collaborative brand identity and logo design, WordPress website design and development, print collateral, video production, email marketing, and SEO services. Customers are concentrated in three primary verticals — architecture and design firms, law firms, and non-profit and faith-based organizations — with names such as ADA Architects, BSHM Architects, HSB Architects, Clapp Family Law, Koiles Pratt, and Lakewood Public Library. The studio is led by Brian Frolo, a Kent State-trained architect with 14+ years of architectural practice before founding CoDesign, and Karen Frolo, a Kent State-trained graphic designer with prior tenures at Dark Horse Design and Karen Skunta & Co.

The technology stack is built on WordPress with the Genesis framework, hosted on WPEngine for managed security and performance, with Mailchimp handling email marketing. Service delivery follows a project-based, quote-driven model: prospective clients submit project details and receive a confidential quote within one business day, with disclosed budget bands ranging from $1,000 to $15,000+. Marketing and acquisition run almost entirely on word-of-mouth referrals from existing architect, law firm, and non-profit clients, supported by a portfolio website and an organic social presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. There is no subscription or retainer layer; revenue mechanics are transactional, with print production outsourced to long-term partners (Great Lakes Litho, Latonia Graphics, Jakprints).

Geographic reach is regional, centered on the Cleveland metro and supplemented by select clients in Southeast Florida and other US markets. The firm discloses no external funding, no investors, no M&A activity, and no mobile application or API surface. Operationally, CoDesign has remained at two full-time principals for its entire 18-year history, indicating a stable owner-operated lifestyle practice rather than a venture-backed growth business.

Name

CoDesign

Legal name

CoDesign

Website

https://codesign.cc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CoDesign is a privately-held, two-person design studio founded in 2007 in Lakewood, Ohio, providing brand identity, WordPress website design, print design, video production, email marketing, and SEO services primarily to architecture firms, law firms, and non-profit organizations in the Cleveland metropolitan area and select national accounts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graphic and Web Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Graphic design services
• Brand identity design
• WordPress web design
• Print design
• Search engine optimization

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

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, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Professional Design Services: Project-based professional services for brand identity, web design, print design, video production, and SEO. Services are sold via quote requests with budget ranges from $1,000 to $15,000+ indicating variable project sizes. No subscription or recurring revenue model is indicated.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CoDesign is a full-service graphic and web design studio that creates brand identities, WordPress websites, print collateral, videos, email campaigns, and SEO programs for architect, law firm, and non-profit clients. Services are delivered as collaborative, project-based engagements priced through quote requests with budget tiers ranging from $1,000 to $15,000+.

Product overview

CoDesign is a full-service design studio offering collaborative brand design, websites, and digital marketing services. The company operates as a single integrated studio providing six core service offerings: Brand Identity and Logo Design, Print Design, WordPress Web Design and Development, Video Production, Email Marketing, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). These services are designed to work together as a comprehensive marketing solution, particularly for architect, law firm, non-profit, and faith-based organization clients. The firm was founded in 2007 and is led by a two-person design team.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Identity and Logo Design Comprehensive brand identity design including naming, logos, business cards, letterhead, and brand guidelines that reflect the unique character of organizations and ensure consistent application across print and digital media.
• Print Design Design of printed marketing materials including brochures, catalogs, proposals, reports, sell sheets, program guides, welcome booklets, event programs, postcards, invitations, tri-folds, posters, and flyers, with coordination of printing and delivery through trusted vendors.
• WordPress Web Design and Development Custom WordPress website design and development using the Genesis framework and off-the-shelf templates, featuring mobile-friendly responsive design, search engine optimization, and ongoing maintenance and support on WPEngine managed hosting.
• Video Production Full-service video production for corporate and not-for-profit clients including concept development, scripting, production, animation, editing, and platform optimization for corporate, explainer, educational, and animated videos.
• Email Marketing Email marketing services delivered through the Mailchimp platform, including list building and remarketing campaigns that consistently apply clients' brand identity across digital communications.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) SEO services including audits, competitive analysis, keyword research, backlink generation, on-page and off-page optimization, content writing, and analytics tracking and reporting.
• Law Firm Website Design and Branding Specialized website design and branding services for law firms, including mobile-friendly custom WordPress sites, brand identity systems, and marketing materials tailored for attorneys.

Quantifiable outcome

• Client testimonial: 'places my site on the first page of search results for an array of geo-targeted keywords'

Named customers20 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Great Lakes LithominorOthersTrusted print production partner for over 20 years. Company delivers accurate and complete print-ready files to ensure seamless, on-time production.
• Latonia GraphicsminorOthersTrusted print production partner for over 20 years. Company delivers accurate and complete print-ready files to ensure seamless, on-time production.
• JakprintsminorOthersTrusted print production partner for over 20 years. Company delivers accurate and complete print-ready files to ensure seamless, on-time production.
• WPEnginecoreTechnology or IntegrationManaged WordPress hosting platform used by CoDesign for client website hosting. Ensures data security and quick serving to visitors for WordPress websites.
• Genesis FrameworkcoreTechnology or IntegrationWordPress development framework used for custom website builds. CoDesign uses this framework for professional WordPress website development.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Rule of Three: Small agency offering branding, web design, and digital marketing services to mission-driven and SMB clients. Comparable as a similarly sized studio targeting values-aligned and professional services clients.
• Graphite: Small design and development studio offering branding, web, and digital services. Comparable boutique peer in scale and service orientation, though operating in a different geographic market.

Direct peers

• Fathom: Ohio-based digital marketing and analytics agency providing web, SEO, and content services. Comparable to CoDesign in service mix and regional orientation, though larger in scale and more analytically focused.
• Mortar Marketing: Cincinnati-based full-service marketing agency offering branding, web design, video, and digital marketing. Comparable Midwest peer with similar integrated service stack and small-to-mid agency positioning.
• Spinutech: Cleveland-area web design and digital marketing agency with deep WordPress/SEO capabilities. Closely comparable in service mix, geography, and target client profile (mid-market and SMB).
• Stevens Strategic: Cleveland-based integrated marketing and branding agency serving mid-market clients. Directly comparable as a regional design and digital marketing competitor with similar vertical targeting.
• Thundertech: Cleveland-based digital agency offering web design, branding, and digital marketing services to mid-market clients. Directly comparable as a regional full-service design and digital marketing competitor in CoDesign's home market.

Broad incumbents

• Rise Interactive: Chicago-based digital marketing agency with strong media, SEO, and analytics capabilities. Adjacent peer serving similar mid-market and enterprise clients with overlapping service offerings.
• Hitchcock Fleming & Associates: Established Akron/Cleveland-area full-service advertising and marketing agency with brand, digital, and media capabilities. Comparable as a regional full-service competitor with a longer institutional history and broader client base.
• Brown Bag Marketing (now Think Patented): Larger Cleveland-area marketing agency with broader service capabilities across digital, print, and promotional products. Overlaps with CoDesign's brand, web, and print offerings but operates at significantly larger scale with a wider portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/codesignllc
• Facebookfacebook.com/codesignllc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/codesignllc
• Instagraminstagram.com/codesignllc
• Pinterestpinterest.com/codesigned

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 CoDesign