Anti Designs
Anti Designs is a Boston-based custom screen printing studio founded in 2004 that produces apparel, accessories, posters, and packaging on-site and in-studio, serving brands, cultural institutions, artists, and SMBs primarily across New England via quote-based projects and live event activations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Anti Designs does
Anti Designs is a Boston-based custom screen printing studio founded in 2004 by Jay LaCouture (who went full-time in 2011) and originally co-founded with Mark Stiles, operating from a single South Boston studio at 516 E 2nd St, Suite #40. The studio produces custom screen-printed apparel (t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jackets, hats), accessories (tote bags, bandanas), paper goods (posters, art prints, gift bags, packaging), and non-traditional substrates (wood panels, metal dog tags, glass bottles, umbrellas, pizza boxes). Its technical capabilities span specialty techniques including split fountain gradients, CMYK 4-color process printing, reflective ink application, halftone reproduction, and water-based ink printing on delicate materials.
The business operates three revenue streams: project-based custom screen printing on a quote-per-project basis, live on-site screen printing activations where the portable press travels to client venues, and direct-to-consumer merchandise sales through an Etsy storefront (etsy.com/shop/theanti). Pricing is opaque (no public price list) and varies by substrate, color count, run size, and complexity. The portable press setup is the operational centerpiece of the live activation offering, enabling deployments at retail stores (Urban Outfitters), museums (ICA Boston, Museum of Science), universities (Harvard, MIT), civic organizations (Downtown Boston Alliance, Rose Kennedy Greenway), and corporate events.
Customer base spans enterprise experiential marketing clients (Urban Outfitters, Dunkin, Truly, Boston Bruins, Jack Daniels, America's Test Kitchen), cultural institutions (Museum of Science Boston, ICA Boston, Rose Kennedy Greenway), universities (Harvard, MIT, Harvard Forest), music and arts clients (Ghostface Killah, Teklife, Get On Down, Pat Falco, Massiel Grullon), and a long tail of SMB apparel and hospitality buyers. The company was named to Entrepreneur Magazine's 100 Brilliant Companies in 2010 and remains founder-controlled with no institutional investment disclosed.
Anti Designs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Anti Designs
- Legal name
- Anti Designs
- Website
- https://antidesigns.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Anti Designs is a Boston-based custom screen printing studio founded in 2004 that produces apparel, accessories, posters, and packaging on-site and in-studio, serving brands, cultural institutions, artists, and SMBs primarily across New England via quote-based projects and live event activations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Anti Designs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Screen Printing Services
- NAICS
- Commercial Screen Printing (323113)
- SIC
- Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Custom Printing & Decoration Services (Screen Print, Embroidery, Laser) (BPAFAMAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Large-Format & Specialty Printing (Signage, Posters, Displays) (MPAJALAD), Prepress & Composition Services (Typesetting, Layout, Color Management, Proofing) (MPAJALAA)
Keywords
Where Anti Designs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Anti Designs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Custom screen printing services: One-time project-based custom screen printing on garments (t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jackets, hats), accessories (tote bags, bandanas), paper (posters, art prints), and non-standard materials (packaging, wood, metal, glass). Customers submit artwork or work with Anti Designs on design; pricing is quote-based per project.
- Live on-site screen printing activations: On-site event activations where Anti Designs brings their portable press to client locations (retail stores, museums, corporate events, university campuses, public spaces) for live printing. Typically used for brand activations, product launches, and experiential marketing events. Customers include Urban Outfitters, Downtown Boston Alliance, Truly, and museums.
- Direct-to-consumer prints via Etsy: Anti Designs maintains an Etsy shop (etsy.com/shop/theanti) selling screen printed merchandise directly to consumers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom screen printing projects — quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Anti Designs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Anti Designs is a Boston-based screen printing studio providing custom in-studio screen printing on garments, paper, packaging, and non-standard substrates, plus a unique live on-site screen printing service that brings a portable press to brand activations, corporate events, museum programs, and retail locations. The studio specializes in multi-color, split fountain, CMYK process, reflective ink, and water-based ink printing techniques for clients ranging from major brands to independent artists.
Product overview
Anti Designs is a Boston-based screen printing studio offering a comprehensive range of printing services. The company operates two primary service lines: Custom Screen Printing (in-studio services for t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, posters, tote bags, bandanas, jackets, and custom packaging) and Live Onsite Screen Printing (portable printing services for events, brand activations, and corporate functions). Additional event services include Live Heat Press and Live Hat Bar activations. The company also sells merchandise directly through their Etsy shop. Services utilize various specialty techniques including split fountain printing, reflective ink, CMYK process printing, and screen printing on non-traditional materials.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Custom Screen Printing In-studio screen printing service at Anti Designs' South Boston studio, covering t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, tank tops, posters, art prints, tote bags, bandanas, 12-inch record jackets, and other apparel items. Includes custom graphic design and artwork preparation alongside multi-color print production.
- Live Onsite Screen Printing Portable screen printing service in which Anti Designs brings its mobile press and staff to the client's venue (retail stores, museums, corporate events, public spaces, university campuses) to produce prints live during the event. Used for brand activations, product launches, and experiential marketing campaigns.
- Live Onsite Heat Press Activation On-location heat press customization service where Anti Designs brings full-size heat presses to client venues to apply patches and heat transfer designs to apparel and accessories during events.
- Live Onsite Hat Bar Activation On-site hat customization service in which guests at events can screen print custom designs onto hats via a portable hat bar setup.
- Custom Screen Printed Packaging Custom screen printing on non-standard packaging substrates including cardboard boxes, pizza boxes, record jackets, effect pedal packaging, and similar specialty packaging requiring complex folding and material handling.
- Custom Gift Bag Printing Custom screen printing on paper gift bags with premium matte and semi-gloss finishes, including two-color prints on thin materials, intended for restaurants, bars, and retailers seeking branded takeaway packaging.
- Valentine's Day Card Making Activation Interactive card-making event service in which guests create custom screen printed Valentine's Day cards at pop-up market or community event venues.
- Etsy Shop (Direct-to-Consumer Merchandise) Online retail storefront on Etsy selling Anti Designs screen printed merchandise, prints, and printed products directly to individual consumers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 300+ tote bags printed at a single Urban Outfitters x Dunkin launch event
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Anti Designs
Customer profileNamed customers34 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Anti Designs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Anti Designs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.
- Speedball ArtcoreAnti Designs partnered with Speedball Art as part of the Test Print Tuesday community event series. Speedball Art provided materials support for the 8-week free community print-making program that invited guests to learn and practice screen printing. Each week featured new artists and printed content, with Speedball supplying inks and other printing materials.
- Zone 3coreZone 3 (located at westernave.com) served as the venue host for Test Print Tuesday, Anti Designs' 8-week community print-making event series. Zone 3 provided the physical space for the weekly skill-share, artist talk, and hands-on screen printing sessions that were free and open to the public via Eventbrite registration.
- Helen PopinchalkcoreAnti Designs partnered with Helen Popinchalk (helenpopinchalk.com) as a co-organizer and collaborator for Test Print Tuesday. Helen contributed artistic direction and hands-on facilitation for the 8-week community print-making series, which combined skill sharing, artist talks, and hands-on screen printing for participants of all skill levels.
- Zone 3 (event host)notableZone 3 hosted the community-focused Test Print Tuesday event series. Anti Designs thanked Zone 3 in their community print-making recap for hosting the 8-week event that featured weekly guest Boston artists and art organizations.
- Helen PopinchalkcoreAnti Designs thanked Helen Popinchalk for being an amazing collaborator throughout the Test Print Tuesday 8-week community print-making event series.
- Trifecta EditionsnotableAnti Designs collaborated with Trifecta Editions as part of the Neon Dream installation at Hubweek 2017. Trifecta Editions contributed hand-silkscreened paper crystals and artistic elements to the 20-foot shipping container installation featuring high-powered black lights and fluorescent silkscreen wallpaper.
- Cyrille ConannotableCyrille Conan collaborated with Anti Designs on the Neon Dream installation at Hubweek 2017, contributing fluorescent tape mural work and additional artistic elements to the installation at Boston City Hall Plaza.
- Steez DesignnotableSteez Design was a fellow collaborator on the Neon Dream project at Hubweek 2017, contributing to the large-scale multi-day festival installation featuring artists, scientists, and innovators.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Anti Designs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hammerpress: Kansas City boutique silkscreen studio known for custom posters, packaging, and apparel, with a long-running in-house print shop and on-site event activations. Closely comparable to Anti Designs in operating model, substrate range (paper, apparel, packaging), and artisanal, design-driven positioning.
- Hatch Show Print: Nashville-based heritage letterpress and silkscreen shop producing custom posters, gig prints, and branded merchandise for music, sports, and cultural clients. Same artisan custom-printing service line and cultural-institution client base as Anti Designs, including museum and event activations.
- Detroit Print House: Detroit-based custom screen printing studio focused on apparel, posters, and limited-edition prints, with a similar boutique, artist-collaborator identity. Comparable to Anti Designs in screen printing on apparel and paper substrates serving artists, music, and brand clients.
Others
- George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: Global experiential marketing agency producing brand experiences, product launches, and live activations for enterprise clients. Overlap is on the live brand-activation use case (Urban Outfitters, Boston Bruins, Dunkin) where Anti Designs supplies the on-site screen printing layer for agencies like GPJ and Green House Agency.
- Sparks: Global brand experience agency producing pop-ups, roadshows, and live events for major consumer brands. Relevant as an enterprise experiential-marketing buyer and partner of the same on-site activation work Anti Designs supplies, but Sparks is an agency rather than a printer.
Broad incumbents
- 4Imprint: Large US promotional products distributor and decorator serving enterprise buyers with branded merchandise including apparel. Adjacent rather than direct: 4Imprint aggregates decoration capacity across many vendors and does not itself operate artisan screen printing or live activations like Anti Designs.
- HALO Branded Solutions: Large-scale branded merchandise and decoration provider with global production capacity for apparel and promotional goods. Comparable end customers (brand marketers) and product categories, but HALO competes on scale and supply-chain breadth, not the artisan-on-site activation niche Anti Designs occupies.
- CustomInk: Largest US online custom apparel screen-printing platform serving groups, schools, and brands with on-demand decorated apparel at much higher volume. Overlap is in t-shirt and apparel screen printing, but CustomInk operates at industrial scale without Anti Designs' bespoke design + on-site activation model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Anti Designs social profiles
Digital presenceAnti Designs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Anti Designs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Anti Designs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Anti Designs 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 Anti Designs
What does Anti Designs do?
Anti Designs is a Boston-based screen printing studio providing custom in-studio screen printing on garments, paper, packaging, and non-standard substrates, plus a unique live on-site screen printing service that brings a portable press to brand activations, corporate events, museum programs, and retail locations. The studio specializes in multi-color, split fountain, CMYK process, reflective ink, and water-based ink printing techniques for clients ranging from major brands to independent artists.
Is Anti Designs a public or private company?
Anti Designs is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Anti Designs founded?
Anti Designs was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Anti Designs based?
Anti Designs is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Anti Designs make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom screen printing services are the primary driver. The others are live on-site screen printing activations and direct-to-consumer prints via Etsy.
Who are Anti Designs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hammerpress, Hatch Show Print and Detroit Print House. Others are George P. Johnson Experience Marketing and Sparks. Broad incumbents are 4Imprint, HALO Branded Solutions and CustomInk.
Does Anti Designs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Anti Designs.
What industry is Anti Designs in?
Anti Designs's product category is Custom Screen Printing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAMAL, Custom Printing & Decoration Services (Screen Print, Embroidery, Laser), with a secondary code of MPAJALAD, Large-Format & Specialty Printing (Signage, Posters, Displays). Its NAICS code is 323113 and its SIC code is 3470.