What Mude does

Mude is a strategic brand and creative agency founded in 2015, operating from Sydney (Glebe, NSW) and Canberra City (ACT), Australia. The firm positions itself as a brand strategy-first agency serving companies that view brand as a competitive lever for business outcomes — pricing power, talent attraction, sales cycle compression, and customer acquisition cost reduction — rather than as an aesthetic exercise. The agency's service portfolio is organised across three pillars: Brand (strategy, identity, packaging design), Creative (video production, photography, graphic design), and Web & App (websites and mobile/web applications), delivered through a project-based professional services model with scope-locked pricing across 3–6 month engagements.

The firm operates a project-based professional services model with no hourly billing, supplemented by monthly brand guardianship retainers. Go-to-market is sales-led, beginning with a 45-minute diagnostic call, and the firm is currently booking projects into August 2026, signalling forward demand well beyond typical agency norms. Customers span Australian Commonwealth departments (Prime Minister and Cabinet, Health, Disability and Ageing, Defence, CASA), inter-governmental organisations (IEA, EU, SPREP), policy institutes (ASPI), education (ANU), music labels (Amazon Music, Sony, Universal, Warner, Island, EMI, MCA, DistroKid), and consumer/enterprise brands (Google, Vodafone, GEOCON, Skyline, Sunstrata, ByAsia Food, Full Proof, Papa Salt). Mude holds foundation supplier status on the Australian Government's Digital Marketplace Panel 2 (DMP2, October 2024–October 2029) and is registered on the buy.nsw Supplier Hub.

Beyond client services, Mude operates two proprietary cultural assets: Mood on the Roof, a five-plus-year rooftop live music series that has expanded into paid live events in partnership with DistroKid and Vodafone (June 2026), and Sayless, a sub-brand working with brands seeking to act like creators. No proprietary software, patented technology, or AI/ML capability is disclosed; the competitive moat rests on craft pedigree (team from film and documentary backgrounds), government panel access, and the cultural currency generated by Mood on the Roof.

Name

Mude

Legal name

Mude Pty Ltd

Website

https://mude.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mude is a strategic brand and creative agency in Sydney and Canberra, Australia, serving government, music, FMCG, technology, and policy clients across brand strategy, identity, packaging, video production, and web/app development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Strategy and Creative Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Creative Concepting & Campaign Development (BPAFAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Content Marketing & Branded Content Agencies (MPAAAAAF), Artist Booking, Talent Buying & Agency Services (MPAGAAAF)

Keywords

• Brand strategy services
• Brand identity design
• Creative production agency
• Packaging design services
• Web design development

Headquarters

HQ city

Glebe

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Project-based professional services: Mude generates revenue through scoped project engagements across brand strategy, brand identity, creative production, and web/app development. They charge by project scope rather than hourly rates, with the cost locked at the start of engagement. Strategy alone typically runs 3 months; strategy through to identity runs 4–5 months; full engagement including website runs 5–6 months. They also offer brand guardianship retainers and ongoing creative consulting priced as monthly fees for continued strategic counsel and creative stewardship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mude is a strategic brand and creative agency that sells brand strategy, brand identity, packaging design, video production, photography, graphic design, and web/app design and development services on a project-scoped basis to enterprise, government, and consumer-brand clients. The agency treats brand and creative as competitive levers, helping companies build positioning, identity systems, and brand-right digital experiences that improve pricing power, shorten sales cycles, and attract better talent. Engagements span strategy-only (3 months), through to identity (4–5 months), and full engagements including website (5–6 months), with optional monthly brand guardianship retainers.

Product overview

Mude is a strategic brand and creative agency with offices in Sydney and Canberra. The agency operates across three service pillars: Brand (encompassing Brand Strategy, Branding, and Packaging Design), Creative (including Video Production, Photography, and Graphic Design), and Web & App (covering Web Design & Development and Application Design and Development). The agency also runs Mood on the Roof, its own live music series and cultural platform, and a sub-brand called Sayless focused on creator-style brand content. Mude positions itself as a brand strategy-first agency that treats brand and creative as competitive levers for outmaneuvering competitors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mood on the Roof: Live music series and cultural platform featuring rooftop concerts with emerging artists, created by Mude as an internal passion project
• Sayless

Products and services

• Brand Strategy Strategic brand positioning service including positioning strategy document, brand narrative, value proposition, brand architecture, messaging framework, and activation roadmap. Sold to companies that want to win the positioning game, typically running 3 months as a standalone engagement or 4–6 months when combined with identity and web.
• Branding Visual identity design service including logo design, type systems, colour palettes, illustration direction, art direction, and brand guidelines development, intended to create distinction and signal meaning for companies.
• Packaging Design FMCG and product packaging design including concept development, art direction, label design, and production-ready artwork for food, beverage, and consumer goods brands. Recognised by Pentawards 2023 Shortlist for ByAsia Food BubbleMe packaging work.
• Video Production Cinematic video production for brands including live music sessions (e.g., Amazon Music Gretta Ray Amazon Original), brand films, campaign videos, and documentary content. Won 6x Gold at Telly Awards 2024 and Webby Awards nomination for Gretta Ray performance.
• Photography Brand photography services including product photography, portrait photography, and campaign photography for diverse industries, delivered by a team rooted in film and documentary practice.
• Graphic Design Graphic design services including visual communications, illustration direction, and design systems for brand applications.
• Web Design & Development Website design and development services for brands, building sites that signal brand value and deliver strong user experience. Team writes code in-house rather than outsourcing development, and the work is positioned as built by a brand agency that actually writes code.
• Application Design and Development Application design and development services for mobile apps and custom web applications built with brand-first approach by the in-house development team.
• Brand Guardianship Retainer Ongoing brand guardianship retainer with regular check-ins, on-call strategic counsel, ongoing creative reviews, and content audits. Tiered from light-touch advisory through to embedded ongoing partnership, priced as a monthly fee for continued strategic counsel and creative stewardship.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6x Gold Awards and multiple wins at the Telly Awards 2024 for work with Amazon Music, Mood on the Roof, and SPREP documentary
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers29 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DistroKidcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 June 2026DistroKid presented Mood on the Roof Nights — Mude's first live edition of their cinematic rooftop concert series on June 18, 2026. DistroKid is a music distribution platform. This partnership enabled Mude to take their Mood on the Roof series from a filmed one-song format to a full live event with a paying audience, aligning Mude's cultural platform with a music industry distribution partner.
• VodafonecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 June 2026Vodafone backed Mood on the Roof Nights live event on June 18, 2026. Vodafone Australia provided backing for the live concert event featuring Winston Surfshirt and Cody Jon, captured with a robotic arm in 360-degree format.
• Papa SaltminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 June 2026Papa Salt (Australian gin brand) handled the drinks for Mood on the Roof Nights on June 18, 2026, providing the beverage offering for the invite-only live event.
• Sayless (sub-brand)minorOthersSayless is a Mude sub-brand that works with brands that want to act more like creators than advertisers. It is an internal initiative rather than a client partnership.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Howatson+Co: Sydney-based creative agency with a brand strategy, advertising, and content production portfolio serving major Australian and international brands. Closely aligned to Mude's brand-and-creative integration model and Australian mid-market positioning.
• Re (Re Sydney): Sydney-based independent creative agency focused on brand-led creative work for challenger and enterprise brands. Comparable to Mude in size, Australian base, and strategy-first positioning.
• BMF: One of Australia's most awarded full-service creative agencies based in Sydney. Like Mude, BMF combines brand strategy with creative production and serves enterprise and consumer clients across Australia, making it the closest direct peer in size and category positioning.
• Special Group: Trans-Tasman creative agency (Sydney and Auckland) with a strong brand strategy and creative production offering, now part of Stagwell Global. Comparable to Mude in services mix and in serving enterprise clients across Australia and New Zealand.
• Thinkerbell: Australian-founded creative agency known for integrating PR, brand strategy, and creative production into a single offering. Operates across Sydney and Melbourne with a comparable full-service positioning to Mude's brand + creative + web model.
• Akcelo: Australian creative and marketing services agency with brand strategy, creative production, and integrated campaign capabilities across Sydney and Melbourne. Operates in a similar category to Mude for Australian enterprise and consumer clients.

Broad incumbents

• Anomaly: International creative agency with brand strategy, advertising, and content production capabilities across New York, London, LA, Toronto, and Shanghai. Operates as a larger-scale reference point for Mude's strategic brand + creative integration model.
• Mother: Globally recognized creative agency with offices in NYC, London, and Los Angeles, founded on a similar "small studio, cultural work" ethos that Mude also espouses. Functions as a broad incumbent that international clients benchmark Mude against when considering expansion.
• Pentagram: Global design agency specializing in brand identity, brand strategy, and visual systems, with a partner-led studio model. Comparable to Mude on the brand identity and packaging design pillars of its offering.

Emerging players

• Hungry Boys: Australian content-led creative agency with deep music industry and cultural brand work, producing branded content, music videos, and campaign films. Closely comparable to Mude's Mood on the Roof-driven music and cultural content production capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/moodontheroof
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mude-creative-agency-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Mude