Obys agency

What Obys agency does

Obys Agency is a concept-driven design studio founded in 2018 in Kharkiv, Ukraine by Olha Olianishyna (Managing Director) and Viacheslav Olianishyn (Design Director), now operating from the EU with offices in Amsterdam, Warsaw, and Berlin. The studio maintains an intentionally small team of under 10 people and delivers creative direction, web design and development, brand identity, 3D visualization, and motion design for a curated set of enterprise clients spanning architecture (Makhno, Autex), fashion and photography (Peter Lindbergh, Yulia, Odin's Crow), technology and biotech (Miro, Glyphic Biotechnologies, Salience Labs), automotive (Porsche Taycan), culture (Abetka), and media/hospitality (CNN, Hilton). Notable deliverables include a proprietary custom typeface (OTF Obys NG), an award-winning methodology rooted in modernist principles, and a body of work recognized with 80+ international awards including Awwwards Studio of the Year (2023), four CSS Design Awards Studio of the Year titles, Red Dot Best of the Best, and 30+ Awwwards Site of the Day awards.

The business operates two distinct revenue streams. The first is professional-services agency work, sold on a custom-quote basis to a limited number of enterprise projects per year, with every engagement personally led by the founders. The second is a self-serve educational product line anchored by the Design Education Series (DES) — three video seasons on Typography Principles ($150), Colors Combinations ($150), and Grids ($150), an All Seasons Pass ($300), a Mentor Plan ($650), and a guided Creative Web Design Practice program — distributed via the Teachable platform and monetized as lifetime-access subscriptions. The DES platform has educated 4,500+ students with a 4.8/5 average rating, while the foundational free educational websites (Typography Principles, Colors Combinations, Grids) have collectively attracted over 1 million visits, serving as both content marketing and lead generation for the agency. Supporting the core business are sub-brands including Obys' Design Books (a curated library) and the non-commercial AI Modernism of Kharkiv (AIM) cultural side project built using Midjourney.

The studio is structured as an Individual Entrepreneur (sole proprietorship) registered in Warsaw, Poland under Viacheslav Olianishyn, with no institutional investors, parent company, or outside equity holders. It has no disclosed funding rounds, no subsidiaries, no patents, and no public revenue figures. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales for the agency practice with self-serve PLG for education, supplemented by PR-driven channels (Awwwards, CSS Design Awards, Red Dot, Codrops, Communication Arts), organic social (Instagram, Behance, X, LinkedIn, TikTok), conference speaking (Awwwards Valencia 2022/2024, The Geek Gathering Osijek 2025, Dysarium Lviv 2024), and a Discord community that supports ongoing engagement with students and referral flow into agency work.

Name

Obys agency

Legal name

Viacheslav Olianishyn (Individual Entrepreneur)

Website

https://obys.agency

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Boutique EU-based design studio with under 10 people delivering creative direction, web design, brand identity, and 3D for select enterprise clients including Porsche, Miro, CNN, and Hilton, plus a self-serve Design Education Series platform serving 4,500+ designers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kharkiv

HQ country

Ukraine

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Project-based creative direction, web design, web development, brand identity, and 3D services for enterprise clients. Obys takes on a limited number of projects each year.
2. Educational Courses and Programs: Online courses (Typography Principles, Colors Combinations, Grids) priced at $150 each, with All Seasons Pass at $300 and Creative Web Design Practice at $650 including mentorship and feedback sessions. Lifetime access model.
3. Speaking and Consulting: Lectures and consulting services, public speaking engagements at conferences

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Obys agency is a concept-driven design studio that delivers creative direction, web design and development, brand identity, 3D, and motion design services to enterprise clients on a selective, founder-led basis. The studio also operates the Design Education Series (DES), an online educational platform offering video courses on typography, color theory, and grid systems delivered via Teachable, with a mentored Creative Web Design Practice program.

Product overview

Obys Agency is a concept-driven design studio founded in 2018 by Olha Olianishyna and Viacheslav Olianishyn, based in the EU (Amsterdam, Warsaw, Berlin). The agency operates with a team of under 10 people and offers a portfolio of services spanning Creative Direction, Web Design and Development, Brand Identity, 3D, Motion Design, and Lectures and Consulting. The company's core offering consists of two interconnected product lines: (1) Agency services — delivering creative direction, web design/dev, identity, 3D, and motion design across diverse industries including architecture, fashion, technology, automotive, culture, and education for clients such as Porsche, Miro, CNN, Hilton, and Makhno; and (2) Educational products — anchored by the Design Education Series (DES), a structured video learning platform offering three seasons (Typography Principles, Colors Combinations, and Grids) plus a mentored Creative Web Design Practice program, all delivered via Teachable. Supporting the DES platform are foundational side projects (Typography Principles, Colors Combinations, Grids websites) that collectively received over 1 million visits, and Obys' Design Books — a curated library of 16 design book recommendations. The studio also produces cultural side projects including the non-commercial AI Modernism of Kharkiv (AIM) experiment using Midjourney to reimagine Kharkiv modernism artists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Design Education Series (DES): Educational platform offering courses on typography, color combinations, and grids principles for designers.
• Obys' Design Books
• Typography Principles
• Colors Combinations
• Grids
• AI Modernism of Kharkiv

Products and services

• Creative Direction Concept-driven creative direction service applied to web, brand, and digital projects across architecture, fashion, technology, biotech, automotive, and culture verticals. Led personally by the founders.
• Web Design and Development End-to-end web design and development service spanning concept, visual design, motion, and final build. Primary technical offering with projects across fashion, architecture, technology, automotive, culture, and education.
• Brand Identity Brand identity design services covering visual identity systems for clients across industries, often delivered alongside web design and development work.
• 3D Design 3D design and rendering services applied within client projects including technology, biotech, and architecture engagements.
• Motion Design

Quantifiable outcome

• 80+ international awards including Red Dot Best of the Best, multiple Awwwards SOTD, FWA, European Design Awards
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Huge: Large digital agency serving enterprise clients across strategy, design, and technology. Comparable to Obys in targeting enterprise creative budgets for web and brand, but as a much larger full-service incumbent.
• Pentagram: The world's largest independent design consultancy, with broad identity, digital, and brand work across industries. Comparable to Obys as a high-end creative brand partner for enterprise, but at significantly larger scale and broader service scope.
• R/GA: Global digital agency working across brand, experience, and innovation for major brands. Comparable to Obys on the brand-and-experience intersection, but at substantially larger scale and broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Resn: New Zealand–based boutique creative web studio repeatedly recognized by Awwwards and FWA. Closely comparable to Obys in size, premium web design and development focus, and award-driven positioning.
• Active Theory: Los Angeles–based studio specializing in immersive web experiences, motion, and 3D. Directly comparable on premium creative web/dev output, award-heavy portfolio, and enterprise brand clients like the ones Obys serves (CNN, Porsche, Samsung).
• Ueno: Independent digital design and branding studio working with premium consumer and tech brands. Comparable to Obys as a small, founder-led boutique focused on brand identity and high-end web/digital work.
• B-Reel: Global creative tech agency known for interactive storytelling, web, motion, and brand experience work for major brands. Comparable to Obys in creative direction, web design/dev, and motion offerings for enterprise clients.
• UNIT9: Creative production studio with award-winning web, film, and interactive work. Comparable to Obys on the intersection of creative direction, motion, 3D, and high-end web/dev for marquee brands.
• Work & Co: Digital product agency known for premium brand and commerce work with clients like Apple, Google, and Nike. Comparable to Obys in serving enterprise brands with high-craft digital/brand engagements at premium fees.
• Instrument: Independent digital brand and product studio working with enterprise clients across brand, web, and product design. Comparable to Obys in founder-led boutique model and enterprise creative direction focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/obys_agency
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@obysagency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/obys
• Instagraminstagram.com/obys_agency
• TikToktiktok.com/@obys_agency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Obys agency