Velvet
Velvet is an independent strategic design agency in Tallinn and Tartu, Estonia, delivering strategic design, branding, and digital/software design services to public and private sector clients across multiple industries via project-based engagements since 2004.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersTallinn, Estonia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Velvet does
Velvet OÜ is an independent strategic design agency founded in 2004 in Pärnu, Estonia, by Aivo Kallas, Markko Karu, Janno Siimar, and Mart Lankots, and now headquartered at Telliskivi Loomelinnak in Tallinn with a second office in Tartu. It is the first design-only creative agency in Estonia and remains privately held by its founding partners with no external institutional investment, no parent company, and no affiliation with holding companies or agency networks. The firm operates with a core team of approximately 40 designers, producers, developers, and researchers, augmented by a global freelance network and a roughly 150-person alumni community.
Velvet delivers work across three service pillars: Strategic Design & Consulting (service design, experience design, strategy design, user research, training), Branding & Graphic Design (logo, visual storytelling, packaging, typography, printed media), and Digital Design & Software Development (UX/UI, websites, digital products, multimedia). Core proprietary assets include an "empathy-first" design methodology codified in 19 guiding principles and a Four-Dimensional Analysis Model framework used in financial-product client work. Notable client engagements span government (Estonian Ministry of Education, Ravimiamet, Maritime Museum, Lääne-Viru region), telecommunications (Tele2), real estate (Merko/Krulli), manufacturing (Tammer, Balmec), travel (Estravel), education (Emili School, DigiLa), investment (Skaala), and nonprofit (Kingitud Elu).
The business model is project-based professional services with custom, quote-based pricing and multi-year contract structures; revenue is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales, supported by an award-winning portfolio (Design Agency of the Year 2020, Digital Agency of the Year 2021, 159 total industry awards including multiple 2025-2026 Kuldmuna recognitions), a content-marketing website and blog, and active social media presence. In 2024, founding partner Mart Lankots transitioned to lead a newly spun-off spatial design firm, Kosmos Ruumidisainerid, narrowing Velvet's environmental design focus to its remaining core disciplines.
Velvet firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Velvet
- Legal name
- Velvet OÜ
- Website
- https://velvet.ee
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Velvet is an independent strategic design agency in Tallinn and Tartu, Estonia, delivering strategic design, branding, and digital/software design services to public and private sector clients across multiple industries via project-based engagements since 2004.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Velvet industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Strategic Design Agency Services
- NAICS
- Graphic Design Services (541430), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)
Keywords
Where Velvet is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tallinn
- HQ country
- Estonia
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Velvet business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Strategic Design & Consulting Services: Project-based professional services for strategic design, branding, graphic design, digital design, and software development. Revenue generated through client engagements for specific design and consulting projects.
- Design Services: Services include Service Design, Experience Design, Strategy Design, Design Education & Trainings, User Research, Branding, Packaging, Printed Media, Illustration, Information Graphics, Typography, User Experience Design, User Interface Design, Website Design & Development, Digital Product Design & Development, Multimedia Design.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom project-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Velvet product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Velvet is a strategic design agency that delivers custom, project-based design and consulting engagements across three service pillars: Strategic Design & Consulting (service design, experience design, strategy design, user research, and design training); Branding & Graphic Design (visual identity, logo, illustration, printed media, packaging, typography); and Digital Design & Software Development (UX/UI design, website design and development, digital product design, multimedia). Engagements are tailored per client and delivered by an in-house team of approximately 40 designers, producers, developers, and researchers based in Tallinn and Tartu, Estonia, with access to a broader global network.
Product overview
Velvet is a strategic design agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of creative services rather than a unified software product. The agency operates across three main service pillars: Strategic Design & Consulting (service design, experience design, strategy design, user research), Branding & Graphic Design (visual identity, illustration, printed media), and Digital Design & Software Development (websites, digital products, UX/UI). Each engagement is a custom creative project tailored to client needs, delivered by a team of approximately 40 designers, producers, developers, and researchers based in Tallinn and Tartu, Estonia.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Strategic Design & Consulting Application of future-oriented design principles to increase an organization's innovative and competitive qualities. Covers service design, experience design, strategy design, design education and trainings, and user research, delivered as custom consulting engagements.
- Branding & Graphic Design Graphic design and art direction services covering logo design, visual storytelling, design systems, concept art, infographics, posters, corporate books, business cards, branded merchandise, branding, packaging, printed media, illustration, information graphics, and typography. Delivered as bespoke branding and graphic design projects.
- Digital Design & Software Development Full digital experience design and development covering user experience design, user interface design, website design and development, digital product design and development, and multimedia design, delivered as end-to-end digital projects.
Quantifiable outcome
- 20% of Krulli website visitors registered interest within two months
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Velvet
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Velvet technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Velvet partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- KAGU_the_agency (Gunnar Hunt)minorContent design partner for RYTM project, providing creative content development and strategic input for the AI-powered stock analysis application.
- Kulutuli OÜminorVideo production partner for DigiLa educational content.
- Yellow Studiominor3D animations partner for Krulli real estate project, providing visual content for the urban development brand.
- Mirza Omar AqilminorIllustrator providing custom illustrated characters for Krulli brand identity.
- Loome Luup OÜ (Joanna Juhkam)minorMiniatures creation partner for Maritime Museum 90th anniversary exhibition.
- Spicy (Sofía Vega Anza)minorCreative strategist and trainer for Tele2 Dream-Makers Bootcamp CX training program.
- 21TORRminorGerman digital agency partnership during 21TORR's popup office experience in Tallinn. Velvet served as partnering agency to introduce local design scene.
- SENSE. European STEAM Education NetworkminorProud member of SENSE. network contributing brand and website for European STEAM education roadmap initiative.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Velvet competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ustwo: Independent digital product studio with design thinking methodology, delivering apps, websites, and brand experiences. Comparable to Velvet in offering strategic design, UX/UI, and digital product development with a human-centered philosophy.
- Pentagram: Independent, partner-led design agency specializing in branding, graphic design, and digital work for major clients. Closest structural analog to Velvet — independent ownership, project-based work, integrated branding + digital capabilities — though at significantly larger scale.
- Instrument: Independent brand and digital product agency offering strategy, design, and technology for ambitious brands. Directly comparable to Velvet's integrated branding + digital product + strategy model.
- &Walsh: Independent design studio led by Jessica Walsh, offering branding, art direction, and digital design. Comparable boutique-scale, founder-led agency model with cross-disciplinary design capabilities like Velvet.
- Fantasy (Interactive): Independent design and technology agency focused on digital experiences, branding, and product design. Directly comparable to Velvet's digital design + branding + software development service mix.
- Work & Co: Independent digital product agency specializing in UX/UI, digital products, and brand experiences for enterprise clients. Comparable to Velvet's digital design + product development focus, at somewhat larger scale.
- Koto Design: Independent brand and design agency offering brand strategy, visual identity, and digital experience design. Closely aligned with Velvet's integrated branding + digital + strategy positioning for ambitious clients.
Broad incumbents
- IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy known for human-centered design and strategic transformation. Comparable to Velvet's empathy-first, strategy-plus-execution model, but operates at much larger scale across multiple continents.
- R/GA: Global digital agency offering brand strategy, design, and technology at enterprise scale. Overlaps with Velvet's full-service design + digital capabilities but serves much larger multinational clients.
- frog (Capgemini Engineering): Global design and engineering consultancy now part of Capgemini, with deep expertise in strategy, design, and technology. Comparable to Velvet's empathy-driven design thinking methodology, but operates at enterprise scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Velvet social profiles
Digital presenceVelvet financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Velvet leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Velvet funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Velvet 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 Velvet
What does Velvet do?
Velvet is a strategic design agency that delivers custom, project-based design and consulting engagements across three service pillars: Strategic Design & Consulting (service design, experience design, strategy design, user research, and design training); Branding & Graphic Design (visual identity, logo, illustration, printed media, packaging, typography); and Digital Design & Software Development (UX/UI design, website design and development, digital product design, multimedia). Engagements are tailored per client and delivered by an in-house team of approximately 40 designers, producers, developers, and researchers based in Tallinn and Tartu, Estonia, with access to a broader global network.
Is Velvet a public or private company?
Velvet is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Velvet founded?
Velvet was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Velvet based?
Velvet is headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia, in the Europe region.
How does Velvet make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Strategic Design & Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are design Services.
Who are Velvet's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ustwo, Pentagram, Instrument, &Walsh, Fantasy (Interactive), Work & Co and Koto Design. Broad incumbents are IDEO, R/GA and frog (Capgemini Engineering).
Does Velvet have an API?
No public API is recorded for Velvet.
What industry is Velvet in?
Velvet's product category is Strategic Design Agency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAAAD, Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX). Its NAICS code is 541430 and its SIC code is 7311.