Friction Design

What Friction Design does

Friction Design is a New York–based, partner-owned branding and marketing agency that delivers integrated creative services to commercial real estate developers, property owners, and select corporate and consumer-brand clients. Its service suite spans brand identity and storytelling, website design and development, environmental graphic design, renderings and photography, CGI and immersive 3D experiences, video production, event management, retail activation, wayfinding and signage, and show floor / marketing center design. The firm operates as a project-based professional services business, acquiring engagements through direct relationship-based business development and a portfolio-driven marketing motion, with a client roster that includes Amazon, Brookfield Properties, Columbia Property Trust, Rudin, CBRE, JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, Welltower, PGIM, Morgan Stanley, American Real Estate Partners, Taconic Partners, and Vibram, among others.

The firm is built around five senior individuals—two partners (Creative Director William Zamlong and Client Development Partner Danielle Taylor), a Design Director (Blake Breaux), an Account Manager (Chandler Reiter), and a Senior Production Artist (Stephen Rojack)—each with 20+ years of experience across major consumer and B2B brands. Technical delivery spans digital, print, film, interactive, and environmental graphics, with CGI film and interactive 3D modeling delivered through a partnership with VMI Studio. There are no published APIs, software platforms, or AI/ML capabilities; the offering is services-led rather than product-led.

The business model is professional services revenue generated through custom, project-based engagements billed against multi-year contracts and tailored to individual scope. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, no rate cards or standardized tiers exist, and there is no indication of external institutional funding, parent company, or M&A activity. The firm is privately held, founder/partner-owned, and headquartered at 33 West 17th Street in Manhattan, with project delivery extending into New Jersey, Maine, and other Northeast markets.

Name

Friction Design

Website

https://frictiondesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Friction Design is a five-person, partner-owned branding and marketing agency in New York City that delivers integrated brand identity, environmental graphics, immersive CGI/3D experiences, and campaign execution to commercial real estate developers, property owners, and select corporate and consumer-brand clients on a project-based professional services model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Branding & Marketing Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Graphic Design Services (54143)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage) (MPAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Branding services
• Marketing agency
• Environmental graphic design
• Website design
• Creative services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Branding & Marketing Project Engagements: Professional services revenue generated through project-based engagements for brand development, website design, marketing campaigns, environmental graphics, and related creative services. Projects range from full brand development and multi-medium campaigns to strategic tactics and specific touchpoints.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Friction Design is a New York-based branding and marketing agency providing integrated creative services for commercial real estate, retail, and corporate clients. The firm develops brand identity systems, designs websites, produces environmental graphics, CGI/renderings, and video content, and manages events and retail activations from concept through execution.

Product overview

Friction Design operates as a single, unified branding and marketing agency rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The company offers an integrated suite of professional services spanning brand identity, digital design, environmental graphics, and campaign execution. The core services—Branding & Storytelling, Website Design & Development, Immersive Experiences (including CGI and renderings), Environmental Graphic Design, Video Content Creation, Retail Brand Activation, Event Management, and Wayfinding & Signage—are delivered as a coordinated offering to serve commercial real estate, hospitality, retail, and corporate clients. The agency also produces specialized marketing assets including Show Floors & Marketing Centers, which serve as a key service module combining brand storytelling, dimensional graphics, and installation management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Identity Development
• Website Design
• Environmental Graphic Design
• CGI and Renderings
• Video Content Production Development of brand films, property sizzle reels, and short-form video assets for digital, social, and event use.
• Event Management
• Retail Activations Design and execution of in-store and retail-tenant brand activations, including pop-ups, seasonal campaigns, and immersive experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99 Park Avenue achieved 100% leasing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• VMI StudiosupportingTechnology or IntegrationCollaborative partnership for CGI film production and interactive 3D model development for the One Grand real estate project. VMI Studio provides specialized 3D visualization and CGI capabilities that complement Friction Design's branding and marketing services.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Gensler: Gensler is a global architecture and design firm that also delivers brand strategy, experiential design, and environmental graphics for commercial real estate clients. Comparable to Friction Design because both serve CRE owners/developer's branding and environmental design needs, though Gensler operates at vastly larger scale and horizontal breadth.
• JLL (Creative Services / JLL Spark): JLL is a global commercial real estate services firm with a marketing, branding, and creative arm that serves property owners and developers. Comparable to Friction Design because JLL offers property marketing and brand services for the same CRE client base, though it is embedded in a much larger brokerage/property management platform.
• CBRE (Marketing & Creative): CBRE is a global CRE services firm that provides marketing, branding, and creative services for property listings and developments. It is comparable to Friction Design as both serve enterprise RE owners/developers with branding and property marketing, though CBRE operates at broker-scale while Friction is a specialized creative agency.

Direct peers

• Lessing Group: Lessing Group is a branding, marketing, and creative agency specializing in commercial real estate, multifamily, and mixed-use developments. It is a direct peer to Friction Design because both are dedicated CRE-focused brand/marketing agencies with similar service offerings (brand, environmental graphics, marketing centers, digital campaigns) for property developers and owners.
• Massive Studios: Massive Studios is a creative agency delivering branding, digital, and experiential design for commercial real estate and hospitality clients. Comparable to Friction Design because both are mid-sized creative shops specializing in CRE/hospitality branding with integrated digital and environmental offerings.
• Mother Design: Mother Design is the design arm of Mother, a global creative agency, providing brand identity, environmental, and digital design services. Comparable to Friction Design because both are creative agencies offering brand, environmental, and digital design for premium clients, though Mother serves broader verticals beyond CRE.
• Pereira O'Dell: Pereira O'Dell is an independent creative agency offering brand strategy, advertising, and experience design for enterprise clients. It is a peer to Friction Design because both are mid-sized independent creative shops with integrated brand, digital, and experiential capabilities targeting enterprise clients.

Emerging players

• Visual Merchandising Inc. (VMI Studio): VMI Studio is a 3D visualization and CGI firm that produces renderings, animations, and interactive experiences for real estate and architecture. It is an Friction Design partner on the One Grand project and a peer in the sense that both serve CRE marketing with experiential/content capabilities, though VMI focuses on visualization while Friction leads brand strategy.
• Branding Brand: Branding Brand is a digital agency focused on retail and brand experience design, including mobile, web, and in-store digital experiences. It is a partial peer to Friction Design because both serve brand experience needs, though Branding Brand is more retail/app-focused while Friction is CRE-centric.
• Continuum (ContinuumInnovation): Continuum is a design and innovation consultancy providing branding, experience design, and product/service design for enterprise clients. Comparable to Friction Design as both blend brand strategy with experience design, though Continuum leans more consulting/strategy while Friction executes integrated creative campaigns.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/frictiondesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friction-design

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 Friction Design