Casson Mann

What Casson Mann does

Headquartered in London with a second office in Paris, Casson Mann is a privately held, founder-led design studio founded in 1984 by Dinah Casson and Roger Mann, operating as Casson Mann Ltd. The firm specialises in museum, exhibition, and interior design, providing end-to-end professional services from interpretative strategy and masterplanning through to multimedia art direction and final installation. Its core competency is the orchestration of media, materiality, light, colour, sound, and movement into narrative-driven, sensory environments for cultural institutions, heritage organisations, and select hospitality clients.

The studio's technology stack is centred on human-centred interpretive and multimedia design — including projection mapping, AV installations, sensory environments, and immersive exhibition mechanics — rather than on software or AI platforms. It is known for objects-rich display work and benchmark projects such as the V&A British Galleries (2001), The Holocaust Galleries at Imperial War Museum London (2021), First Light Pavilion at Jodrell Bank (2022), Pressoria in Aÿ-Champagne (2021), the Musée national de la Marine redesign in Paris (2023), and the upcoming Fleming Centre (2028). Casson Mann works through a sales-led, tender-driven model, engaging directly with institutional clients and collaborating with architects and specialist consultants.

Casson Mann is a project-based professional services firm monetising design fees from a small number of large, multi-year institutional commissions. Customer mix is concentrated in three verticals: museums and cultural institutions (primary), heritage organisations, and hospitality (e.g., Eneko at One Aldwych). The firm maintains offices in London and Paris and delivers projects across the UK, France, Germany, Norway, the USA, and Australia. The company is entirely founder-owned, with no evidence of external institutional investment.

Name

Casson Mann

Legal name

Casson Mann Ltd.

Website

https://cassonmann.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Casson Mann is a London- and Paris-based design studio founded in 1984 that specialises in museum, exhibition, and interior design, serving major cultural institutions, heritage organisations, and select hospitality clients through project-based commissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum & Exhibition Design Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (541410), Interior Design Services (54141), Graphic Design Services (54143)

akta.pro primary industry

Theatre Services & Design (Scenic/Costume/Props/Stage Management) (MPAGABAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Staging, Scenic & Set Fabrication (Stages, Backdrops, Scenic Builds) (THAHAEAC), Specialty Finishes & Decorative Installations (Plaster, Stone Veneer, Feature Walls) (IMAFANAM)

Keywords

• Museum design
• Exhibition design
• Interpretative design
• Interior design
• Multimedia installation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Museum and Exhibition Design Services: Project-based professional services for museum, exhibition, installations and interior design; interpretative strategies; visioning; masterplanning; and multimedia art direction
2. Interior Design for Hospitality: Interior design services for restaurants and hospitality venues, including recent project for Eneko at One Aldwych

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Casson Mann is a London- and Paris-based design studio that creates museum, exhibition, and interior design projects for cultural, heritage, and hospitality clients. It provides end-to-end design services — from interpretative strategy, visioning, and masterplanning through to multimedia art direction, lighting, AV, and interior detailing — translating complex narratives into immersive, dramatised visitor environments. The studio works from concept to completion with architects and specialist creative partners on landmark permanent galleries, heritage experiences, and signature hospitality interiors.

Product overview

Casson Mann is an award-winning museum, exhibition and interior design studio offering end-to-end services from concept to completion. Their portfolio includes museum design, exhibition design, interior design, interpretative strategies, visioning, masterplanning, and multimedia art direction. The company has delivered major projects including The Holocaust Galleries at Imperial War Museum London, First Light Pavilion at Jodrell Bank, Pressoria in Champagne, Showtown Blackpool, the Hunterian Museum, and The Blue Continent exhibition. They specialize in creating dramatically lit, beautifully detailed spaces that orchestrate media, materiality, light, colour, sound, movement, and technology into holistic narrative experiences. The studio works across arts, heritage, museums, and hospitality sectors globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum Design Full-service museum design from concept to completion, creating beautiful and engaging environments for cultural institutions. The studio has delivered museum projects for clients including the Imperial War Museum London, Natural History Museum London, V&A, and Musée national de la Marine.
• Exhibition Design Original, innovative exhibition design for museums, galleries, and cultural venues worldwide, integrating objects with multimedia, lighting, and spatial narrative. Includes permanent galleries and major temporary exhibitions.
• Interior Design Interior design services for hospitality and cultural sectors, applying the studio's signature lighting, materiality, and narrative approach to non-museum spaces such as restaurants and hotels.
• Interpretative Strategies Strategic planning for visitor engagement and narrative development within exhibition spaces, defining how stories are structured and communicated to diverse audiences.
• Visioning and Masterplanning Early-stage creative visioning and masterplanning for cultural and heritage projects, shaping long-term direction for museums, galleries, and heritage sites before detailed design.
• Multimedia Art Direction Art direction for multimedia elements including projection mapping, interactive exhibits, and AV installations, integrated into exhibition and interior design visions.

Quantifiable outcome

• V&A British Galleries (2001) still regarded as benchmark of object-rich display
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Episod StudiosupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2026Gaming and Play consultant for Fleming Centre project; collaboration to transform visitors into participants through play-based experiences
• Stanton WilliamscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2026Architects for Fleming Centre at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington; designed the building that will house Casson Mann's permanent exhibition
• De Pass MontgomerysupportingTechnology or Integration · 8 May 2026Graphic design partner for Fleming Centre project
• Satu StreatfieldsupportingTechnology or Integration · 8 May 2026Lighting design consultant for Fleming Centre project
• Rob FergusonsupportingTechnology or Integration · 8 May 2026AV Hardware Design consultant for Fleming Centre project
• Goddard ConsultantsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 8 May 2026CDM (Construction Design and Management) consultant for Fleming Centre project
• Idee und KlangcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAudiovisual design collaboration on The Holocaust Galleries at Imperial War Museum
• Hassell StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture studio for First Light Pavilion at Jodrell Bank; designed pavilion to host Casson Mann's exhibition 'The Story of Jodrell Bank'

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ralph Appelbaum Associates: London- and New York-based museum and exhibition design firm with a comparable client list of major cultural institutions. Closest direct competitor to Casson Mann in interpretive museum and permanent exhibition design.
• Gallagher & Associates: US-based interpretive design firm specializing in museums, cultural institutions, and visitor experiences. Closest North American direct competitor, with comparable narrative-driven, multimedia-rich project approach.
• Local Projects: US-based experiential design firm specializing in museums and cultural institutions, with strong emphasis on interactive and multimedia installations. Comparable peer given Casson Mann's multimedia art direction focus.
• Haley Sharpe Design: Leicester, UK-based museum and exhibition design studio with a similar mix of heritage, museum, and interpretive design work. Operates in the same UK market segment with comparable public-sector client base.
• Land Design Studio: UK-based museum and exhibition design practice working with cultural and heritage clients. Comparable in size and approach to Casson Mann, with a similar focus on interpretive strategy and permanent exhibitions.

Emerging players

• Metaphor: Asia-Pacific-based exhibition and museum design firm. Emerging player with comparable narrative-and-experience focus, increasingly competing for international museum commissions in the same category as Casson Mann.

Broad incumbents

• Foster + Partners: Global architecture firm with a dedicated cultural and exhibition design practice. While much larger and broader, it competes with Casson Mann on integrated museum architecture and interpretation commissions.
• Heatherwick Studio: London-based design studio operating across architecture, public realm, and exhibition design. Overlaps with Casson Mann on landmark cultural projects but operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Zaha Hadid Architects: Global architecture practice that has delivered cultural and museum projects (e.g., MAXXI, Broad Museum). Competes with Casson Mann on the architecture-led end of major museum commissions.

Regional players

• Nigel Coates Design: London-based design firm with exhibition and interior design work. Comparable in London/UK focus and narrative-driven design approach, though more architecture-led and smaller in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cassonmann
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/casson-mann-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/cassonmann

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Casson Mann