Nemo Design

What Nemo Design does

Nemo Design is an independent creative agency founded in 1999 and headquartered at 1875 SE Belmont St., Portland, Oregon. The firm operates in the strategy, marketing, and design services space, delivering brand strategy, campaign development, creative direction, content production, visual identity systems, packaging design, motion/animation, and digital experience work for enterprise clients. Its offerings are organized into three interconnected service categories — Campaign Services (consumer research, brand positioning, naming, content strategy, go-to-market planning), Creative & Design Services (brand identity, tone of voice, campaign design, retouching, motion/animation, 3D design), and Brand Extensions Services (branded spaces, website design, paid advertising, organic social, packaging).

The agency's commercial model is professional-services-based, with revenue derived from project-based engagements and retainer relationships rather than a productized or recurring-software revenue stream. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is scoped per engagement. Distribution is direct-to-enterprise, with client acquisition relying on portfolio, case studies, industry events, and thought leadership content rather than self-serve or product-led channels. Headcount sits in the 11-50 band (21 named team members listed, plus a wider extended creator network of strategic partners including MADO, Little Rumble, House Special, Lobster Studio, and Marmoset Music).

Nemo's client base is concentrated in the outdoor, active-lifestyle, and consumer-product verticals, with notable enterprise engagements including Mattel (Shape of Play global campaign and 'Play Is The Way'), Nike (Mike Trout signature cleat launch and Space Jam/Converse), The North Face (holiday campaign), Ikon Pass (multi-year national TV and digital campaigns), TOMS (brand refresh and seasonal campaigns), Smith Optics (We Run Cold), Nordica (brand platform and relaunch work), MasterCraft Boats (decade-long partnership through IPO), Goal Zero (brand overhaul that drove ~17,000% three-year revenue growth), Koroyd, Danner, ASHOC, Willow, Nihon Kohden, and Mammoth Mountain. The firm has no institutional funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed M&A activity; ownership commentary indicates a privately-held, founder-led entity with independence cited as a differentiator. Recent recognition includes two 2024 Muse Creative Gold Awards (Best TV Ad and Best Animation) for Ikon Pass, a 2023 Red Dot Award for the MasterCraft Aviara AV40, and a 2023 Social Shake-Up Award for the Ikon Pass 'Stickers For Stoke' campaign.

Name

Nemo Design

Legal name

Nemo Design

Website

https://nemodesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nemo Design is an independent Portland-based creative agency founded in 1999 that delivers brand strategy, campaign development, and visual design services primarily to enterprise clients in the outdoor, active-lifestyle, and consumer-products sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative & Brand Strategy Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Industrial Design Services (541420)

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Identity & Brand Design Systems (BPAFAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD), Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)

Keywords

• Creative agency services
• Brand strategy services
• Campaign development services
• Visual identity design
• Packaging design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Nemo Design generates revenue through professional services engagements including brand strategy, campaign development, creative direction, content production, and visual design services. Projects appear to be billed on a per-engagement or retainer basis rather than a product-based recurring model.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Nemo Design is a creative agency providing brand strategy, campaign development, and visual design services to consumer brands, with a deep specialization in the outdoor, active lifestyle, and action sports industries. The agency delivers end-to-end services spanning consumer research, brand positioning, visual identity systems, campaign ideation and execution, content production, digital platform design, and packaging design, working with enterprise clients such as Mattel, Nike, The North Face, and Ikon Pass.

Product overview

Nemo Design is a creative agency offering a unified portfolio of brand strategy and design services. The agency's core offerings span three interconnected service categories: Campaign Services (consumer research, brand positioning, naming, content, and go-to-market strategy), Creative & Design Services (brand identity systems, tone of voice, campaign design, retouching, motion, animation, and 3D design), and Brand Extensions Services (branded spaces, website design, paid advertising, organic social, and packaging). The agency specializes in translating brand strategies into cohesive visual and verbal expressions across all consumer touchpoints. Unlike a product company with discrete software offerings, Nemo Design's 'products' are its service capabilities, delivered through collaborative client partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Campaign Services Strategic campaign services including consumer research and insights, brand positioning, naming, content strategy, and go-to-market planning for enterprise brand clients.
• Creative & Design Services Core creative and design services including brand identity systems, tone and voice development, campaign ideation and design, retouching and editing, motion and animation, and 3D design.
• Brand Extensions Services Extended brand services including branded spaces, website design, paid advertising, organic social media, and packaging design for enterprise clients.
• Brand Refresh & Platform Development Full brand transformation engagements including brand platform creation, visual identity redesign, and comprehensive brand guideline development for established brands seeking modernization.
• Campaign Development End-to-end campaign creation from concepting through production, including strategy, creative direction, content creation, and multi-channel deployment.
• Digital Platform Design Website and digital experience design including UX/UI design, information architecture, and brand hierarchy implementation for digital platforms such as the Willow digital app for new parents.
• Content Production Photo and video production services including lifestyle photography, product shoots, motion graphics, animation, and video editing for marketing campaigns and brand storytelling.
• Packaging Design Packaging design and development services including visual brand expression, retail-ready packaging systems, and product label design for consumer brands such as Goal Zero.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ikon Pass campaign achieved 22M impressions in 2 weeks
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MADOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNemo partnered with insights agency MADO (Look With MADO) on the Mattel 'Shape of Play' project. MADO developed global research across multiple continents while Nemo designed the narrative, directed the documentary, and created the visual framework for communicating insights.
• Little RumblecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction studio Little Rumble collaborated with Nemo on the Mattel Shape of Play documentary. They captured family interviews and cultural insights across three countries, working alongside Nemo and MADO.
• Process AgencyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNemo partnered with the Process Agency in Salt Lake City on Goal Zero packaging design. This collaboration delivered award-worthy packaging that extended the brand's visual identity.
• House SpecialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnimation wizards House Special collaborated with Nemo on the Ikon Pass TV campaign, building a creative blend of CG mountains with felt stop-motion puppet animation.
• Lobster StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnimation partner for Ikon Pass 'The Good Stuff' national TV spot campaign.
• Marmoset MusicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic production partner for Ikon Pass campaigns, providing original music and sound design.
• MLB NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnered with MLB Network for the Mike Trout Nike Baseball cleat launch campaign at Cleveland's All-Star Weekend.
• Rock & Roll Hall of FamecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborated with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for the Mike Trout Nike product launch event, combining baseball and music culture.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cinder: Boise-based creative agency specializing in outdoor, active lifestyle, and action sports brands. Highly comparable given overlapping vertical focus on outdoor/active lifestyle and similar boutique agency scale.
• Athletics: New York-based creative agency focused on brand strategy, identity, and campaign work for consumer and lifestyle brands. Directly comparable in service mix, size, and brand-led creative approach to Nemo.
• Mono: Minneapolis-based creative agency specializing in brand strategy, identity, and digital experience. Highly comparable as a similarly-sized independent agency with cross-vertical brand work including outdoor, lifestyle, and consumer products.
• Vermilion: Boulder, Colorado-based creative agency with deep outdoor/active lifestyle brand experience. Comparable given overlapping vertical focus and similar boutique agency model serving outdoor, action sports, and consumer brands.
• Bone: Portland-based independent creative agency with strong outdoor/active lifestyle brand portfolio. Comparable as a fellow Portland indie agency serving similar enterprise clients in the outdoor and consumer brand space.

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: Largest independently owned design consultancy. Comparable for brand identity systems and visual design work, though Pentagram operates a partner-led model at significantly larger scale with global presence.
• Landor & Fitch: Global branding consultancy specializing in brand strategy, identity design, and experience. Comparable for brand strategy and visual identity services, though operating as a large global firm versus Nemo's boutique scale.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Iconic Portland-based independent creative agency. Comparable as a fellow independent creative agency in Portland with deep outdoor/active brand work (Nike is a flagship client), though significantly larger in scale and global reach than Nemo.
• Mother Design: Design arm of Mother, the global independent creative network. Comparable for brand identity and creative services, though operating at much larger scale with global offices versus Nemo's boutique Portland footprint.

Regional players

• Hatch: Bay Area-based design and brand agency with strong outdoor and lifestyle client portfolio. Comparable in vertical expertise and creative scope, though serving primarily West Coast clients distinct from Nemo's Pacific Northwest base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nemodesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nemodesign
• Instagraminstagram.com/nemodesign
• Facebookfacebook.com/NemoDesignPortland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Nemo Design