Studio Dumbar

What Studio Dumbar does

Studio Dumbar is a Dutch design studio founded in 1977 in Rotterdam by Gert Dumbar, specializing in motion design, visual identity, brand strategy, creative coding, and sound design. The studio serves enterprise and institutional clients across technology (Meta/Instagram, OpenAI, Google, Apple, Spotify, Riot Games), government (Dutch Government/Rijksoverheid, NS Dutch Railways, NL international branding), culture (Van Gogh Museum, Mauritshuis, NEMO Science Museum, AVROTROS), sports (Utah Jazz, Feyenoord, Club Brugge, NN North Sea Jazz Festival), and entertainment (MTV). It operates as part of the DEPT® agency network while retaining a boutique studio identity and culture.

The studio generates revenue through project-based professional services for integrated branding engagements spanning strategy, visual design, motion systems, sound design, and custom-coded generative tooling. Pricing is set per engagement through direct client scoping; no public pricing is disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led, combining direct enterprise engagement, agency pitching, referral networks, and DEPT® cross-sell. Additional revenue derives from the DEMO Design in Motion Festival — created and organized by Studio Dumbar since 2019 — through sponsorships, partnerships with outdoor advertising firms (Global, blowUP media, adtrackmedia, StandardVision), merchandise (Macron collab jersey), and an online metaverse environment (DEMOVERSE with VLGE).

Technically, Studio Dumbar develops proprietary tools and code-based design systems where off-the-shelf options fall short, building brand systems that respond, adapt, and generate content. Notable technical components include customizable animation systems with hundreds of thousands of unique combinations, generative visual code, motion-driven sequential-layer brand systems, and expansive design toolkits spanning typography, 3D, sound, color, and motion. The studio operates from Rotterdam and, per firmographics, Seoul, delivering work globally through direct engagement and the DEPT® network.

Name

Studio Dumbar

Legal name

Studio Dumbar

Website

https://studiodumbar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Studio Dumbar is a Rotterdam-based design studio founded in 1977, specializing in motion design, visual identity, creative coding, and sound design for enterprise clients across technology, government, culture, sports, and entertainment, operating within the DEPT® agency network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Brand Identity and Visual Design Services: Project-based professional services for brand strategy, visual identity, motion design, sound design, creative coding, and integrated branding. Work ranges from complete brand creation to refreshes and motion systems.
2. Event and Festival Services: Studio creates and organizes DEMO Design in Motion Festival, showcasing motion design work and potentially generating revenue through sponsorships and event participation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Studio Dumbar is an international design agency that creates integrated brand identities combining strategy, visual design, motion design, sound design, creative coding, and naming/tone-of-voice services. The studio delivers comprehensive branding systems, motion identity systems, and brand governance tools for enterprises, governments, cultural institutions, and sports organisations. They also organise DEMO, the world's largest motion design festival.

Product overview

Studio Dumbar is a design studio offering professional branding and design services rather than a software product. The company provides integrated branding services as a unified offering, combining strategy, motion design, sound design, visual design, creative coding, and naming/Tone-of-Voice services. Their work spans visual identity design, motion identity systems, brand strategy, and experiential branding for clients including global technology companies, cultural institutions, sports franchises, governments, and NGOs. Studio Dumbar also organizes DEMO, the world's largest motion design festival.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DEMO Design in Motion Festival: A motion design festival showcasing the best work from designers worldwide for 24 hours on digital outdoor screens, initiated by Studio Dumbar in collaboration with Global and other outdoor advertising specialists

Products and services

• Integrated Branding Services
• Strategic Positioning
• Visual Design
• Motion Design
• Sound Design
• Creative Coding
• Naming and Tone-of-Voice
• DEMO Design in Motion Festival

Quantifiable outcome

• Dutch Government branding integration saved approximately €8 million annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, minor and flagship.

• Global (outdoor advertising)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Global outdoor advertising specialist partnered for DEMO 2025 festival expansion to 15 cities worldwide. DEMO 2025 took place across 7 countries with Global providing outdoor advertising infrastructure.
• blowUP mediamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Outdoor advertising partner for DEMO 2025 festival providing digital screen infrastructure across European cities for the largest motion design event globally.
• adtrackmediamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Outdoor advertising partner for DEMO 2025 festival contributing to the expansion of the motion design festival across 15 cities worldwide.
• StandardVisionmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Outdoor advertising partner for DEMO 2025 festival supporting the global expansion of the motion design event across major cities.
• MacronminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Sportswear manufacturer collaborated with Studio Dumbar to create an exclusive DEMO jersey for the 2025 festival, expanding the festival merchandise offerings.
• VLGEmajorTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Collaborated with VLGE to create the DEMOVERSE - a metaverse environment composed of 10 thematic 3D worlds populated by walking DEMO letters for the 2025 festival's online exhibition.
• AppleflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Studio Dumbar worked in collaboration with Apple to create a highly adaptable branding system for major global football tournaments featured across Apple Services. The project included customizable animation systems updated daily during tournaments.
• OpenAIflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Ongoing collaboration with OpenAI's brand and product design teams since Spring 2024. Studio Dumbar supported OpenAI's brand refresh with motion design, creative coding projects, experiential activations, and shader development for ChatGPT's Advanced Voice mode feature.
• Exterion Media NLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership for the creation and launch of DEMO Festival - a 24-hour motion design exhibition at Amsterdam Central Station. Exterion Media provided the digital outdoor advertising screens. The partnership created the world's largest motion design event.
• DEPT AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Dumbar is an integrated part of DEPT Agency, a pioneering technology and marketing services company. DEPT operates across 30+ locations on 5 continents with 4,000+ digital specialists. Studio Dumbar maintains its boutique identity while benefiting from DEPT's global scale and client network including Google, Philips, Audi, Twitch, Patagonia, and eBay.
• Jacob Wise (Type Designer)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerType designer collaborated on the Apple Services Football Design System project, contributing typography expertise for the customizable animation systems.
• Byte/DEPTminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSister agency collaborated with Studio Dumbar on the Spotify Music + Talk visual identity project, working closely with Spotify's in-house team.
• TransaviamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Dumbar created Transavia's visual identity in 2015 and refreshed it in 2025 for their 60th anniversary. Transavia is part of Air France-KLM and one of Europe's fastest-growing airline brands.
• Peter Verheul (Type Designer)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerType designer collaborated with Studio Dumbar to create a new typeface exclusively designed for the Dutch Government (Rijksoverheid) visual identity, encompassing all 175 government organisations.
• ConnektminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnekt created Big Mile - a software product that delivers data on efficiency and carbon footprints for logistics companies. Studio Dumbar developed the name and identity for this sustainability tool.
• Jacob Wise (Type Designer)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerType designer who created the customized Feyenoord Skrappa typeface, incorporating serifs from the club logo and hinting at Feyenoord's heritage.
• Hello Monday/DEPTminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSister agency collaborated on the Tempo website build, working together with Studio Dumbar on the comprehensive brand identity package.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• &Walsh: Independent creative agency delivering brand strategy, visual identity, and design systems for fashion, tech, and cultural clients at a comparable scale and studio model.
• Buck: Los Angeles-based design and motion studio specializing in brand identity and animated storytelling for tech and entertainment clients, with comparable motion-led service mix.
• Mother Design: Design arm of the Mother agency network, focused on visual identity and brand systems for global brands, operating on a similar boutique-with-network hybrid model.
• Pentagram: World-renowned independent design firm with a partnership model that mirrors Studio Dumbar's boutique, multi-discipline approach to branding, motion, and identity work for major enterprise clients.
• Moving Brands: London-based brand and motion design studio delivering integrated identity systems with a similar motion-first philosophy, competing for the same roster of enterprise and tech clients as Studio Dumbar.
• Man vs Machine: Boutique motion and brand design studio with a creative-coding and identity-systems focus mirroring Studio Dumbar's tech-enabled approach to motion branding.
• Koto: Independent brand design studio working on strategy, visual identity, motion, and verbal identity with global tech and consumer brands — most direct overlap with Studio Dumbar's service offering and client profile.
• Saffron Brand Consultants: Independent brand strategy and identity consultancy that combines strategic positioning with visual systems — competes for marquee brand engagements in the same agency pitch arena as Studio Dumbar.
• Golden Wolf: Animation and motion design studio producing brand-led work for entertainment and tech brands — overlapping on motion identity, animated campaigns, and festival-facing creative.

Broad incumbents

• Landor & Fitch: WPP-owned global brand consultancy offering identity, strategy, and experience design at significantly larger scale; broader incumbent serving many of the same enterprise clients with a portfolio approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/studiodumbar
• Facebookfacebook.com/studiodumbar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/studio-dumbar
• Instagraminstagram.com/studiodumbar

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 Studio Dumbar