DNA Design
DNA Design is a New Zealand-headquartered digital design and development consultancy with studios in Auckland, Wellington, and Barcelona, delivering bespoke digital experiences for enterprise and government clients across banking, defence, media, telecom, energy, and consumer sectors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What DNA Design does
DNA Design is a New Zealand-based digital design and development consultancy founded in 1991, operating studios in Auckland, Wellington, and Barcelona. The firm delivers bespoke digital experiences for enterprise and government clients across banking (Kiwibank), defence (NZ Defence Force), media (TVNZ), consumer appliances (Fisher & Paykel), telecommunications (Spark), energy (Mercury), regional government (WellingtonNZ), aviation (Glenorchy Air), and premium real estate (NZ Sotheby's International Realty). Engagements span design research, strategy design, experience design, and end-to-end digital experience design and delivery, with named case-study outcomes including a 60% conversion rate lift for Mercury, a 200% improvement in TVNZ OnDemand viewer continuation, and 25–27% visitor growth for the WellingtonNZ destination platform.
Underlying technology is built on modern web and integration stacks — NuxtJS, VueJS, Directus headless CMS, Silverstripe CMS, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Elastic Search, Azure AD, WebSocket real-time layers, Mapbox, and Netlify Edge — deployed as Single-Page Applications and JAM stack architectures. There is no proprietary platform; every deliverable is a custom client engagement. Notable technical differentiators cited include headless CMS-to-CRM integration for Sotheby's, real-time WebSocket data feeds for Glenorchy Air's flight management system, and JAM stack architecture with edge delivery for performance-sensitive deployments.
DNA Design operates as a privately held, independent professional services firm with revenue generated through project-based Statements of Work, Letters of Agreement, and ongoing Service Level Agreements for managed maintenance. Pricing is project-by-project and not publicly disclosed; a 20% Project Initiation Deposit is standard, with payment terms by the 20th of the month following invoice. Distribution is entirely direct via studio engagement and website enquiry ([email protected]), targeting enterprise and government buyers across New Zealand and selectively in Europe. The company achieved B Corporation certification in September 2022 with a B Impact Score of 91.6, and has been recognised through a 2019 Best Awards finalist position and a 2024 Webby Award nomination.
DNA Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DNA Design
- Legal name
- DNA Designed Communications Limited
- Website
- https://dna.co.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- DNA Design is a New Zealand-headquartered digital design and development consultancy with studios in Auckland, Wellington, and Barcelona, delivering bespoke digital experiences for enterprise and government clients across banking, defence, media, telecom, energy, and consumer sectors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DNA Design industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Design Consultancy
- NAICS
- Graphic Design Services (541430)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)
Keywords
Where DNA Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices3 records
Markets served
DNA Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Digital Design & Development Services: DNA Design generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements. Projects are typically scoped through Statements of Work (SOW), Service Level Agreements (SLA), or Letters of Agreement (LOA). Pricing includes a 20% Project Initiation Deposit upfront, with payment terms by the 20th of the month following invoice. The company delivers design research, strategy design, experience design, and digital experience design and delivery.
- Ongoing Maintenance & Support: Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for ongoing management and maintenance of delivered platforms, providing recurring revenue from existing client relationships.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based professional services engagement |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
DNA Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DNA Design is a digital design and development consultancy delivering bespoke human-centred digital experiences for enterprise and government clients. Core offerings include design research, strategy design, experience design, and end-to-end digital experience design and delivery, plus ongoing maintenance and support under Service Level Agreements. Engagements are project-based, scoped via Statements of Work, and produce tailored platforms such as banking experiences, ecommerce platforms, flight management systems, and destination portals.
Product overview
DNA Design is a design and development consultancy (not a product company). It does not offer a unified product or platform portfolio. All deliverables are custom client engagements — bespoke digital experiences, platforms, and systems built to order for each client (e.g., Kiwibank digital banking platform, WellingtonNZ destination platform, Fisher & Paykel ecommerce platform, Glenorchy Air flight management system, TVNZ OnDemand improvements, Mercury digital experience, NZDF engagement platform, Spark unified front-line dashboard, and Sotheby's International Realty digital platform).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Design Research User and customer research service that informs evidence-based, human-centred design decisions for enterprise and government clients of DNA Design.
- Strategy Design Strategic design engagements that uncover and prioritise high-value opportunities for clients' customers, people, and bottom line, delivered as part of DNA Design's consultancy offerings.
- Experience Design Experience design (UX/UI, interaction design, information architecture) producing design systems and experience frameworks that translate research into accessible digital products for DNA Design's clients.
- Digital Experience Design and Delivery End-to-end design and build of bespoke digital platforms (ecommerce, banking, engagement, flight management, streaming, dashboards) using NuxtJS, VueJS, headless CMS, JAM stack, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud for enterprise and government clients.
- Ongoing Maintenance and Support (SLAs) Recurring managed-services support delivered under Service Level Agreements for platforms DNA Design has built, providing ongoing management and maintenance of delivered digital experiences.
Quantifiable outcome
- 25-27% visitor growth for WellingtonNZ destination platform with 100% session time increase
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use DNA Design
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
DNA Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
DNA Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Big on WritingminorContent strategist collaboration for New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty digital platform project. Big on Writing provided content strategy expertise as part of the collaborative approach to defining the digital experience framework and visual design system.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DNA Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AKQA: WPP-owned digital design and experience agency delivering strategy, design, and technology solutions for enterprise clients. Directly comparable to DNA Design in its end-to-end digital experience model for large organisations.
- Work & Co: Product and digital experience agency known for high-craft ecommerce and platform builds for premium brands. Closely comparable to DNA Design's craft-led, outcome-anchored delivery for enterprise clients such as Fisher & Paykel and Sotheby's.
- Locale: Auckland-based digital experience agency focused on research-led UX, design, and development for NZ enterprises. A credible sub-50-person NZ peer that competes for similar enterprise and government digital engagement briefs.
- Springload: Wellington-based digital design and development agency of similar size to DNA Design, building custom digital products for NZ enterprises and government. The closest direct geographic peer; competes for the same Wellington/Auckland enterprise and public-sector mandates.
- R/GA: Global digital design and product agency combining brand, experience design, and technology delivery for enterprise and consumer clients. Comparable to DNA Design in delivering bespoke digital platforms with measurable commerce and engagement outcomes.
- IDEO: Global human-centred design and innovation consultancy combining research, strategy, and digital/physical design. Highly comparable to DNA Design's integrated research-through-delivery model, but operating at much larger scale and global footprint.
- Frog Design: Design and innovation firm (part of Capgemini Engineering) producing digital products, brand experiences, and service design for enterprise clients. Directly comparable to DNA Design's multidisciplinary design-and-build engagements for global brands.
Broad incumbents
- Deloitte Digital: Global digital transformation arm of Deloitte delivering design, customer experience, and platform engineering at scale. Competes with DNA Design for large enterprise transformation briefs but operates as one capability among a much wider consulting portfolio.
- Accenture Song: Global experience and design consultancy (formerly Fjord plus Accenture Interactive) within Accenture. Directly comparable creative-services offering but resourced as part of a global systems integrator with vastly larger scale.
- Colenso BBDO: New Zealand's largest creative agency, delivering advertising, brand, and digital experience work for major NZ and global brands. Adjacent peer in the NZ enterprise creative-services market; broader advertising focus but overlaps on digital experience deliverables.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DNA Design social profiles
Digital presenceDNA Design compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
DNA Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DNA Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
DNA Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DNA Design 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 DNA Design
What does DNA Design do?
DNA Design is a digital design and development consultancy delivering bespoke human-centred digital experiences for enterprise and government clients. Core offerings include design research, strategy design, experience design, and end-to-end digital experience design and delivery, plus ongoing maintenance and support under Service Level Agreements. Engagements are project-based, scoped via Statements of Work, and produce tailored platforms such as banking experiences, ecommerce platforms, flight management systems, and destination portals.
Is DNA Design a public or private company?
DNA Design is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was DNA Design founded?
DNA Design was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is DNA Design based?
DNA Design is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does DNA Design make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Digital Design & Development Services are the primary driver. The others are ongoing Maintenance & Support.
Who are DNA Design's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AKQA, Work & Co, Locale, Springload, R/GA, IDEO and Frog Design. Broad incumbents are Deloitte Digital, Accenture Song and Colenso BBDO.
Does DNA Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for DNA Design.
What industry is DNA Design in?
DNA Design's product category is Digital Design Consultancy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAK, Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services. Its NAICS code is 541430 and its SIC code is 7330.