What Makemake does

Makemake GmbH is a privately held design agency founded in 2018 by Tanja Pichler in Chur, Graubünden, Switzerland, and registered as a Swiss private limited company. The firm operates from Bahnhofstrasse 7 with two core members—founder Tanja Pichler (communication design, desktop publishing, interior design) and team member Riona Daly (multimedia production, photography)—supplemented by a flexible pool of student contributors under a publicly stated "Jung und Erfahren" collective model. Service offerings span graphic design, illustration, photography, and social media content as core capabilities, with extended website and webshop design delivered in collaboration with partner code crush GmbH. The company also produces design studies for cultural events.

The customer base targets SMEs (KMUs), nonprofit organizations and associations, clubs (Vereine), and individual clients primarily within the Graubünden region. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but is explicitly positioned as "fair" and accessible to small budgets, with completed projects spanning organic agriculture (Biohof Quadrella), dairy (Sennerei Pontresina), wellness and coaching (Jolanda Bassi, Yasminfit, Massascha Mahela), viticulture nonprofits (Förderverein Zuoz), cultural festivals (Chalandamarz, Mondklang), and private professionals (U. Cabernard). The business is bootstrapped with no external funding rounds, parent company, or institutional investors.

Revenue mechanics are professional services on a project-by-project basis; no subscription, retainer, or platform model is disclosed. Distribution is regional and direct, relying on a project portfolio website, Instagram, and LinkedIn for top-of-funnel visibility. For broader competencies—marketing strategy, branding, communication, and digital business engineering—Makemake draws on its core partnership with Markenkern AG via the "Jung und Erfahren" collective, supplemented by code crush GmbH for development and ausdrucksfotografie.ch for photography.

Name

Makemake

Legal name

Makemake GmbH

Website

https://makemake.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Makemake is a privately held Swiss design agency based in Chur, Graubünden, providing graphic design, illustration, photography, social media, and website services to small and medium-sized enterprises, organizations, associations, and cultural clients in the regional market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graphic Design and Branding Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Graphic design services
• Brand identity design
• Illustration services
• Photography services
• Social media design

Headquarters

HQ city

Chur

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Design Services: Professional design services for graphic design, illustration, photography, and social media. Services are offered to SMEs, organizations, and associations at fair pricing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Makemake is a design agency offering graphic design, illustration, photography, and social media content services to SMEs (KMUs), organizations, associations, and selected individual clients. Extended offerings include website and webshop design, as well as design studies for cultural events. The agency delivers fresh, distinctive design solutions at fair prices, with logo work, brand identity refreshes, print materials (business cards, labels, flyers, banners), and promotional collateral forming the bulk of project work.

Product overview

Makemake is a young design agency (Designagentur) based in Chur, Graubünden, Switzerland, offering a unified portfolio of design services. The company provides graphic design, illustration, photography, and social media services as core offerings, with website and webshop design as extended capabilities. The agency specializes in creating fresh, distinctive design solutions for SMEs (KMUs), organizations, and associations at fair prices. Notable client projects span diverse sectors including wellness (Yasminfit), agriculture (Biohof Quadrella, Sennerei Pontresina), culture (Chalandamarz, Mondklang Festival, Förderverein Zuoz), retail (Jolanda Bassi), wellness therapies (Massascha Mahela), and private individuals (U. Cabernard). The agency collaborates with strategic partners including Markenkern AG for marketing and branding expertise and code crush GmbH for web development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grafikdesign (Graphic Design) Graphic design services combining fresh ideas with solid craftsmanship, including logo design, brand refreshes, and print materials such as business cards, postcards, wine labels, cheese labels, flyers, beach flags, banners, and chairlift advertising panels. Targeted at SMEs, organizations, and associations in the Graubünden region.
• Illustration Custom illustration services for brand identity and visual storytelling, applied across various materials and digital formats. Offered to SMEs, organizations, and associations as part of Makemake's unified design portfolio.
• Fotografie (Photography) Professional photography services led by Riona Daly (Fotofachfrau EFZ), capturing visual content for brand materials, websites, and marketing collateral. Targeted at SMEs, organizations, associations, and individual clients needing photographic content.
• Social Media Design Social media content creation and design services to support brand presence across digital platforms. Offered to SMEs, organizations, and associations seeking consistent visual content for their social channels.
• Website & Webshop Gestaltung (Website and Webshop Design) Website design and development services, including webstore creation and e-commerce solutions. Notable projects include websites for Jolanda Bassi (with integrated webshop) and Massascha Mahela. Delivered in partnership with code crush GmbH for development.
• Designstudie (Design Study) Design studies for cultural events and festivals, including poster designs for events such as Chalandamarz and Mondklang Festival. Targeted at cultural organizations and event organizers seeking distinctive promotional design.

Named customers9 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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Markenkern AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished agency partner for marketing, branding, communication, and digital business engineering. Makemake collaborates with Markenkern when projects require more comprehensive competencies beyond design.
• Markenkern AG (Agentur Kollektiv)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint agency collective 'Jung und Erfahren' combining Makemake's fresh design approach with Markenkern's strategic experience for Visionäre (visionaries). Creates surprising yet economically focused campaigns.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Farner Consulting: Major Swiss integrated communications and marketing agency. Overlaps with Makemake in branding, communications, and marketing services but serves larger enterprise clients across multiple Swiss regions.
• Heimat: Independent creative agency with a Zurich presence serving major Swiss and German brands. Comparable in offering integrated creative/branding services but at significantly greater scale.
• Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett: Established Zurich-based Swiss creative agency within the Leo Burnett network. Comparable creative/advertising agency offering but with substantially broader resources and international client roster.
• Wirz Group: Large independent Swiss advertising and communications agency with full-service creative capabilities. Overlaps with Makemake's branding and advertising design work but serves a national client base.
• Jung von Matt: One of the largest independent creative agencies in the German-speaking world with a Swiss office. Comparable as a creative/branding agency operating in Switzerland but at materially greater scale and a broader portfolio of multinational clients.

Direct peers

• Hotz und Partner: Swiss creative agency with a similar regional/SME client focus and design-led offering. Comparable in size and target market as a boutique alternative for branding and communication projects.
• Markenkern AG: Swiss branding and marketing agency headquartered in Chur that is also Makemake's strategic partner via the 'Jung und Erfahren' collective. Directly comparable in offering branding, marketing, communication, and design services to regional and Swiss clients.
• Ruf Lanz: Renowned Zurich-based Swiss creative boutique with a strong design and advertising portfolio. Comparable as a small, design-led Swiss agency, though operating at higher price points and with more senior staff.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/makemake-ch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Makemake