Upstairs

What Upstairs does

Upstairs Design Studio is a privately held, founder-owned multi-disciplinary design firm founded in 2005 in Lisbon, Portugal by Manuel Vital and Sara Gonçalves. The studio operates with a small team and delivers integrated design services across four disciplines: graphic design, industrial design, environmental/space design, and digital design. Its service portfolio encompasses brand identity systems, packaging design, retail and commercial space design, exhibition and event design, and digital campaign materials.

The studio's underlying methodology is human-centered and iterative: it begins with client listening, questioning, and research, then proceeds through sketching, prototyping, and materialization phases. There is no proprietary technology platform; the offering is professional creative services rather than software. Upstairs works primarily through direct client engagement, competitive pitches, and design competitions, with no disclosed pricing model.

Its client base is concentrated in Portugal and spans major food and beverage brands (Super Bock, Heineken, Ben & Jerry's, Flora, Iglo, Olá, Monchique), education institutions (Universidade Europeia, IADE, IPAM under the Laureate International group), airport retail and infrastructure (ANA Aeroportos de Portugal, Lisboa Airport, Faro Airport, Ponta Delgada Airport), cultural organizations, and government bodies. The studio has no external investment, no parent company, and no disclosed revenue or headcount figures.

Name

Upstairs

Legal name

Upstairs Design Studio

Website

https://upstairs.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Upstairs Design Studio is a Lisbon-based, founder-owned multi-disciplinary design firm offering graphic, industrial, environmental, and digital design services to enterprise clients in food & beverage, education, airports, and culture across Portugal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Services

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (54142), Graphic Design Services (541430), Interior Design Services (54141)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAKAM

Industrial/Product & Furniture Design

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

SECONDARYBPAHAKAB

Interior Design Services

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

Keywords

• Graphic design services
• Industrial design services
• Packaging design
• Brand identity design
• Spatial retail design

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisboa

HQ country

Portugal

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: The studio generates revenue through providing professional design services including branding, identity, packaging, spatial design, and environmental design for various clients across industries such as food & beverage, retail, education, and hospitality.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Upstairs Design Studio is a multi-disciplinary design consultancy offering graphic design, industrial design, environmental/spatial design, and digital design services. The studio delivers end-to-end creative solutions including brand identity systems, packaging design, retail and restaurant space design, exhibition stands, promotional materials, and digital campaigns for brands across food & beverage, retail, education, hospitality, and cultural sectors.

Product overview

Upstairs Design Studio is a design consultancy offering integrated design services across four disciplines: graphic design, industrial design, environmental/space design, and digital design. The studio's service portfolio encompasses brand identity and rebranding projects (CNJ 30th anniversary, Flora relaunch, Biovilla sustainability brand), packaging design (CHIC premium water bottle, Iglo frozen meals, Super Bock export packaging), retail and commercial space design (Airport Market concept store, Terminal 2 restaurants, Padaria Lisboa), and exhibition design (Futurália university stands, Festival Silêncio materials, Airplay airport playgrounds). The studio also produces award-winning product designs such as the 'Under Construction' cork bench. Services are delivered through collaborative client partnerships rather than a software platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Graphic Design Services Visual communication design including branding, identity systems, promotional materials, menus, print collateral, and advertising materials for clients across retail, hospitality, food & beverage, education, and corporate sectors.
• Industrial Design Services Product design and packaging design services including premium bottle designs (CHIC water), food packaging (Iglo, Flora), beverage labels (Super Bock, Monchique), and retail product packaging for various brands.
• Environmental and Retail Space Design Services Design of commercial and retail environments including concept stores (Airport Market), airport retail spaces, restaurants (Padaria Lisboa, My Bistro, Hédiard, Mulligan's), airport playgrounds (AirPlay), and exhibition stands.
• Digital Design Services Digital campaign materials, digital communication assets, and design for digital platforms supporting marketing and promotional purposes (e.g., IADE 'Leave your mark' digital campaign).
• Exhibition and Event Design Services Design and conceptualization of exhibition stands, festival materials, and event spaces, including educational events like FUTURÁLIA 2017 (Universidade Europeia stand), the Lisbon Design Show stand, and Festival Silêncio communication materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Label redesign for Monchique water resulted in increased sales

Named customers27 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: Global design consultancy with deep industrial and environmental design practices — overlaps with Upstairs's industrial and spatial design capabilities but at enterprise scale and across many verticals.
• Landor & Fitch: Global branding powerhouse offering brand strategy, identity, packaging, and environmental design — competes for the same enterprise branding mandates as Upstairs but operates at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Pentagram: Iconic multi-disciplinary design partnership operating across graphic, industrial, environmental, and digital design — the closest structural analogue to Upstairs's four-discipline model, with a similar partner-led delivery approach.
• Design Bridge (Superunion): Global brand design consultancy delivering brand identity, packaging, and experience design — overlaps significantly with Upstairs's F&B and packaging portfolio at much larger scale.
• Bulletproof: Independent brand design agency delivering branding, packaging, and spatial design for major F&B and lifestyle clients — comparable in offering mix and enterprise client orientation.
• Sagmeister Inc. Independent design studio led by a single principal creative, working across branding, environmental, and product design — directly comparable in founder-led boutique structure and multi-disciplinary scope.
• Mother Design: Independent design studio integrated within the Mother creative collective, delivering brand identity, environmental, and digital design — shares Upstairs's independent, founder-driven boutique positioning.

Regional players

• Barbara Says: Lisbon-based independent branding studio delivering brand strategy, identity, and packaging for Portuguese and international clients — comparable in local market positioning and boutique delivery model.
• R2 Design: Portuguese design studio with established practice in branding, packaging, and editorial design — directly comparable as a Lisbon-based multi-disciplinary competitor in the same domestic market.

Emerging players

• B-Reel: Creative agency blending brand design, digital experiences, and spatial installations — comparable in multi-disciplinary service delivery and project-based enterprise engagements.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/upstairsdesignstudio

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 Upstairs