Sae Design
Sae Design Group is a Hawaii-based, founder-led strategic creative studio offering branding, packaging, digital, print, strategy, and marketing services to enterprise clients primarily in the state's hospitality, food and beverage, agriculture, real estate, non-profit, and education sectors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersWailuku, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sae Design does
Sae Design Group is a founder-led, Hawaii-based strategic creative studio offering end-to-end branding, packaging, digital, print, strategy, and marketing services. The firm was established by Saedene Ota, who remains the recognized principal designer and recipient of the 2018 American Advertising Federation District 13 Silver Medal. Its portfolio emphasizes Hawaii-rooted cultural aesthetics and serves enterprise clients across hospitality (Halekulani, Aqua-Aston, Grand Wailea, Halepuna Waikiki, the Kahala), food and beverage (Hawaiian Host, Hawaiian Springs, Roselani, Ku'ia Estate, La Tour Bakehouse), agriculture (Kahuku Farms, Kuilima Farm), real estate (Alexander & Baldwin), financial services (HFS Federal Credit Union), non-profit (Lili'uokalani Trust), and education (Kapi'olani Community College). Several marquee relationships have been sustained for 10 to more than 20 years.
The studio has no proprietary technology platform; deliverables are produced as professional creative services rather than software products. Service categories span branding (strategy, naming, logo, guidelines), packaging (retail, food and beverage, point-of-purchase), digital (web design, web development, UX, motion, video), strategy (discovery, research, positioning), print (stationery, publications, menus, signage, apparel), and marketing (campaigns, ads, social). The firm operates two physical offices — 2261 Aupuni Street in Wailuku (Maui) and 555 South Street in Honolulu (O'ahu) — and has accumulated 167 industry recognitions including 46 Pele Awards, 1 Best of Show, 3 Judge's Awards, and multiple National Silver ADDY Awards spanning 2007 to 2024.
The business model is project-based professional services, with revenue generated through per-project fees and some long-standing clients on retainer arrangements. Go-to-market is direct enterprise engagement in Hawaii, with new business sourced primarily through referrals, reputation, and a public portfolio website. Distribution is exclusively direct; there are no marketplace, self-service, or third-party channels. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quoted project-by-project. The company is privately held, with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, parent entities, or M&A activity.
Sae Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sae Design
- Legal name
- Sae Design Group
- Website
- https://saedesigngroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sae Design Group is a Hawaii-based, founder-led strategic creative studio offering branding, packaging, digital, print, strategy, and marketing services to enterprise clients primarily in the state's hospitality, food and beverage, agriculture, real estate, non-profit, and education sectors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sae Design industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Services / Brand Design
- NAICS
- Graphic Design Services (541430), Advertising Agencies (541810), Graphic Design Services (54143)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Content Production (Video, Design, Copy, Studio) (BPAFAAAF)
Keywords
Where Sae Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wailuku
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sae Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Creative Services / Design Projects: Project-based design services including branding, packaging design, digital/web design, print collateral, and marketing campaigns. Revenue is generated through project fees, with some long-standing clients on retainer arrangements.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Sae Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sae Design Group is a strategic creative studio that delivers end-to-end design services spanning brand strategy, identity, packaging, digital/web, print, and marketing campaigns for enterprise clients. The studio provides naming, logo design, brand guidelines, retail and food & beverage packaging, web design and development, motion design, signage, advertising, and social media creative. Projects are delivered on a project-fee or retainer basis, primarily to Hawaii-based organizations in hospitality, food & beverage, agriculture, real estate, education, and non-profit sectors.
Product overview
Sae Design Group is a Strategic Creative Studio offering a comprehensive suite of design services. The company operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core services include Branding (naming, logo design, brand guidelines), Packaging Design (retail, food & beverage, point-of-purchase displays), Digital Services (web design, web development, UX design, motion design, video), Strategy (discovery sessions, competitive research, brand positioning), Print (stationery, publications, menus, signage, apparel), and Marketing (campaign strategy, advertising, social media). The company primarily serves clients in Hawaii across hospitality, agriculture, retail, restaurant, and civic/non-profit sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Branding Services
- Packaging Design
- Digital Services
- Strategy Services
- Print Services
- Marketing Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Silver Award for Packaging by Beverage World Magazine for Hawaiian Springs packaging
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Sae Design
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sae Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sae Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Anthology Marketing GroupnotableSDG partnered with Anthology Marketing Group for a complete overhaul of Halekulani's website, combining SDG's design expertise with Anthology's marketing capabilities.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights4 records
Sae Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mother Design: Creative studio spun out of Mother, focused on branding, identity, and packaging for consumer and cultural brands. Comparable boutique, multi-discipline design studio structure with an enterprise client base.
- Pentagram: Globally renowned design partnership with a partner-led, multi-discipline studio model delivering branding, packaging, and digital design for enterprise clients. Highly comparable boutique creative studio operating model, though at a much larger scale and geographic footprint.
- RKS Design: Design and innovation firm with expertise in strategy, branding, and product/packaging design. Comparable as a medium-sized creative studio offering integrated design services to enterprise clients across consumer verticals.
- Mucca: Boutique branding and design studio offering identity, packaging, and digital design for consumer and hospitality brands. Operates a similar small, multi-discipline creative studio model targeting enterprise clients.
- Elmwood: Design consultancy specializing in brand strategy, packaging, and experience design for consumer brands. Comparable boutique, multi-discipline creative studio serving enterprise clients with similar offerings.
- COLLINS: Independent creative agency specializing in brand strategy, identity, packaging, and digital design for consumer and hospitality brands. Operates a similar boutique, multi-discipline creative studio model serving enterprise clients.
- Manual: Independent creative agency providing branding, packaging, and digital design for consumer and lifestyle brands. Highly comparable boutique studio model with similar service mix and enterprise client focus.
Broad incumbents
- Lippincott: Global brand strategy and design consultancy that integrates research, naming, identity, and packaging for enterprise clients. Comparable in service scope but operates at a much larger scale with a broader geographic reach.
- Landor & Fitch: One of the world's largest brand consulting and design firms, with deep hospitality and consumer brand experience. Comparable in that it sells strategy, branding, and packaging to enterprise clients, but operates as a global network rather than a boutique studio.
- Interbrand: Global branding consultancy delivering strategy, naming, visual identity, and packaging for major enterprises. Comparable in core service offering and client types, but operates as a global network with broader capabilities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sae Design social profiles
Digital presenceSae Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sae Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Sae Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sae 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 Sae Design
What does Sae Design do?
Sae Design Group is a strategic creative studio that delivers end-to-end design services spanning brand strategy, identity, packaging, digital/web, print, and marketing campaigns for enterprise clients. The studio provides naming, logo design, brand guidelines, retail and food & beverage packaging, web design and development, motion design, signage, advertising, and social media creative. Projects are delivered on a project-fee or retainer basis, primarily to Hawaii-based organizations in hospitality, food & beverage, agriculture, real estate, education, and non-profit sectors.
Is Sae Design a public or private company?
Sae Design is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sae Design founded?
Sae Design was founded in 1997. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sae Design based?
Sae Design is headquartered in Wailuku, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sae Design make money?
One revenue line is on record: creative Services / Design Projects.
Who are Sae Design's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mother Design, Pentagram, RKS Design, Mucca, Elmwood, COLLINS and Manual. Broad incumbents are Lippincott, Landor & Fitch and Interbrand.
Does Sae Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sae Design.
What industry is Sae Design in?
Sae Design's product category is Creative Services / Brand Design. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAAAF, Content Production (Video, Design, Copy, Studio). Its NAICS code is 541430 and its SIC code is 7330.