What Design Studio Press does

Design Studio Press is a privately held, Southern California–based publishing house founded by Scott Robertson that specializes in concept art and entertainment design books. The company publishes roughly six new titles per year and has accumulated a catalog of more than 120 titles across categories including artist series, educational, creatures and characters, mech, transportation design, and science fiction and fantasy. Its roster draws on world-renowned concept artists such as Syd Mead, Marcos Mateu-Mestre, Iain McCaig, Sparth, and founder Scott Robertson, with the company positioning itself as a direct partner to artists rather than a generic publishing services provider.

The core product is print books sold in softcover ($4.95–$54.95), hardcover ($24.95–$74.95), signed, and limited/special editions ($75–$300), with bulk discounts available. There is no proprietary technology platform or digital product; the technology layer is a standard Shopify-hosted e-commerce storefront. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the company's own website, supplemented by organic social channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) and an email mailing list. Distribution is global through the e-commerce site, and customer segments are horizontal: entertainment design students, professional concept artists, and art hobbyists.

The business model is one-time book sales, with no subscription, licensing, or recurring revenue disclosed. The company is founder-operated (1–10 employees), has never raised institutional funding, and supplements its publishing activity with a 'Give Back' program that routes a portion of proceeds from select titles to charitable partners including Art Center College of Design, Charity: Water, Doctors Without Borders, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The publishing house is FSC-certified for responsible paper sourcing.

Name

Design Studio Press

Legal name

Design Studio Press

Website

https://designstudiopress.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Design Studio Press is a Southern California–based, founder-operated publishing house that produces concept art and entertainment design books with world-renowned artists, selling 120+ titles direct-to-consumer via its own e-commerce site to students, professional concept artists, and hobbyists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing (MPAJAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Institutional & Custom Publishing (Coursepacks, Campus/Corporate Training) (MPAJABAL)

Keywords

• Concept art books
• Art book publishing
• Entertainment design
• Illustrated art books
• Artist monographs

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Design Studio Press generates revenue through the sale of published books including softcover and hardcover editions. They offer regular retail pricing as well as premium formats such as signed copies and limited edition special editions with higher price points. The company also sells bulk quantities with a 10% discount for purchases of 2 or more items.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Design Studio Press is a Southern California-based publishing house that produces and sells physical art books featuring concept art, illustration, and educational content. The press partners directly with world-renowned entertainment designers such as Syd Mead, Scott Robertson, and Marcos Mateu-Mestre to publish their work in softcover, hardcover, signed, and limited edition formats. With over 120 titles in its catalog and approximately six new releases per year, the company operates primarily as a direct-to-consumer e-commerce bookstore.

Product overview

Design Studio Press is a Southern California–based publishing house specializing in concept art books. Founded over two decades ago by Scott Robertson, the press partners directly with artists and has published over 120 titles with approximately six new releases annually. The product portfolio includes books in categories spanning artist series (featuring individual artists like Syd Mead, Scott Robertson, Iain McCaig), educational books (including the popular Framed series by Marcos Mateu-Mestre), creatures & characters, mech, transportation design, and science fiction & fantasy. Notable product lines include the Studio Image series by Syd Mead, the Daily Zoo series by Chris Ayers, the SRD Sketch Collection by Scott Robertson, and educational titles like How to Draw and How to Render. The company also offers special editions with limited collectible formats and signed copies for select titles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Framed Environment Design Book by Marcos Mateu-Mestre presenting artwork and methodologies for designing environments for film, animation, graphic novels, and illustration to serve narrative purposes.
• SRD Sketch Collection Vol. 03 Collection of 451 sketches by Scott Robertson featuring vehicles including futuristic hot rods, rovers, sports cars, ocean vehicles, and headgear.
• Fryewerk 2.0 Book by John A. Frye featuring awe-inspiring vehicles, aircraft, and spacecraft illustrations spanning varied terrain and time periods.
• Studio Image 1 First in the RGB collection by Syd Mead featuring conceptual sketches and full-color illustrations providing glimpses of futuristic visions.
• Studio Image 2 Second in the Studio Image series by Syd Mead featuring conceptual sketches and full-color illustrations including work from motion picture Short Circuit.
• Studio Image 3 Third and final addition to the Studio Image series by Syd Mead featuring full-color illustrations including concept drawings for theme park attractions and films like Aliens.
• Once Upon a Time in the Sketchbook Visual storytelling book by Iain McCaig containing pages of sketches without words, featuring captivating images for creating tales.
• Daytoner (DTNR) Concept art book by Daniel Hahn featuring robots, mechs, and character designs paired with short stories looking back at a possible future.
• The Dunwich Horror Illustrated version of H.P. Lovecraft's story by François Baranger, a concept artist for cinema and video games.
• Workmanship of Risk Retrospective showcase of sculptor Michael Cooper's life and work featuring over 300 photographs and 100 detailed working drawings.
• EK2 – The Lost Years Collection of model kit design work and production paintings by Derek Stenning from his Entartete Kunst series.
• The Art of Direction Book by Ron Ashtiani sharing twenty-five years of experience directing creative projects for games and film, covering art direction skills.
• Structura Collection of personal artwork by Sparth (artistic director and concept designer for id Software) featuring space, architecture, and robotics themes.
• Born In Concrete Book by Derek Stenning featuring Soviet-inspired retro sci-fi combined with Jewish mystical and qabalistic symbolism.
• SRD Sketch Collection Vol. 02 Second collection of 288 sketches by Scott Robertson featuring vehicles including futuristic hot rods, rovers, sports cars, and headgear.
• SOON - timepiece phenomena Book by Olivier Gamiette featuring 34 extraordinary concept watch designs with design tutorials and descriptions.
• The Daily Zoo: vol. 1 Book by Chris Ayers featuring 365 animal drawings created during his recovery from leukemia, with proceeds supporting cancer research.
• The Daily Zoo: vol. 3 Third volume in Chris Ayers' Daily Zoo series featuring continued daily animal drawings during his leukemia remission.

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Art Center College of DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign Studio Press partners with ArtCenter College of Design to publish educational content featuring student work from the Entertainment Design program. Titles include 'In the Future' showcasing inaugural class work and 'The Skillful Huntsman' featuring work by students Khang Le, Mike Yamada, and Felix Yoon under instructor Scott Robertson.
• Charity: WaterminorOthersDesign Studio Press supports Charity: Water through the sale of 'Nuthin' But Mech' by Lorin Wood. A portion of proceeds from this title support the charity's clean water initiatives.
• Doctors Without BordersminorOthersDesign Studio Press supports Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) through the sale of 'The Line Art Challenge'. A portion of proceeds support the organization's humanitarian medical work.
• Leukemia & Lymphoma SocietycoreOthersDesign Studio Press maintains an ongoing partnership with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through the 'Give Back' program. Multiple titles in The Daily Zoo series by Chris Ayers (The Daily Zoo vol. 1, Year 2, vol. 3, My Daily Zoo, Goes to Paris) donate portions of proceeds to cancer-related charities and research.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Insight Editions: Publishes premium illustrated, collectible, and 'art of' titles with cloth-bound/slipcased editions — directly comparable format strategy and price points to Design Studio Press's special editions line.
• 3dtotal Publishing: Specialist publisher of CG/3D/digital art books and tutorial titles for concept artists and illustrators; directly comparable niche, target audience, and educational/inspirational positioning.
• Ballistic Publishing: Direct competitor publishing high-end art and 3D/CG art books featuring concept artists; operates in the same collectible/premium illustrated book category targeting concept-art and digital-art professionals.

Broad incumbents

• IDW Publishing: Comics and graphic novel publisher with art-book and creator-focused imprints; overlapping in premium illustrated format and film/games licensing space though at much larger scale.
• Titan Books: Established illustrated/art-book publisher with a strong sci-fi, fantasy, and film/TV tie-in catalog; broader portfolio than Design Studio Press but overlapping in art-of, fantasy, and licensed illustrated titles.
• Chronicle Books: Independent trade publisher with a substantial illustrated/art/coffee-table catalog; serves overlapping gifting and illustrated-book demand though at a much broader, less-niche art audience.
• Walter Foster Publishing: Long-established art-instruction book publisher (How to Draw, technique series); competes in the educational art-book category at mass-market price points overlapping with Design Studio Press's 'How to Draw' / 'How to Render' titles.
• Dark Horse Books: Major comics/graphic novel publisher with a significant line of art books, concept-art collections, and creator-focused volumes; broader publisher but with overlapping artist-series and art-of titles.

Emerging players

• Gnomon Workshop: Leading concept-art and entertainment-design training brand; competes with Design Studio Press's educational titles for the same concept-art student and professional audience, but via video rather than print.
• ImagineFX (Future Publishing): Long-running digital-art and concept-art magazine and book brand targeting the same concept-artist and digital-illustrator audience; competes for the same discretionary learning/reference spend, primarily digitally rather than in print.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DStudioPress
• YouTubeyoutube.com/designstudiopress
• Facebookfacebook.com/designstudiopress
• Instagraminstagram.com/designstudiopress

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Design Studio Press