Standards Manual
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Standards Manual firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Standards Manual
- Legal name
- Standards Manual, LLC
- Website
- https://standardsmanual.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Standards Manual industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Engineering & Technical Reference Publishing (Handbooks, Specifications) (MPAJACAG)
Keywords
Where Standards Manual is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Standards Manual business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Book Sales: Direct sales of published titles through e-commerce and physical bookstore. One-time purchase model for each publication.
- Wholesale Distribution: Distribution through Thames & Hudson for North American bookstore distribution and Counter Print for international markets
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard book titles ranging from $20 to $95 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Standards Manual product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Standards Manual is an independent publishing imprint that produces archival-quality facsimile reprints of historic graphic design standards manuals, monographs on seminal design firms, and thematic collections of archival visual material. Titles span subjects such as the NYC Transit Authority, NASA, EPA, and corporate identity systems, sold directly through their own e-commerce site and a physical bookstore in Brooklyn, NY.
Product overview
Standards Manual is an independent publishing imprint that operates as a single-brand publisher rather than a platform. The company has released 15+ titles focused on preserving graphic design history, including reprinted standards manuals (NYC Transit Authority, NASA, EPA), monographs (Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv), and thematic collections (Parks, Parks 2, QSL, The Worm, Classified, DC Comics Style Guide, Coca-Cola manuals). The product portfolio also includes titles from the Unit Editions catalog. The company operates a physical bookstore in Brooklyn, NY and an online e-commerce shop for direct sales.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 1970 New York City Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual Compact Edition Reissue of the iconic 1970 NYC Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual designed by Massimo Vignelli and Bob Noorda, documenting the subway system's design standards. Priced at $65.
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Graphics Standards Manual Reissue of the NASA Graphics Standards Manual featuring the iconic worm logo designed by Danne & Blackburn in 1975.
- American Revolution Bicentennial Standards Manual Facsimile reprint of the official symbol graphics standards manual for the 1976 American Revolution Bicentennial, designed by Bruce Blackburn. Priced at $20.
- New York City Transit Authority: Objects Catalogue documenting over 400 artifacts related to the New York City Subway, collected and photographed by Brian Kelley, spanning ephemera dating back to the 1850s. Priced at $55.
- 1977 US Environmental Protection Agency Graphic Standards System Reissue of the EPA Graphic Standards System designed by Steff Geissbühler, Chermayeff & Geismar Associates in 1977, featuring the modular design system for the agency.
- Identity: Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv 60-year monograph celebrating the work of the seminal design firm, featuring identities for Chase Bank, NBC, PBS, Mobil, Smithsonian, and others.
- Identity: Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv Compact Edition Expanded and compact edition of the monograph featuring 70+ new identities from the seminal design firm. Priced at $79.
- Parks Collection of over 300 United States National Park maps, ephemera, and brochures spanning over 100 years, documenting the evolution of park design including Massimo Vignelli's Unigrid system. Priced at $64.
- Parks 2 Second volume in the Parks series, featuring over 300 additional National Park maps and brochures with commissioned texts by prominent outdoor enthusiasts. Priced at $64.
- The Worm Collection of over 200 NASA archive images featuring the worm logo, documenting Danne & Blackburn's 1975 NASA Graphic Program before it was rescinded in 1992.
- The New York Subway Map Debate Documentation of the 1978 debate between Massimo Vignelli and John Tauranac over the NYC Subway Map, featuring transcript and previously unseen photographs.
- QSL? (Do You Confirm Receipt of My Transmission?) Collection of over 150 QSL cards from amateur radio operators, showcasing the visual language of ham radio correspondence before the Internet age. Priced at $60.
- Classified: Local Ads From America's Small Towns Collection of hundreds of classified advertisements from 1970s small-town America, celebrating overlooked advertising design. Priced at $45.
- 1982 DC Comics Style Guide Reissue of the legendary DC Comics Style Guide featuring 187 highly-detailed scans of art by José Luis García-López, with introduction by Paul Levitz. Priced at $95.
- Brand Identification Manuals for Coca-Cola Reissue of Coca-Cola brand identification manuals from 1969-1979.
- Standards Manual Bookstore Physical bookstore located at 212 Franklin Street, Ground, Brooklyn, NY 11222, open Saturday 12-5pm and by appointment Monday-Friday. Carries Standards Manual releases and hand-picked selection of graphic design books from various publishers.
- Online Shop E-commerce platform for purchasing Standards Manual publications and selected titles from other publishers, including international shipping via Counter Print.
Companies that use Standards Manual
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Standards Manual technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Standards Manual partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Thames & HudsoncoreThames & Hudson handles international distribution for Standards Manual books outside North America. Books can be ordered through their sales contacts for UK, Europe, and other international markets.
- Counter PrintcoreCounter Print serves as the international distributor for orders outside US, Canada, and Mexico, handling European and other global markets for Standards Manual publications.
- OrdercoreOrder is a design office that co-locates with Standards Manual's physical bookstore in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The space serves as both the Standards Manual retail location and Order's design office, fostering a collaborative creative environment.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Standards Manual competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Thames & Hudson: Global illustrated book publisher and Standards Manual's North American wholesale distributor. Operates broadly across art, architecture, and design publishing and is a relevant commercial channel partner.
- Aperture Foundation: Non-profit publisher specializing in photography and visual culture with high-production monographs. Overlaps with Standards Manual on premium visual culture publishing and design-community distribution.
- Phaidon Press: Established global publisher of art, architecture, design, photography, and food books. Overlaps with Standards Manual on visual culture/design history but operates at significantly larger scale and broader category coverage.
- Taschen: Major art and design book publisher with global distribution. Competes for similar design-enthusiast audience through architecture, graphic design, and visual culture titles, though at much larger scale.
Direct peers
- Counter Print: UK-based independent publisher of design-focused books and prints (including the QSL? title co-published with Standards Manual). Direct peer in specialty design publishing and existing distribution partner.
- powerHouse Books: Independent Brooklyn-based publisher of photography, design, and visual culture books. Geographic and editorial peer with similar D2C-plus-wholesale model.
- Lars Müller Publishers: Swiss publisher focused on design, architecture, typography, and visual culture with high production values. Comparable editorial philosophy around preserving and presenting design history.
- Steidl: German publisher known for premium art, photography, and design books with distinctive production standards. Comparable premium-facsimile philosophy targeting collectors and institutions.
- Unit Editions: London-based independent publisher of design monographs and archives (VNIITE, Letraset, Impact 1.0/2.0, Fred Troller). Directly comparable specialty design publisher whose titles Standards Manual carries in its own shop.
- Princeton Architectural Press: Independent publisher specializing in architecture, design, and visual culture books. Closely aligned editorial niche covering design history monographs and reference works for designers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Standards Manual social profiles
Digital presenceStandards Manual financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Standards Manual leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Standards Manual funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Standards Manual 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 Standards Manual
What does Standards Manual do?
Standards Manual is an independent publishing imprint that produces archival-quality facsimile reprints of historic graphic design standards manuals, monographs on seminal design firms, and thematic collections of archival visual material. Titles span subjects such as the NYC Transit Authority, NASA, EPA, and corporate identity systems, sold directly through their own e-commerce site and a physical bookstore in Brooklyn, NY.
Is Standards Manual a public or private company?
Standards Manual is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Standards Manual founded?
Standards Manual was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Standards Manual based?
Standards Manual is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Standards Manual make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale Distribution.
Who are Standards Manual's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Thames & Hudson, Aperture Foundation, Phaidon Press and Taschen. Direct peers are Counter Print, powerHouse Books, Lars Müller Publishers, Steidl, Unit Editions and Princeton Architectural Press.
Does Standards Manual have an API?
No public API is recorded for Standards Manual.
What industry is Standards Manual in?
Standards Manual's product category is Independent Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJACAG, Engineering & Technical Reference Publishing (Handbooks, Specifications). Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.