What Media Objectives does

Media Objectives (M-O) is a Chicago-based environmental graphic design studio founded in 2012 by Joe Lawton and structurally housed within the architecture and interior design firm Valerio Dewalt Train. The studio provides six core service lines: brand identity design, environmental and placemaking design, signage and wayfinding systems, exhibition design, digital media design (including responsive websites), and print media design. The underlying production model is craft-driven, multidisciplinary, and project-based rather than product- or platform-based, with no proprietary technology stack or public API disclosed. Revenue is generated through professional services fees tied to project scope and complexity, with enterprise engagements (multi-year, multi-site rollouts) coexisting with smaller small-business brand work.

The firm serves a wide client roster spanning enterprise technology (Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, Adobe, Glassdoor), financial services (Capital One), hospitality (Shashi Hotel), real estate development (Vue53, Nicol Investment Company), consumer goods (Sunhouse Craft), healthcare (Boston Children's Hospital, Seneca Park Zoo), education (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, School of the Art Institute of Chicago), and government (Chicago Park District, Village of Mount Prospect). Pricing is custom and project-based; no rates or contract minimums are publicly disclosed. Distribution relies on direct client engagement and, critically, on partnerships with architecture and interior design firms — most notably Valerio Dewalt Train and Gensler — through which the majority of integrated projects originate.

M-O maintains four U.S. offices (Chicago headquarters, Denver, San Francisco, Palo Alto) and executes international projects in Canada (Toronto), Mexico (Mexico City), Brazil (Sao Paulo), and Europe (Berlin), primarily via repeat engagements with global enterprise clients. The firm has accumulated industry recognition across major design awards programs including SEGD, Core77, Architizer A+, Interior Design Magazine Best of Year, Fast Company, IIDA, and Metropolis, plus individual awards for Principal Joe Lawton (Metropolis New Talent 2018; HIP Award for Leader in Experiential Branding). The business remains privately held with no disclosed external institutional investment.

Name

Media Objectives

Legal name

Media Objectives

Website

https://media-objectives.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Environmental Graphic Design Services: Project-based design services including brand identity systems, environmental/wrapping design, wayfinding and signage systems, exhibition design, and digital experiences. Revenue is generated through professional design fees for custom projects rather than recurring or product-based revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Media Objectives is a multidisciplinary environmental graphic design studio that delivers brand identity systems, placemaking and environmental graphics, signage and wayfinding, exhibition design, responsive websites, and print media design. The studio works primarily with enterprise clients on custom, project-based engagements to translate brand identities into physical and digital environmental experiences.

Product overview

Media Objectives (M-O) is a multidisciplinary environmental graphic design studio that offers a comprehensive suite of design services rather than a software product. The company provides Brand Identity Design, Environmental/Placemaking Design, Signage and Wayfinding Systems, Exhibition Design, Digital Media Design, and Print Media Design. Founded in 2012 and housed within architecture firm Valerio Dewalt Train, M-O serves clients ranging from small businesses to global corporations, focusing on creating real connections between people and brands, places, and each other through purpose-driven design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Identity Design Creation of visual expressions of brands based on organizational values, offerings, and personality, including logos, wordmarks, colors, typography, and graphic elements. Delivered for clients across enterprise, SMB, and institutional segments.
• Environmental/Placemaking Design Integration of brand DNA into physical environments to create impactful, place-based experiences that enhance community and connection for offices, campuses, mixed-use developments, and public venues.
• Signage and Wayfinding Systems Production of custom sign systems and wayfinding strategies for built environments to enhance clarity, navigation, and lived experience in offices, hospitals, universities, downtowns, and campuses.
• Exhibition Design Crafting custom 2D and 3D interpretive graphics designed to engage, inform, and create memorable user experiences in museums, environmental centers, and public-facing installations.
• Digital Media Design Designing and developing responsive websites and digital experiences that connect brands to their audiences, delivered for clients ranging from SMBs (e.g., Sunhouse Craft) to enterprises.
• Print Media Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Vue53 achieved full occupancy within first year of opening
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Valerio Dewalt TraincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerM-O is housed within Valerio Dewalt Train, an architecture and interior design firm. This partnership enables seamless integration between architectural and environmental graphic design. The firms collaborate on most major projects including Pinterest offices, Glassdoor offices, Vue53, Ford Calumet Environmental Center, and others.
• Office of ThingsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Office of Things on YouTube lobby design project in San Bruno, California.
• Gensler TorontomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior architects collaborated with M-O on Pinterest Toronto office placemaking and wayfinding project.
• Gensler Mexico CitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior architects collaborated with M-O on Pinterest Mexico City office design, signage, placemaking, and environmental graphics.
• MassivArtminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVendor partner for Pinterest Mexico City project, working on custom signage and installations.
• All KindsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArt installation group collaborated to bring themed rooms to life for Pinterest Toronto placemaking project.
• Tim Gorter ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm collaborated with M-O on LinkedIn Studios environmental graphics and signage project.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mediaobjectives
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/media-objectives

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Media Objectives