Futago

What Futago does

Futago is a privately-held, founder-owned multidisciplinary design studio established in 2005 and headquartered at 81 Salamanca Place in Hobart (Nipaluna), Tasmania, Australia. The studio employs a five-person core team led by co-founder and Head of Design Kate Owen and Director Daniel Zika, with eclectic professional backgrounds spanning design, architecture, art, illustration, animation, music and theatre. Futago provides end-to-end creative services for Tasmanian businesses, non-profit organisations, and government clients, covering brand strategy, brand identity, wayfinding and signage, digital strategy and websites, copywriting and tone-of-voice, marketing campaigns, packaging, placemaking and interpretation, and public art installations.

The studio operates on a project-based professional services model with quote-based pricing tailored to each engagement, and no subscription or retainer structure. Its service portfolio includes nine core offerings delivered fully in-house: research-led brand strategy workshops, visual identity systems with documented guidelines, complex multi-block wayfinding systems for healthcare and public venues, website design and development, on-brand copywriting and tone-of-voice training, multi-channel marketing campaigns, food and beverage packaging with sustainable material sourcing, interpretive signage for World Heritage and national park sites, and large-scale public art installations. Notable client work includes Royal Hobart Hospital wayfinding, Cradle Mountain UNESCO site placemaking, Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens rebrand, Ten Days on the Island festival identity across 2023 and 2025, Home Base charity rebrand, and packaging and identity for Tasmanian food and beverage brands including Bream Creek and Pagan Cider. Technology stack consists of standard industry design tools and software; no proprietary platforms, APIs, SDKs, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

Futago's commercial positioning centres on 20 years of Tasmania-specific expertise and deep integration into the Brand Tasmania ecosystem, with distribution driven by direct client engagement, referrals, and a portfolio-based website supplemented by Instagram and LinkedIn presence. The studio has won National AGDA Awards and various state and international design awards, and has installed over 20 public art installations including projects at Royal Hobart Hospital and Canberra's Arboretum. Geographic reach is primarily Tasmania-based with opportunistic national and international project outcomes reaching more than four countries. The company is independent with no external investors, no parent company, and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

Futago

Legal name

Futago

Website

https://futago.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Futago is a privately-held, five-person multidisciplinary design studio in Hobart, Tasmania, founded in 2005, offering end-to-end brand strategy, identity, wayfinding, digital, copywriting, packaging, placemaking and public art services to Tasmanian businesses, non-profits, and government clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graphic Design Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creative Concepting & Campaign Development (BPAFAEAD), Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage) (MPAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Graphic design services
• Brand identity design
• Wayfinding signage design
• Packaging design
• Creative studio

Headquarters

HQ city

Hobart

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Creative Services and Design Consulting: Project-based design services including brand strategy, brand identity, digital design, wayfinding and signage, copywriting, marketing campaigns, packaging, and placemaking. Services are billed per project with no subscription model mentioned. As a bespoke design studio, they likely operate on quote-based pricing tailored to individual client needs and project scope.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Futago is a multidisciplinary graphic design studio that delivers end-to-end creative services including brand strategy, brand identity, wayfinding and signage, digital strategy and websites, copywriting and tone-of-voice, marketing campaigns, packaging design, placemaking and interpretation, and public art installations. The studio operates on a project-by-project basis, providing bespoke creative solutions for businesses, organisations, and government clients, with all strategy, design, copywriting, web development, and production handled in-house.

Product overview

Futago is a design studio offering end-to-end creative services from brand development to launch to ongoing campaigns. Their core offerings include Brand Strategy, Brand Identity, Wayfinding & Signage, Digital Strategy & Websites, Copywriting & Tone-of-Voice, Marketing Campaigns, Packaging, Placemaking & Interpretation, and Public Art. The studio operates with in-house capabilities across research, strategy, design, copywriting, web development, social media, marketing and production, providing a unified service for brand development and creative execution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Strategy Research, workshops, community engagement, naming and positioning, customer value propositions, competitor landscapes, and brand narratives delivered through a collaborative process that builds practical strategic plans for bringing ideas out into the real world.
• Brand Identity Development of smart and sophisticated visual identity systems delivered with simple and user-friendly guideline documents that make the brand workable for the client's whole team as well as flexible and adaptable across all media.
• Wayfinding & Signage Clear, consistent, and thoughtfully designed signage solutions from concept to implementation that help people navigate spaces with ease, expressing the brand and working seamlessly in real-world environments from small venues to large public spaces.
• Digital Strategy & Websites Website design and development, e-commerce, moving image, social media management, and content creation delivered through in-house capabilities to build a complete digital world for the client's brand.
• Copywriting & Tone-of-Voice Creative and consistently on-brand copy for websites, marketing, advertising, social media, press releases, brochures, and manuals, along with tone-of-voice guidelines and training for the client's internal team.
• Marketing Campaigns Launching a new brand or revitalising an existing one through marketing campaigns across print, digital, social media, direct mail, exhibitions, and events, creating impactful messaging that seamlessly communicates the brand to its target audience.
• Packaging Packaging design for food and beverage brands including sourcing of unique and sustainable materials through to quality control of production, ensuring the product looks great.
• Placemaking & Interpretation Interpretive signage and installations for World Heritage areas, national parks, memorials, and walking trails that connect people to the history, culture, story, and natural qualities of an area.
• Public Art

Quantifiable outcome

• Client work has reached more than 4 countries
• +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

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: Global design consultancy where partners run small, multidisciplinary teams covering brand identity, environmental graphics, digital and packaging — the same services Futago offers, but at vastly larger scale and international reach.
• Siegel+Gale: Global brand experience and design consultancy providing brand strategy, identity and wayfinding for government and corporate clients — overlapping with Futago's institutional placemaking and signage work at a much larger scale.
• M&C Saatchi Australia: Established Australian advertising and creative agency group offering brand strategy, advertising and campaign execution, comparable in capability footprint to Futago but operating at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Droga5 ANZ (formerly The Monkeys): Large Australian creative agency network offering strategy, brand, advertising and digital across consumer and government clients; overlaps with Futago on integrated brand and campaign work, but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Saffron Brand Consultants: Global brand consultancy working on brand strategy and identity for corporations and institutions; overlaps with Futago's brand-strategy and identity engagements but at broader-incumbent scale with multinational clients.

Direct peers

• DesignStudio: Global independent brand and design studio with an integrated, strategy-through-execution model very close to Futago's, working across identity, digital, wayfinding and environmental graphics for major institutions.
• Folk: Melbourne-based boutique creative and brand design agency of similar size and positioning to Futago, offering integrated brand strategy, identity, digital and campaign work for Australian consumer, hospitality and culture clients.
• Moving Brands: Independent global brand and design consultancy combining brand strategy, identity and experience design, with a similarly small partner-led team profile and comparable end-to-end offering to Futago.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInau.linkedin.com/company/futago-graphic-design
• Instagraminstagram.com/futagodesign

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 Futago