Obvious state
Obvious State is a US-based independent publishing and design studio that creates original illustrated books and art prints inspired by classic literature and philosophy, sold direct-to-consumer via Shopify and through bespoke custom design projects for publishers, film, theater, and universities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersNew City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Obvious state does
Obvious State is a privately held US-based independent publishing and design studio that produces original literary-themed illustrated books and art prints, sold direct-to-consumer through a Shopify storefront at obviousstate.com. Core product lines include illustrated hardcover editions of classic and philosophical texts such as 'Letters from a Stoic' (Seneca), 'Meditations' (Marcus Aurelius), and 'To Live Deliberately' (Henry David Thoreau), alongside literary art prints drawing from authors including F. Scott Fitzgerald and Henry David Thoreau. Production relies on in-house printing combined with trusted US-based production partners, and orders are processed every 24-48 hours with global shipping handled via USPS domestically and DHL internationally.
The business operates three revenue motions. The primary motion is DTC e-commerce, with unit and bundle pricing (3 prints for $48, 3 books for $30) and free US shipping thresholds in the $50-$60 range. A second motion is a bespoke B2B custom design service for publishers, film and theater productions, musicians, and universities, with a portfolio that includes Penguin Random House, Disney's Frozen on Broadway (2018), Doubleday, Juniper Books, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the University of Manchester, Andrews McMeel Universal, and the 2016 film 'Genius'. A third motion is wholesale distribution to retailers via a dedicated stockists page, and a fourth is licensing of original artwork through an open inquiry channel at [email protected].
The company is structured as an owner-operated small business with 11-50 employees, no disclosed investors or funding rounds, and a single [email protected] contact funnel for orders, press, and editorial inquiries. Marketing is built on owned content (a Journal blog, newsletter, Facebook and Instagram profiles), PR placements in major outlets (Los Angeles Times, My Modern Met, Flavorwire, Book Riot), and a review-copy program for editors and content creators. The technology footprint is intentionally lean: Shopify for commerce and payments, address-validation software at checkout to reduce misdeliveries, and standard shipping carrier integrations.
Obvious state firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Obvious state
- Legal name
- Obvious State
- Website
- https://obviousstate.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Obvious State is a US-based independent publishing and design studio that creates original illustrated books and art prints inspired by classic literature and philosophy, sold direct-to-consumer via Shopify and through bespoke custom design projects for publishers, film, theater, and universities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Obvious state industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary Art & Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Retailers and News Dealers (459210), Book Retailers and News Dealers (45921)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing (MPAJAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)
Keywords
Where Obvious state is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Obvious state business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct-to-consumer product sales: One-time purchase revenue from illustrated books, art prints, and gift items sold through the Shopify storefront. Discounts include 3 for $48 prints and 3 for $30 books promotional bundles, with free US shipping on orders over $60.
- Custom publishing and design services: Project-based revenue from bespoke illustration and design work for publishers, film/TV productions, musicians, and universities (e.g., Juniper Books, Penguin Random House, Doubleday, Disney's Frozen on Broadway, the Met, the University of Manchester). Treated as one-off, custom engagements rather than recurring.
- Wholesale distribution to stockists: Wholesale supply of Obvious State products to retailers who carry them in their own stores, with retailers directed to a dedicated wholesale page for partnership inquiries.
- Licensing of original artwork and designs: Rights and licensing revenue for original Obvious State art and designs, with the policies page explicitly inviting licensing inquiries via [email protected].
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Bundle pricing: 3 art prints for $48 and 3 books for $30 |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Standard individual unit pricing with free US shipping over $60 |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Custom project pricing on request |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Obvious state product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Obvious State creates and sells original illustrated hardcover books and literary-themed art prints inspired by classic literature and philosophy (e.g., Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Henry David Thoreau, F. Scott Fitzgerald) through its own Shopify-powered online store. It also provides bespoke custom illustration and design services to publishers, film/TV productions, musicians, and universities, and supplies products wholesale to retailers.
Product overview
Obvious State is a single, unified independent publishing and design studio rather than a modular software platform. Its core product lines are illustrated Books (e.g., 'Letters from a Stoic', 'Meditations', 'To Live Deliberately') and Art Prints (including the F. Scott Fitzgerald 'So We Beat On' print), sold direct-to-consumer via a Shopify storefront. Layered on top of these core lines are collaboration-driven sub-products and bespoke Client Work, including the Bibliophilia and Subtext postcard sets (Penguin Random House), the Parlor Games card-game packaging (Gibbs Smith), the Juniper Books clothbound book-jacket collections (Austen, Brontë, Cather, Eliot), the Doubleday / Lawrence Ferlinghetti 'Little Boy' print, the Frozen on Broadway and 'True West' London theatre prints, the Bear Ceuse album cover, and the University of Manchester's 'Surveillance Imperative' cover art. Wholesale distribution is offered separately via the Stockists page.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Illustrated Hardcover Books Original illustrated hardcover books based on classic literature and philosophy, including 'Letters from a Stoic' (Seneca), 'Meditations' (Marcus Aurelius), and 'To Live Deliberately' (Henry David Thoreau). Marketed as 'algorithm-free, no charger required' for literary enthusiasts and gift buyers.
- Literary Art Prints Original literary-themed art prints produced in-house or with US-based partners, drawing quotes and motifs from classic works such as F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby'. Sold individually and in bundles (3 for $48).
- Custom Publishing & Design Services Bespoke custom illustration and design services for publishers, film/TV productions, musicians, and universities, spanning book jackets, postcard sets, album covers, and event prints. Past clients include Penguin Random House, Disney's Frozen on Broadway, Doubleday, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Juniper Books, Gibbs Smith, and the University of Manchester.
- Bibliophilia Postcard Set Boxed postcard set co-developed with Penguin Random House featuring bold, graphic interpretations of 50 literary lines from authors such as Woolf, Dostoevsky, Wilde, Poe, and Austen.
- Subtext Postcard Set Postcard collection co-developed with Penguin Random House that combines classic literature with contemporary colloquialisms, alluding to unspoken thoughts and implicit meanings.
- Wholesale Distribution Program Wholesale supply of Obvious State books, art prints, and gift items to independent and specialty retailers who carry the products in their physical and online stores, accessed via the /pages/wholesale program.
Quantifiable outcome
- Free US shipping on orders over $60 with hassle-free returns
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Obvious state
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Obvious state technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Obvious state partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Juniper BookscoreCo-developed custom hardcover book jacket designs for Juniper Books' four literary collections (Jane Austen, The Brontë Sisters, Willa Cather, George Eliot), pairing original Obvious State art with Everyman's Library clothbound volumes.
- Penguin Random HousecoreTwo collaboration projects: a 2012 boxed Bibliophilia postcard set with 50 literary lines from authors such as Woolf, Dostoevsky, Wilde, Poe, and Austen; and a cheeky 'Subtext' postcard collection pairing classic literature with contemporary colloquialisms.
- The Metropolitan Museum of ArtmajorSelected for the Met's '100 Years of Paper' Paper Project, with Obvious State's Bibliophilia and 'Shorts' cards featured among 500+ paper goods celebrating the museum's original 1910 paper shop.
- Disney's Frozen on BroadwaymajorCreated an opening-night cast and crew gift for Disney's 2018 Broadway production of Frozen, featuring an excerpt from T.S. Eliot's 'Little Gidding'.
- Genius (2016 film)coreProduced a custom cast and crew gift for the 2016 film 'Genius' (about Scribner editor Max Perkins, starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, Laura Linney), illustrating an exchange between Perkins and Thomas Wolfe about a New York City sunset.
- True West London (Vaudeville Theatre, 2018)coreProduced original artwork for the 2018 London revival of Sam Shepard's 'True West' at the Vaudeville Theatre, starring Kit Harington and Johnny Flynn.
- Bear CeuseminorDesigned the album cover for Brooklyn indie rock band Bear Ceuse's July 2013 album 'Don Domestique'.
- University of Manchester (Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine)coreProduced cover art for 'The Surveillance Imperative: Exploring the Cold War Geosciences' and event graphics for the international symposium 'Cold War / Blue Planet'.
- Doubleday & Lawrence FerlinghetticoreCreated a custom print in collaboration with poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Doubleday for the 2019 release of 'Little Boy'.
- Gibbs SmithcorePartnered on box design and custom icon set for Gibbs Smith's 'The Parlor Games' line of literary card games (Dracula, Shakespeare, Pride and Prejudice).
- Doubleday (Nell Stevens)coreProduced a launch print for Nell Stevens' 'The Victorian and the Romantic', responding to a quote from Elizabeth Barrett Browning's 'Aurora Leigh'; the illustration now lives in Obvious State's Women Writers Collection.
- Andrews McMeel Universal (Najwa Zebian 'These Are Our Words' event)coreCo-produced an illustration for the April 7, 2019 live poetry event 'These Are Our Words' (hosted by Read Poetry, Belletrist, Obvious State, and Bowery Poetry in NYC), in collaboration with poet Najwa Zebian and publisher Andrews McMeel.
- ShopifycoreShopify powers the obviousstate.com storefront and handles all online payments with the latest encryption. Obvious State does not retain credit card information on file and routes data-sharing opt-outs through Shopify's policy.
- USPS / DHLcoreUSPS handles domestic fulfillment and previously international shipping, with address-validation software in the checkout; DHL is now used for international orders, with weekly consolidated shipments and typical 1-3 week delivery.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Obvious state competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Papier: Direct-to-consumer stationery and personalized gift brand with a strong editorial/design aesthetic. Comparable as a digitally native competitor in the premium illustrated stationery/gift category.
- Artifact Uprising: Premium DTC brand for photo books, art prints, and gifts with a design-forward, giftable positioning. Comparable as a similarly sized DTC illustrated/gift brand competing for the same premium consumer segment.
- Rifle Paper Co. Illustration-led DTC brand selling stationery, art prints, and home goods with a similarly curated, giftable aesthetic. Comparable as a direct competitor in the illustrated lifestyle/gift category, sharing the same Shopify-based DTC model and target buyer.
- Gibbs Smith: Independent publisher of illustrated lifestyle and literary-themed products (e.g., The Parlor Games card games co-developed with Obvious State). Comparable as a mid-market partner/peer in illustrated literary gift publishing.
- Juniper Books: Custom book jacket designer for Everyman's Library clothbound classics (Austen, Brontës, Cather, Eliot). Directly comparable because Obvious State has co-developed Juniper Books' custom covers, and both compete in the custom literary book-jacket sub-segment.
Emerging players
- Society6: Online marketplace where independent artists sell art prints, posters, and home goods. Comparable as an alternative route to market for illustrated art prints and as a competitive surface in the same gift/print category.
Regional players
- Metropolitan Museum of Art Store: The Met's own retail arm that sells art prints and paper goods and is both a wholesale/retail outlet for Obvious State's Bibliophilia and 'Shorts' lines and a competing channel for museum-shop literary gifts.
Broad incumbents
- Penguin Random House: Major trade publisher that is both a B2B partner (Bibliophilia, Subtext postcard sets) and a broader incumbent in illustrated classics. Comparable because its portfolio and licensing decisions directly shape the demand environment Obvious State operates in.
- Paper Source: National specialty retailer of stationery, art prints, and gift items with a literary/curated aesthetic. Comparable as a channel for similar products and as an incumbent in the same brick-and-mortar niche Obvious State reaches through wholesale.
- Chronicle Books: Independent publisher of illustrated books, gift products, and stationery. Comparable as a much larger incumbent in the same design-forward illustrated book/gift space that Obvious State occupies at a smaller scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Obvious state social profiles
Digital presenceObvious state financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Obvious state leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Obvious state funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Obvious state 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 Obvious state
What does Obvious state do?
Obvious State creates and sells original illustrated hardcover books and literary-themed art prints inspired by classic literature and philosophy (e.g., Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Henry David Thoreau, F. Scott Fitzgerald) through its own Shopify-powered online store. It also provides bespoke custom illustration and design services to publishers, film/TV productions, musicians, and universities, and supplies products wholesale to retailers.
Is Obvious state a public or private company?
Obvious state is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Obvious state founded?
Obvious state was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Obvious state based?
Obvious state is headquartered in New City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Obvious state make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Direct-to-consumer product sales are the primary driver. The others are custom publishing and design services, wholesale distribution to stockists and licensing of original artwork and designs.
Who are Obvious state's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Papier, Artifact Uprising, Rifle Paper Co., Gibbs Smith and Juniper Books. Society6 is listed as an emerging player. Metropolitan Museum of Art Store is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Penguin Random House, Paper Source and Chronicle Books.
Does Obvious state have an API?
No public API is recorded for Obvious state.
What industry is Obvious state in?
Obvious state's product category is Literary Art & Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAF, Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJAAAB, Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.). Its NAICS code is 459210 and its SIC code is 2731.