What Image Now does

Image Now is a Dublin-based strategic brand consultancy founded in 1992 by Darrell Kavanagh (Managing Director/Strategist) and David Torpey (Executive Creative Director). The firm delivers integrated brand transformation across four service pillars — Strategy & Research, Design, Experiences, and Brand Management — using a documented five-stage methodology (Discover & Immerse, Define & Identify, Design & Co-Create, Develop & Refine, Deliver & Activate). Its client base is dominated by large Irish enterprises, state-owned bodies, and government agencies, including An Post, Permanent TSB, daa (Dublin Airport), Dublin Bus, Irish Rail, IDA Ireland, Ibec, RTÉ 2FM, Riverdance, and National Parks of Ireland, with selective international projects such as Gofer Hospitality across Europe.

The business operates as a project-based professional services consultancy rather than a software or platform business. Pricing is quote-based and scoped per engagement with no publicly disclosed rate cards. Revenue mechanics rely on consultancy fees tied to brand strategy, visual identity, wayfinding and environmental design, motion/UI/UX, packaging, and ongoing brand guardianship/rollout services. Go-to-market is sales-led and reputation-driven, leaning on a case-study portfolio, ICAD award recognition, Design Leaders Conference presence, and multi-decade client relationships that generate referrals. Customer concentration is anchored on a small set of large institutional clients and long-tenured engagements.

The underlying technology is creative design tooling and brand management methodology rather than proprietary software. Notable in-house capabilities include a brand strategy framework, masterbrand architecture systems, and specialized environmental/wayfinding expertise — demonstrated through projects such as the An Post EXO experiential interiors, Irish Rail wayfinding, Dublin Bus signage, and the custom accessible sans-serif font developed for South Dublin County Council. The firm has no disclosed AI/ML capability, no app or API surface, and operates from a single Dublin studio at 37 Drury Street. Firmographic headcount is listed at 51–100 while the public About page enumerates approximately 11 named team members; the company is privately held and entirely founder-owned with no recorded external investment, M&A, or restructuring activity.

Name

Image Now

Legal name

Image Now

Website

https://imagenow.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Image Now is a Dublin-based strategic brand consultancy founded in 1992, delivering integrated brand strategy, visual identity, wayfinding, and experiential design services to large enterprises, government bodies, and public-sector clients across Ireland, with selective European engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Consultancy

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143), Graphic Design Services (541430), Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising Agencies (54181), Commercial Photography (541922)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Brand Strategy & Positioning (BPAFAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Visual Identity & Brand Design Systems (BPAFAEAC), Creative Concepting & Campaign Development (BPAFAEAD), Graphic Design & Visual Content Production (BPAFAIAC), Naming & Verbal Identity (Taglines, Messaging) (MPAAAEAB), Graphic Design & Visual Communications (Collateral, Illustration) (MPAAAEAC), Packaging & Brand Identity Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAN), Brand Activations & Experiential Campaign Design (MPAAAGAA)

Keywords

• Brand consultancy
• Visual identity design
• Brand strategy
• Wayfinding design
• Experiential design

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Brand Strategy and Identity Services: Project-based professional services for brand strategy, identity development, positioning, and naming. Revenue generated through consultancy fees for strategic and creative services delivered to enterprise clients.
2. Design and Creative Services: Visual identity design, graphic design, UI/UX, motion design, video production, and creative direction services billed as part of brand transformation projects.
3. Environmental and Wayfinding Design: Specialized design services for physical spaces including signage systems, interior branding, and experiential environments for corporate headquarters and public facilities.
4. Brand Management and Rollout: Ongoing brand guardianship, guidelines development, and rollout strategy services to ensure consistent brand implementation across all touchpoints.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Image Now is a strategic brand consultancy that creates, evolves, and reinvents brands through four interconnected service pillars: Strategy & Research (positioning, naming, architecture), Design (visual identity, UI/UX, motion, spatial), Experiences (digital, events, packaging), and Brand Management (governance, guidelines, communications). The firm delivers comprehensive brand transformation projects to enterprise and public-sector clients, often combining identity design with environmental and wayfinding systems.

Product overview

Image Now is a strategic brand consultancy offering a comprehensive suite of services rather than a standalone software product. Their offering comprises four interconnected service pillars: Strategy & Research (brand positioning, naming, architecture), Design (visual identity, UI/UX, motion, spatial), Experiences (digital, events, packaging), and Brand Management (governance, guidelines, communications). They work across diverse sectors including retail, F&B, financial services, technology, travel, and public sector, delivering brand transformation projects for clients such as An Post, PTSB, Dublin Airport, Irish Rail, and IDA Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy & Research Services Brand strategy services including research and insights, brand positioning, naming, brand architecture, and marketing communications strategies that build the strategic foundation driving brand decisions. Designed for organizations seeking to clarify or reposition their brand.
• Design Services Visual identity design, creative direction, photography, illustration, UI/UX interaction design, spatial and environmental design, motion design, video and animation services that translate brand strategies into tangible creative assets.
• Experiences Services Immersive brand experience design including digital and social media presence, marketing communications, employee experience, space and environment design, event design, and packaging solutions that bring brands to life across customer touchpoints.
• Brand Management Services Ongoing brand governance including internal and external communications, brand guardianship, leadership and employee engagement, and brand guidelines development to ensure consistent brand implementation across an organization.
• Environmental and Wayfinding Design Specialized design services for physical spaces including signage systems, interior branding, dual-language signage integration, and experiential environments for corporate headquarters, transit networks, airports, and public facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dublin Airport improved from 14th to 1st in European airport experience rankings following visual environment project
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Bearded Man (Conor)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaborated with Conor from The Bearded Man to build a bespoke Java Republic stand for Dublin Coffee Festival using recycled and sustainable materials.
• Illustrator Fiona McDonnellminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeamed up with illustrator Fiona McDonnell to create packaging designs for Java Republic's Single Origins range from Rwanda, Peru and Colombia.
• Irish Artists and CreativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Irish artists and creatives throughout the An Post EXO project to realize experiential environments including light installations, interactive murals, and lenticular walls.
• Typographer Bobby TannamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with typographer Bobby Tannam to create custom type system for South Dublin County Council brand, including one of Ireland's most accessible sans-serif fonts.
• Ascot (Manufacturing Partner)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaborated with manufacturing partner Ascot to test, manufacture, and install the finished wayfinding system, graphics, and vinyls for Crescent Shopping Centre.
• National Transport Authority / TFIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked in alignment with National Transport Authority and Transport for Ireland guidelines for Irish Rail wayfinding system redesign, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• SomeOne: London-based brand and experience design consultancy offering strategy, identity, and digital design. Comparable as a mid-sized independent design firm with similar service mix, though operating primarily in the UK market.
• Total Design: Amsterdam-based multidisciplinary design consultancy offering brand strategy, identity, and digital design. Comparable as a European design consultancy of similar scale with enterprise clients, though primarily serving the Dutch and broader Benelux market rather than Ireland.
• Williams Murray Hamm: UK-based brand design consultancy known for packaging and identity work for enterprise brands (Pukka Herbs, Aston Martin). Comparable as a mid-sized independent design consultancy with similar service offering, though UK-focused rather than Ireland-focused.

Direct peers

• Moving Brands: Independent brand and experience design consultancy with offices in London, San Francisco, and Zurich. Comparable as a mid-sized brand consultancy delivering strategy, identity, motion, and experience design to enterprise and tech clients.
• Pentagram: Independent design firm with partners across multiple cities, specializing in brand identity, graphic design, and strategy. Highly comparable as a partner-led brand consultancy delivering similar services (identity, strategy, environmental design) to enterprise and institutional clients.
• DesignStudio: Brand and design consultancy known for transportation and public-sector identity work (Eurostar, London Legacy Development Corporation, Rio 2016). Highly comparable given Image Now's similar portfolio of transport and government brand transformation projects.

Broad incumbents

• Siegel+Gale: Global brand strategy and design firm focused on simplicity, offering brand positioning, naming, visual identity, and customer experience. Comparable in brand strategy and identity work for enterprise clients, though part of the larger Omnicom network.
• Landor & Fitch: Global brand consulting and design firm with offices worldwide, offering brand strategy, identity design, and experience design for enterprise clients. Comparable as a full-service brand consultancy with a similar client mix of large corporates and government entities, though significantly larger and broader in geographic reach than Image Now.

Emerging players

• Studio Dumbar: Dutch design studio specializing in visual identity, with strong credentials in public-sector and cultural brand work. Comparable as an independent design studio with similar craft-led approach, though smaller in scope than Image Now.

Others

• Unilever's Brand Hub / Red&Co: Brand and experience consultancies operating in the Irish and UK markets. Indirect peer — relevant as part of the broader competitive set that enterprise clients evaluate alongside Image Now when commissioning brand transformation projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/image-now
• Xx.com/imagenowgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Image Now