Michelangela

What Michelangela does

Studio Michelangela is a privately held, two-person creative design studio (ontwerpburo) headquartered at Buys Ballotstraat 28 in Utrecht, Netherlands, founded and operated since the late 1990s by co-founders Angela Damen and Michiel Trooster. The studio delivers graphic design, illustration, and book design services — spanning cover design, interior layout, typesetting, image research, and production — to a Dutch client base that includes major publishing houses (Uitgeverij Malmberg, Uitgeverij Thiememeulenhoff, Unieboek/Het Spectrum, Kosmos Uitgevers, KNNV Uitgeverij), government bodies (Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, Gemeente Utrecht), non-profits (Alzheimer Nederland, Consumentenbond), healthcare providers (Amsterdam UMC), cultural institutions (Centraal Museum Utrecht), and international brands working in the Dutch market (Jamie Oliver cookbooks since 2001). The product surface is human-craft design; there is no disclosed technology platform, app, API, proprietary AI tooling, or productized offering, and competitive differentiation rests on the complementary skills of the two founders.

The business is a project-based professional services consultancy, with revenue generated through direct client engagements, portfolio-driven referrals, and inbound contact via phone (06-83799344) and email ([email protected]). Pricing is non-public and negotiated per engagement. Distribution is entirely direct sales through the Utrecht studio, with the geographic footprint concentrated in the Netherlands and limited activity in Belgium (e.g., Crius Group België). Notable deliverable-anchored engagements include the complete 'New Interface' English language teaching method for Uitgeverij Thiememeulenhoff (textbooks, workbooks, audio CDs, DVDs, teacher materials for lower and upper secondary Dutch education), all Jamie Oliver Dutch-market cookbooks (including Kerst Kookboek and Koken met Kanjers), the picture book 'Over een hondje...' for Uitgeverij Levendig, 'Jip en het magische boek' for Casimir School Gouda, and the English-language 'The Trillion Dollar Shift' (Ecomediagroep | Routledge) on UN SDG opportunities.

Studio Michelangela has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no external funding rounds, and no institutional investors; ownership and operating control rest entirely with the two co-founders. The firm has 25+ years of continuous operation, a Wix-hosted portfolio website, no app store presence, no patent or trademark filings, and no industry awards listed in the available data. Structurally, it is a bootstrapped, capacity-constrained lifestyle studio with an unusually deep and diverse Dutch institutional client roster.

Name

Michelangela

Legal name

Studio Michelangela

Website

https://michelangela.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Studio Michelangela is a two-person creative design studio in Utrecht, Netherlands, offering graphic design, illustration, and book design services to Dutch publishers, government agencies, healthcare providers, cultural institutions, and non-profits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graphic Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Production (Video, Design, Copy, Studio) (BPAFAAAF)

Keywords

• Graphic design services
• Book design
• Illustration services
• Corporate identity design
• Educational publishing design

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Creative Design Services: Studio Michelangela generates revenue through providing creative design services including graphic design, illustration, book design, magazine design, website design, corporate identity, and brochure design. Revenue appears to be project-based and client-services oriented.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Studio Michelangela is a creative design studio providing graphic design, book design (cover, interior layout, typesetting), illustration, corporate identity, magazine, and website design services. The studio serves Dutch publishers, educational institutions, government bodies, and cultural organizations, with deep specialization in book and educational publication design.

Product overview

Studio Michelangela is a creative design studio (ontwerpburo) offering graphic design, illustration, and book design services. The studio works with various clients including publishers, educational institutions, government bodies, and cultural organizations. Their product portfolio includes graphic design services, illustration services across multiple styles, and book design for various genres including educational materials (New Interface English language method), cookbooks (Jamie Oliver series since 2001), and general interest titles. The studio is based in Utrecht and operated by Angela Damen and Michiel Trooster.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Graphic Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25 years of continuous operation serving both small and large clients

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jamie OlivercoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2001Michelangela has been designing all Jamie Oliver books for the Dutch market since 2001. This long-standing partnership has produced numerous cookbook titles including the Kerst Kookboek (Christmas Cookbook) and Koken met Kanjers. The partnership involves cover design, interior layout, and typesetting for each publication.
• Uitgeverij ThiememeulenhoffcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichelangela designed the English language teaching method 'New Interface' for both lower and upper secondary education (onderbouw and bovenbouw). They handled concept, design, layout, and image research for the entire method, including textbooks, workbooks, audio CDs, DVDs, and teacher materials.
• Centraal Museum UtrechtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichelangela created illustrations for the exhibition 'De Gezonde stad' at Centraal Museum Utrecht, featuring Trijn van Leemput. The illustration appears to be part of exhibition materials for this cultural institution.
• Uitgeverij LevendigminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichelangela illustrated the picture book 'Over een hondje...' published by Levendig Uitgever, creating both cover and interior illustrations.
• ConsumentenbondminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichelangela creates illustrations for Consumentenbond publications including the belastinggids (tax guide) and other consumer information materials featuring hippo mascot illustrations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Uitgeverij Thiememeulenhoff: Major Dutch educational publisher and a named core partner of Michelangela for the New Interface English teaching method; included as an ecosystem peer illustrating the studio's publishing-channel counterpart rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: Global independent design firm offering identity, editorial, and book design for major publishers and brands — overlapping with Michelangela in book-design and identity work but operating at vastly larger scale and with a multinational client base.

Direct peers

• Total Design: One of the Netherlands' oldest and largest independent design studios, offering brand identity, graphic design, and editorial design for Dutch institutional and publishing clients — directly comparable to Michelangela in market and service mix, though at much larger scale.
• Thonik: Amsterdam-based independent design studio working across identity, editorial, and cultural clients including Dutch museums and public institutions — directly comparable in client type and craft positioning to Michelangela.
• VBAT: Rotterdam-based brand and design agency working on packaging, identity, and editorial for FMCG and cultural clients — overlaps with Michelangela in publishing and brand-system design work.
• Lust.nl: Dutch design and research studio producing editorial design, identity systems, and typographic work for cultural and publishing clients; comparable to Michelangela in craft-led editorial and identity practice.
• Experimental Jetset: Small Amsterdam design studio known for identity, poster, and editorial work for cultural and institutional clients; comparable to Michelangela in operating model (small independent studio) and Dutch cultural-sector focus.
• Studio Dumbar: Dutch design studio specializing in visual identity, editorial design, and cultural-sector commissions; comparable to Michelangela in serving Dutch publishers, museums, and government bodies with high-craft graphic design.

Regional players

• Crius Group: Belgian creative services firm noted as a client of Michelangela; comparable as a Benelux creative services firm whose design needs are served by studios like Michelangela.
• Waag Futurelab: Amsterdam-based design and technology organization that produces educational and public-commission materials; comparable in Dutch public-sector and education-focused design work, though more technology-oriented than Michelangela.

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wix
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/michelangela

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Michelangela