Art & Sons

What Art & Sons does

Art & Sons is a privately held, full-service creative design studio founded in 2010 and headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. The firm operates as a small, collaboration-driven practice anchored by two principal artists and designers, Scott Pauli and Gerardo "Jerry" Chapa, and delivers strategy, design, and production across branding, packaging, print, video, interior design, and web design. Its client base spans consumer brands in food, beverage, and apparel (Bow & Arrow Brewing Co., Forage Kombucha, Restoration Cider, Ginew Clothing USA), cultural institutions (Overture Center for the Arts), and individual fine artists (Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Jim Dine).

The studio's work is service-based rather than platform-based, with no proprietary technology products. Its methodology emphasizes exploration of typography, photography, color, and craft, and a stated practice of identifying the "heart" of a client's mission before building outward into logomarks, packaging systems, print collateral, and digital experiences. Notable craft signals include a die-cut, foil-stamped exhibition catalog for Nathaniel Mary Quinn that received AIGA's 50 Books, 50 Covers award in 2019, and third-party press validation from Vogue and VICE for client work.

Art & Sons generates revenue through custom, quote-based project engagements rather than recurring subscriptions or disclosed pricing, with client acquisition driven by its portfolio website, Instagram, and Facebook presence, supplemented by what appears to be referral-based demand. The firm has no external institutional investors, no disclosed funding history, and operates with 1-10 employees from a single Madison studio location serving a primarily Midwest regional footprint while engaging clients of national and cultural profile.

Name

Art & Sons

Website

https://artandsons.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Art & Sons is a Madison, Wisconsin-based boutique design studio founded in 2010 that provides branding, packaging, print, video, interior, and web design through project-based engagements for consumer brands, cultural institutions, and individual artists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

Keywords

• Brand identity design
• Packaging design services
• Print design
• Video production studio
• Creative design studio

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Design Services: Project-based design services including branding, packaging, print design, book design, video, interiors, and web design. Revenue generated through custom project engagements rather than recurring subscriptions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Art & Sons is a design studio offering strategy, design, and production services across multiple platforms including branding, packaging, print design, video production, interior design, and web design. The studio works with consumer brands and cultural organizations to develop brand identities, packaging systems, printed materials, video content, interior environments, and websites. Engagements are delivered on a project basis through direct client collaboration with the studio's two principal collaborators.

Product overview

Art & Sons is a design studio (not a software product company) that offers creative services including Brand Design, Packaging Design, Print Design, Video Production, Interior Design, and Web Design. Their service offerings are organized under three primary categories: Branding (finding the heart of clients' work and building logomarks), Packaging (designing packaging people love as much as the product), and Print (creating tactile, cherished books and prints). The studio has completed notable projects such as Nathaniel Mary Quinn: This is Life (book design that won AIGA 50 Books, 50 Covers award), Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. (brand and packaging), Forage Kombucha (brand and packaging), Ginew Clothing USA (brand, packaging, apparel), Restoration Cider (brand and packaging), Overture Center for the Arts (brand and print), and Jim Dine: Skulls (exhibition catalog book design).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding Services Brand strategy and identity design services for businesses, organizations, and individuals, including development of brand systems, typography, color, and storytelling as part of the studio's core practice.
• Packaging Design Services Design of packaging systems for consumer products, including work for breweries (Bow & Arrow Brewing), kombucha (Forage Kombucha), apparel (Ginew Clothing USA), and cider (Restoration Cider).
• Print Design Services Design of printed materials including books, publications, and collateral, with award-recognized work including the AIGA 50 Books, 50 Covers Award (2019) for the Nathaniel Mary Quinn and Jim Dine books.
• Video Production Services Production of video content as part of the studio's multi-platform creative output, complementing its branding and design work.
• Interior Design Services Design of interior environments as part of the studio's multi-disciplinary practice, extending its creative work beyond print and digital into spatial design.
• Web Design Services Design and production of websites as part of the studio's multi-platform service offering, working alongside branding, packaging, print, video, and interior design.

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Pentagram: Largest independently owned design studio globally, offering branding, packaging, print, and digital design services to cultural and commercial clients. Directly comparable to Art & Sons in cross-disciplinary creative services model and high-profile client portfolio.
• Mother Design: Independent creative agency offering brand strategy, identity, and design across consumer categories. Comparable in cross-disciplinary delivery and boutique positioning with cultural-brand portfolio.
• &Walsh: Independent design and branding studio (formerly Sagmeister & Walsh) offering brand identity, packaging, and creative direction across categories. Comparable as a founder-led boutique with strong cultural-sector work and award recognition.
• Manual: Boutique design studio specializing in brand identity and packaging for craft beverage and food brands, with an emphasis on storytelling and craft-quality execution. Closely mirrors Art & Sons' beverage and consumer-brand client base and design philosophy.
• Stranger & Stranger: Independent design agency specializing in branding and packaging design for wine, spirits, and beverage clients globally. Direct comparable on craft-beverage packaging work and on premium positioning within a niche vertical.
• Mucca: Independent design studio delivering branding, packaging, and identity systems for food, beverage, and retail clients. Directly comparable in service mix (brand, packaging, environmental) and SMB-to-mid-market client profile.
• The Office of Paul Sahre: Independent design practice specializing in book design, branding, and identity with deep publishing and cultural-sector expertise. Closely comparable to Art & Sons' book design and fine-art catalog work (Jim Dine, Nathaniel Mary Quinn).

Broad incumbents

• Landor & Fitch: Global branding and design consultancy offering brand strategy, identity, packaging, and experience design across industries. Comparable service categories but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Large independent creative agency with deep brand, advertising, and design capabilities across consumer categories. Comparable on cross-disciplinary creative services but at substantially larger scale and broader scope than Art & Sons.

Regional players

• Studio MPLS: Independent Minneapolis-based design studio offering branding, packaging, and digital design for consumer and cultural clients. Comparable as a Midwest US boutique agency operating in the same regional market as Art & Sons.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/artsons
• Xx.com/midwestartsons
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/art-sons

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 Art & Sons