What StartJG Hong Kong does

Start Design Group is a London-headquartered brand and design consultancy with approximately 28 years of operating history. The firm organizes its services around three pillars — Brand (strategy, positioning, architecture, identity, employee value proposition, naming, applications, communications), Digital (digital strategy, UX/UI, websites and apps, prototyping, social, motion graphics and video, sonic branding), and Experience (customer journeys, retail, workplace, events and exhibitions, media planning, content, campaign management) — underpinned by a proprietary 4D design process methodology. Firmographic records also identify a Hong Kong-based entity (StartJG Hong Kong, founded 2009, 101–250 employees) that appears to operate as a regional presence under the startdesign.com domain.

The firm's revenue model is professional services delivered via direct enterprise field-sales engagements; pricing is not publicly disclosed and contracts are project-based with long-tenured renewals. Marquee clients include Virgin Group (25-year relationship spanning Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Media, Virgin Money, and Virgin Galactic), Barclays (10+ years, including Wealth, Smarter Investor, LifeSkills, Pingit), adidas (10+ years of flagship-store design and the world-first 'endless aisle' SKU showcase), Hamad International Airport, YAS Island/Miral, Sephora, Essar Group, and Virgin Media. Two in-house initiatives extend the model: Start Green, a not-for-profit consultancy for circular-economy businesses, and Start Up, a venture-style operation providing tech entrepreneurs with branding plus HR, financial planning, and new-business-development support.

Leadership is anchored by CEO and Co-Chair David Blair (former Global CEO of WPP's Fitch, now Landor Group), with Tarun Rai (ex-Chairman & Group CEO of Wunderman Thompson South Asia) joining the board in April 2024 to drive India and South Asian market expansion. Operationally the firm serves the UK, GCC (UAE, Qatar), South Asia (India), and broader Europe, and is currently extending into India as its next growth geography.

Name

StartJG Hong Kong

Legal name

Start Design Group

Website

https://startdesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Start Design Group is a London-headquartered brand and design consultancy serving global enterprise clients across Brand, Digital, and Experience disciplines, with decade-plus relationships including Virgin, Barclays, adidas, and Hamad International Airport.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Consulting Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Graphic Design Services (54143)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Identity & Brand Design Systems (BPAFAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL), Creative & Brand Campaign Development (BPAFAAAB), Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage) (MPAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Brand consultancy services
• Design strategy consulting
• Visual identity design
• Digital experience design
• Experiential retail design

Headquarters

HQ city

Central

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Design Services: Start Design Group generates revenue through professional design and consulting services. They offer brand strategy, digital design, and experience design services to enterprise clients. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements and ongoing client relationships, as evidenced by their long-term partnerships spanning years or even decades with major brands.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Start Design Group is a London-based brand consultancy delivering integrated services across three core disciplines: Brand (strategy, positioning, naming, identity, and brand architecture), Digital (digital strategy, UX/UI, websites, apps, motion graphics, and sonic branding), and Experience (customer journeys, retail design, workplace design, events, exhibitions, content, and campaign management). The firm also operates two internal initiatives — Start Green, a not-for-profit consultancy supporting circular-economy businesses, and Start Up, a venture-style engagement supporting tech entrepreneurs with branding and broader business advisory.

Product overview

Start Design Group is a London-based brand consultancy offering three core service areas: Brand (strategy, positioning, identity), Digital (UX/UI, websites, apps, motion graphics), and Experience (retail, events, workplace design). The company also operates two initiatives: Start Green, a not-for-profit supporting sustainability-focused businesses in the circular economy, and Start Up, a venture capital-style operation supporting tech entrepreneurs with both branding and broader business consulting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Start Green: A not-for-profit business that offers consultancy to emerging companies with a genuine remit to support a more sustainable tomorrow. Supports businesses focused on the circular economy.
• Start Up

Products and services

• Brand Services Strategic branding services covering strategy & positioning, brand architecture, employee value proposition, naming, brand identity design, brand applications design, and communications strategy & design, delivered to enterprise clients.
• Digital Services Digital design and development services including digital strategy, UX & UI, websites & apps, prototyping & testing, social media, motion graphics & video, and audio & sonic branding, delivered to enterprise clients.
• Experience Services Experience design services covering customer journeys, retail design, workplace design, events & exhibitions, media planning, content creation & design, and campaign management for enterprise clients.
• Start Green Not-for-profit consultancy initiative supporting emerging businesses with a genuine remit to support a more sustainable tomorrow, focused on circular-economy clients such as GBI and One Foundation.
• Start Up Venture-capital-style engagement working with tech entrepreneurs, providing brand strategy and design alongside broader business support including HR, financial planning, and new business development, with clients such as Stint, Plucky, Flash, and CubeLynx.

Quantifiable outcome

• adidas new store formats outperformed older formats by 300%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Start GreencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNot-for-profit initiative within Start Design Group that offers consultancy to emerging companies with genuine remit to support a more sustainable tomorrow. Supports businesses focused on circular economy including GBI and One Foundation.
• Start UpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenture capital-style business working with tech entrepreneurs to give them tools needed to succeed. Works with companies like Stint, Plucky, Flash, and CubeLynx. Provides support beyond core branding to include HR, financial planning and new business development.
• MiralmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReal estate developers of YAS Island in Abu Dhabi. Start Design worked closely with Miral to create vision, purpose, and positioning for YAS Island through extensive insights, analysis and experience mapping.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• FutureBrand: Global brand consultancy (Interpublic-owned) covering brand strategy, identity design and experience — directly comparable as an enterprise-focused brand transformation peer to Start Design Group.
• Interbrand: Global brand consultancy (Omnicom-owned) providing brand strategy, naming, identity and experience — directly comparable to Start Design Group's Brand and Experience service lines for enterprise clients.
• Landor & Fitch: Global brand consultancy (WPP-owned) offering brand strategy, identity, digital and experience design — the closest direct competitor and the firm from which Start Design Group's CEO David Blair originated (Global CEO of Fitch).
• Pentagram: Independent, partner-led design consultancy covering brand identity, digital, and experience design for enterprise clients — directly comparable in service mix and independence positioning to Start Design Group.
• Moving Brands: Independent brand and experience design consultancy spanning strategy, identity, digital and motion — directly comparable in independent positioning and multi-disciplinary offering to Start Design Group.
• Superunion: Global brand and design consultancy (WPP-owned) covering brand, experience and digital design — directly comparable to Start Design Group's three-pillar model and a likely competitor on enterprise rebrands.
• Wolff Olins: Global brand consultancy (Omnicom-owned) delivering brand strategy, identity and experience design — closely comparable in scope to Start Design Group and competing for similar enterprise rebranding mandates.
• Saffron Brand Consultants: Independent global brand strategy consultancy focused on brand purpose, architecture and identity — directly comparable to Start Design Group's Brand Services offering for enterprise transformation work.
• Siegel+Gale: Global brand strategy and design consultancy focused on simplicity-driven brand expression — directly comparable to Start Design Group's brand strategy and identity design practice.

Broad incumbents

• Accenture Song: The design, brand and customer-experience arm of Accenture, offering brand and experience design at much larger scale — competes for enterprise brand transformation RFPs that Start Design Group also targets, but with vastly greater delivery capacity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/startthegroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/startgroupexperiences
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/start-judgegill

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 StartJG Hong Kong