The Truth

What The Truth does

The Truth is a private, Cincinnati-based collaborative entity that delivers integrated visual branding and marketing services by uniting three independently led firms under a single brand: Cutthroat Branding + Marketing (led by Steve Uline), Meoli Digital Group (led by Rick Meoli since 1978), and Fisher Design (led by Bill Fisher, with a CPG portfolio dating back to 1958). Operationally, The Truth organizes around three service pillars — Strategy (research, positioning, brand audit, consultation), Design (identity, package, print, in-store, digital, copywriting, environmental), and Photography (studio, location, lifestyle portrait, product, documentation) — and positions itself as a "cross-discipline collaborative" in which strategy, design, and photography teams align together on each engagement rather than being sourced from separate vendors.

The target customer base consists of consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands and lifestyle-focused companies, served through direct enterprise sales engagement. The entity is small (11–50 employees), privately held with no disclosed venture or private equity backing, and is legally anchored by Fisher Design Inc. as the copyright holder, with The Ikora Group identified as the manager. The website (forthegoodofbrandkind.com) is active with a copyright extending to 2026, and the public site imagery carries a 2021 timestamp, suggesting a digital refresh in that period.

The business model is a conventional B2B professional services model: project- and retainer-based engagements with CPG and lifestyle brand clients, delivered through the combined capabilities of the three partner firms. No public pricing, revenue figures, or contract structures are disclosed. The model's core commercial logic is cross-selling — offering brand clients a single source for strategy, design, and photography rather than coordinating across multiple agencies — and leveraging the individual reputations and long-tenured client relationships of the three founding principals (57 years for Fisher Design, 48 years for Meoli Digital Group, 30+ years for Cutthroat) as the primary demand-generation asset.

Name

The Truth

Legal name

Fisher Design Inc.

Website

https://forthegoodofbrandkind.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Truth is a Cincinnati-based collaborative branding entity uniting Cutthroat Branding + Marketing, Meoli Digital Group, and Fisher Design to deliver integrated strategy, design, and photography services to CPG and lifestyle brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Strategy & Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143), Photographic Services (54192)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Brand Strategy & Identity Systems (MPAAAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Visual Identity & Brand Design Systems (BPAFAEAC), Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage) (MPAAAEAG), Packaging & Brand Identity Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAN)

Keywords

• Visual branding services
• Brand strategy consulting
• Creative design services
• Commercial photography services
• Integrated marketing agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

The Truth is a collaborative visual branding and marketing entity composed of three partner companies (Cutthroat Branding + Marketing, Meoli Digital Group, and Fisher Design) that jointly deliver integrated strategy, design, and photography services to brands. Capabilities include brand research and positioning, identity and package design, copywriting, environmental and digital design, and studio, location, lifestyle, and product photography. The unified team enables end-to-end brand development under a single collaborative umbrella.

Product overview

The Truth is a collaborative platform composed of three distinct visual branding and marketing companies: Cutthroat Branding + Marketing (marketing, media, sports, advertising), Meoli Digital Group (photography, video, motion graphics, production), and Fisher Design (strategy, design, package, digital). The unified offering provides integrated services across strategy, design, and photography, allowing the entire brand team to align under The Truth to deliver comprehensive branding excellence for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cutthroat Branding + Marketing: Marketing, media, sports, and advertising services led by Steve Uline with over three decades of marketing prowess.
• Meoli Digital Group
• Fisher Design

Products and services

• Strategy Services Intellectual exploration into discovery that engineers a brand's path to success, covering research, positioning, brand audit, and consultation to determine the who, what, why, and how of the brand.
• Design Services
• Photography Services
• Fisher Design A 57-year veteran Cincinnati-based lifestyle brand agency providing strategy, design, package, and digital services as part of The Truth collaborative.
• Cutthroat Branding + Marketing
• Meoli Digital Group

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cutthroat Branding + MarketingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three founding members of The Truth collaborative alliance. Led by Steve Uline with over three decades of marketing prowess. Provides marketing, media, sports, and advertising expertise to the collective.
• Meoli Digital GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three founding members of The Truth collaborative alliance. Led by Rick Meoli since 1978. Specializes in photography, video, motion graphics, and production services.
• Fisher DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three founding members of The Truth collaborative alliance. Led by Bill Fisher, a Cincinnati-based lifestyle brand agency with rich CPG portfolio dating back to 1958. Provides strategy, design, package, and digital expertise.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Buck: Design and motion studio combining brand, design, and film/animation capabilities under one roof. Comparable to The Truth's integration of design and Meoli's photography/video/motion under a single creative team.
• Smart Design: Design consultancy combining brand strategy, identity, packaging, and product/experience design for consumer brands. Comparable to The Truth on the strategy-plus-design-plus-package axis serving CPG and lifestyle clients.
• Pentagram: Iconic multidisciplinary design firm offering brand strategy, identity design, and creative direction across consumer brands. Directly comparable to The Truth as a partner-led integrated branding studio, though at significantly larger scale.
• Lippincott: Brand strategy and identity design firm working with consumer and corporate brands on positioning, naming, and visual identity systems. Direct peer in the brand strategy and identity systems category that anchors The Truth's offering.
• Landor & Fitch: Global brand consultancy delivering brand strategy, identity, packaging, and experience design for CPG and lifestyle clients. Closely aligned with The Truth's strategy-plus-design-plus-packaging offering across the consumer brand value chain.
• Siegel+Gale: Brand strategy, naming, and design consultancy with deep CPG and consumer experience. Comparable to The Truth on the strategy-and-design axis, with a similar emphasis on simplifying brand expression.
• MetaDesign: International brand design agency specializing in visual identity systems and brand strategy for global brands. Directly comparable on brand strategy, identity, and design systems, with a more international footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Interbrand: Large global brand consultancy offering strategy, naming, design, and brand valuation. Overlaps with The Truth on brand strategy and identity but operates at significantly broader scale with a wider service portfolio.
• R/GA: Global creative agency offering brand design, content, and experience across consumer and enterprise clients. Overlaps with The Truth on integrated brand and content work, but at much larger scale and broader capability mix.

Emerging players

• Koto: Independent branding studio focused on brand strategy, identity, and verbal identity for consumer and tech brands. Comparable as a younger, design-forward peer with a similar integrated strategy-plus-design value proposition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-truth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 The Truth