What Hangar Design Group does

Hangar Design Group (HDG) is a privately held Italian integrated creative agency and design consultancy founded in 1980 by architects Alberto Bovo and Sandro Manente in Venice. The firm operates across three codified service pillars: HDG Digital (strategy, design, and technology services covering social media management, China marketing, visibility campaigns, activations, content creation, and analytics); HDG Taste (a food-and-beverage branding platform that translates raw materials and territorial heritage into international brand systems); and the proprietary HDG Aboard method (a three-axis brand measurement framework covering Awareness, Relevance, and Communication). Service delivery spans branding, interior architecture, packaging, environmental design, retail design, and integrated communication campaigns for enterprise clients.

The company serves a roster of enterprise clients including Dior, Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Campari, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Nio, Four Seasons Hotel Milano, Mandarin Oriental Milan, Generali, Marks & Spencer, Canali, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and Michelin-starred restaurants, with active work spanning luxury and fashion, hospitality and F&B, automotive and premium manufacturing, and cultural institutions. HDG maintains offices in Milan, Venice, Treviso, Rome, Shanghai (Asia regional HQ), New York (Chrysler Building), and Taipei, serving over 100 active clients across 15 countries. A staff of approximately 40 professionals includes architects, designers, brand strategists, digital experts, and content managers, with leadership remaining in the founding Bovo and Manente families.

HDG generates revenue through bespoke, project-based creative services and ongoing brand strategy engagements on multi-year contracts, with pricing tailored per client and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales supplemented by event-driven visibility (World Economic Forum Davos, Salone del Mobile Shanghai, Taiwan Design Expo) and design award participation (Compasso d'Oro, ADI Design Index, German Design Award, Good Design Award). The firm holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and is ranked among the top 50 Italian architecture firms by turnover in the 2020 Report on the Italian Construction, Architecture and Engineering Industry. There are no disclosed funding rounds, external investors, or parent entities; the firm operates as an independent family-led holding structure under HDG Group.

Name

Hangar Design Group

Legal name

Hangar Design Group s.r.l.

Website

https://hangar.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hangar Design Group is a privately held Italian integrated creative agency and design consultancy founded in 1980, serving over 100 enterprise clients across luxury, hospitality, F&B, and automotive sectors via seven offices in Italy, China, the US, and Taiwan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Integrated Creative Services: Project-based creative and design services including branding, digital design, architecture, and communication strategies for enterprise clients across luxury, hospitality, F&B, automotive, and fashion sectors.
2. Brand Strategy and Consulting: Strategic brand consulting services using proprietary Aboard Method for brand analysis and evolution guidance, typically delivered as ongoing client engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Hangar Design Group is an integrated creative agency and design consultancy delivering end-to-end brand transformation services spanning strategy, branding, interior architecture, packaging, digital, and communication for enterprise clients. The firm combines proprietary methodologies (Aboard), sector specializations (Taste for food & beverage), and digital capabilities to evolve brands across multiple touchpoints and international markets.

Product overview

Hangar Design Group (HDG) is an integrated creative agency and design consultancy offering three interconnected service pillars: HDG Digital provides digital strategy, design, and technology services including social media management, China marketing, visibility campaigns, activations, and content creation; HDG Taste specializes in food & beverage branding transforming products into international brand systems; and HDG Aboard is a proprietary methodology measuring brand evolution through Awareness, Relevance, and Communication analysis. The agency also delivers multidisciplinary design services spanning branding, interior design, architecture, packaging, and communication campaigns for clients across luxury, hospitality, automotive, and consumer goods sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HDG Digital
• HDG Taste
• HDG Aboard Method
• Branding and Identity Design
• Interior Architecture and Retail Design
• Communication Strategy and PR

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Peggy Guggenheim CollectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDG has been a member of Guggenheim Intrapresae corporate membership program for over 20 years, preserving the museum's DNA by curating its image. This partnership reflects HDG's commitment to supporting prestigious cultural initiatives and maintains the agency's involvement in Venice's cultural ecosystem.
• ADI - Associazione per il Disegno IndustrialecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive membership and multiple award recognitions from Italy's premier industrial design association. HDG has received multiple Compasso d'Oro awards and regular selections in ADI Design Index, establishing credibility in Italian design community.
• Confindustria IntellectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in Confindustria Intellect, one of the most representative organizations of Italy's communication and creative enterprises.
• UNA - Aziende della comunicazione UniteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in UNA, uniting communication companies in Italy for industry representation and networking.
• RCTR FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDG coordinated all visual image and environmental design for RCTR Foundation's charity gala dinner at Royal Hospital Chelsea, supporting the Butterfly Effect Program for Syrian refugee children education.
• ICE - Italian Trade AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with ICE (Italian Trade Agency) and Alibaba for HelloITA project, designing visual identity for Italian brands hub on Alibaba platform in China, with approximately 2.5 million EUR investment.
• Good Design Association TaiwanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlberto Bovo, chairman of HDG, appointed as consultant to Good Design Association of Taiwan, signed at Taiwan Design Expo. Association brings together 80 design-oriented companies active internationally.
• AlibabacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlatform partnership for HelloITA initiative enabling Italian brands to access Chinese e-commerce market through Alibaba's platforms.
• Generali ItaliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDG supported Generali Italia's presence at World Economic Forum Davos, handling overall branding image and exhibition design in continuity with previous forum editions.
• Daniele BarracominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with photographer and filmmaker Daniele Barraco for Hangar Reloaded documentary celebrating 40 years of HDG history, now available on Nexo+ platform.
• Guangzhou Design WeekminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDG Italian headquarters hosted 12 finalists of Chinese Design Elites competition organized by Guangzhou Design Week, enabling young Chinese designers to learn European design trends.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Elmwood: Independent brand design consultancy with strong F&B and consumer goods practice. Comparable to HDG's HDG Taste F&B specialization and packaging work for brands like Campari and Fabbri.
• MetaDesign: International brand consultancy with European roots, offering brand strategy, identity and design across consumer and cultural sectors. Closely comparable to HDG in methodology and multi-disciplinary scope.
• Pentagram: Multi-disciplinary independent design consultancy operating as a partnership of designers. Comparable to HDG in offering brand strategy, identity, environmental and digital design to enterprise clients across luxury, cultural and consumer sectors.
• Lippincott: Independent brand strategy and design firm serving enterprise clients across financial services, consumer and technology. Comparable in scale and integrated strategy-plus-execution model to HDG.
• Saffron Brand Consultants: Independent global brand consultancy specializing in brand strategy and identity for ambitious organizations. Comparable in approach and target client base to HDG's strategy-led work.

Broad incumbents

• Landor & Fitch: Global branding and design consultancy within WPP, serving many of the same luxury, hospitality and FMCG clients as HDG. Overlaps strongly on brand strategy and identity but offers wider geographic scale and holding-company resources.
• Wolff Olins: Global brand consultancy (part of Omnicom) offering brand strategy, identity and design to enterprise clients including luxury and F&B. Comparable in offering to HDG's integrated creative services, with deeper scale.
• Interbrand: Global brand consultancy (part of Omnicom) delivering brand strategy, naming, identity and design. Direct overlap with HDG's branding and strategy offering for enterprise clients.

Emerging players

• 2x4 (now part of Designworks, a BMW Group company): Design consultancy specializing in brand strategy, identity, exhibition and spatial design for cultural and luxury clients. Comparable to HDG's mix of cultural institution, luxury and environmental design work.
• RKS Design: Independent design consultancy focused on human-centered brand, product and experience design. Comparable to HDG in multi-disciplinary creative approach and enterprise client focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HangarDesignGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hangar-design-group_2
• Instagraminstagram.com/hangardesigngroup
• Xx.com/hangardesign

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Hangar Design Group