What Onyx Creative does

Onyx Creative, Inc. is a privately held architecture, engineering, and interior design firm headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, tracing its origins to a predecessor entity founded in 1974 and operating under its current name since a 2018 rebrand from Herschman Architects. The firm employs 100+ professionals across architecture, structural and MEP engineering (delivered through affiliated BlueStreak Consulting), interior design, graphic design, and brand experience, serving national retail and commercial clients, corporate offices, restaurants and hospitality operators, multifamily residential developers, and select healthcare and higher-education clients. Notable client work spans GEICO's Tucson regional headquarters (Office Architecture Project of the Year, 2020), Arhaus retail stores, the University of Arizona Campus Store, Crane Aerospace & Electronics, Vasa Fitness, Sally's Apizza, and West Park Animal Hospital.

The firm's service offering is organized around integrated project delivery: architects and engineers are assembled at project inception, with visualization (live 3D rendering and VR representation) and Revit-based construction documentation supporting the design process. The technology stack is conventional for the A/E industry rather than proprietary, with differentiation rooted in process integration and award-recognized design execution. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees negotiated per engagement; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company operates seven U.S. offices across Cleveland, Tucson, Los Angeles, Houston (added via the 2025 CDA Architects merger), Atlanta (opened 2019), Baltimore/Glen Burnie, and Portland, Maine (Westbrook), covering all major U.S. census regions.

Growth has been driven by a roll-up strategy anchored on three mergers (L2M Architects in March 2022, RSA Architects in January 2025, CDA Architects in October 2025) and senior leadership appointments in Los Angeles and Atlanta during 2025. The firm has accumulated sustained third-party validation, including repeated VMSD Top Retail Design Firms recognition, Building Design+Construction Top Architecture/Engineering rankings, an Architectural Firm of the Year award (Retail Construction Magazine, 2005), and consecutive Crain's Cleveland Business Best Employers in Ohio designations from 2019 through 2025, alongside more recent growth-oriented honors such as Crain's Fast 50 (2025), Weatherhead 100 (2021, 2023), and Inc. Regionals Midwest Growth Champion 2026. No funding rounds, parent company, or external investor involvement are disclosed.

Name

Onyx Creative

Legal name

Onyx Creative, Inc.

Website

https://onyxcreative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Onyx Creative is a privately held, Cleveland-headquartered architecture, engineering, and interior design firm with 100+ professionals across seven U.S. offices, delivering integrated design services to national retail, commercial, restaurant, multifamily, and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Engineering Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Engineering Services (541330), Interior Design Services (54141), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Brand Experience (BX) & Service Design (BPAFAEAI), Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)

Keywords

• Architecture design services
• Interior design services
• Engineering design services
• Brand experience design
• Architectural visualization services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Professional Services: Full spectrum of design, production, development, and construction administration services for retail and commercial architecture and environments. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements.
2. Interior Design Services: Interior design services integrated into architectural design, including space planning, product selection, and environmental branding.
3. Engineering Services: Structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering services delivered through integrated design team approach.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Onyx Creative provides integrated architecture, interior design, and engineering (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and structural) services from concept through construction administration, augmented by architectural visualization, graphic design, and brand experience capabilities. Multidisciplinary teams are assembled at project inception for retail, commercial, corporate, hospitality, multifamily, education, and healthcare clients nationally. Engineering delivery is supported through a partnership with BlueStreak Consulting to ensure vertically integrated project execution.

Product overview

Onyx Creative is an award-winning national architecture, engineering, and interior design firm offering integrated professional design services. The firm provides a unified suite of services including architectural design, architectural visualization/rendering, interior design, engineering (MEP and structural), graphic design, and brand experience services. These services are delivered through multidisciplinary integration, with architects and engineers collaborating from project inception to ensure cohesive design and development. The firm operates nationally with offices in Cleveland, Ohio (headquarters), Tucson, Arizona, Los Angeles, California, Houston, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia, Baltimore, Maryland, and Portland, Maine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Award-winning architectural design services encompassing urban planning, site planning, master planning, programming, and building design, managed with cutting-edge software to deliver a seamless and efficient design process for retail, commercial, office, hospitality, multifamily, education, healthcare, and industrial clients.
• Architectural Visualization Services Advanced rendering capabilities that bring designs to life, providing evolving, realistic views as a project progresses from initial concept to fully developed building, including high-quality visualizations of intricate design details, materials, lighting, and spatial relationships.
• Interior Design Services Integrated interior design services creating healthy and functional environments through space planning and product selection, with environmental branding adding value through purpose-driven identity and consistent messaging.
• Engineering Services Specialized structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering delivered through an integrated design team assembled at the beginning of each project, ensuring cohesive vision and efficient communication.
• Graphic Design Services Graphic design services that support brand experience and environmental branding solutions, including visual identity, 2D design, and print and digital marketing materials.
• Brand Experience Services Comprehensive brand experience design combining graphic design and environmental branding to communicate clear and consistent messaging across physical and digital touchpoints, including brand renovation and visual identity programs for clients such as Crossroads Health.

Quantifiable outcome

• Award of Merit - Education (Higher Learning) for University of Arizona Campus Store
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BlueStreak ConsultingcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnyx Creative works with BlueStreak Consulting to deliver structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering services. The engineering group is integrated into the design team from the beginning of projects, ensuring cohesive vision and efficient communication.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CallisonRTKL: International architecture and design practice with deep retail, hospitality, and commercial expertise. Comparable to Onyx in retail-focused architecture, integrated brand experience work, and emphasis on award-winning experiential design.
• Ware Malcomb: Commercial architecture and interior design firm with strong retail and office practices and a national multi-office model. Closely comparable to Onyx in retail and commercial architecture, project-based professional services, and integrated interior design delivery.
• Steinberg Hart: Architecture and urban design firm with mixed-use, multifamily, and commercial expertise on the U.S. West Coast. Comparable to Onyx in multifamily/mixed-use development work (e.g., Pomona, Pacific Palisades) and integrated architecture and interiors.
• IA Interior Architects: Global architecture firm specializing in interior architecture and workplace design for enterprise clients. Closely comparable to Onyx's integrated interior design capability and corporate office segment (e.g., GEICO HQ), with similar project-based professional services model.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Large architecture and design firm with strong higher education, healthcare, and commercial practices. Comparable to Onyx in delivering architecture plus integrated interiors and brand-aligned design, but at a much larger scale and with broader sector reach.
• HKS Architects: National architecture firm with deep commercial, hospitality, and healthcare practices plus interior design. Comparable to Onyx in offering integrated architecture, interiors, and brand experience to enterprise and mid-market clients across multiple U.S. regions.
• DLR Group: Integrated architecture and engineering firm with national office coverage and integrated MEP/structural delivery. Comparable to Onyx in offering architecture plus in-house engineering, multi-office U.S. model, and mixed-use/commercial project mix.
• NBBJ: Architecture and design firm with corporate office, healthcare, and sports practices plus integrated interiors. Comparable to Onyx in enterprise office work (similar to GEICO HQ) and integrated design delivery across architecture and interiors.
• Gensler: Global design and architecture firm offering integrated architecture, interiors, brand, and consulting services. Directly comparable in offering multidisciplinary design across retail, hospitality, and commercial office, but at materially larger scale and global footprint.

Regional players

• Hatchett Design Remodel: Southeast U.S. architecture and interior design firm focused on commercial, retail, and hospitality. Comparable to Onyx in retail/restaurant and commercial architecture but operates in a more concentrated regional footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Onyx Creative