What Span Studio does

Span Studio is a Chicago-based communication design studio founded in 2020 and operating as a privately held professional services firm led by three partners — John Pobojewski, Bud Rodecker, and Nick Adam — with more than 35 years of combined experience. The studio offers a cross-disciplinary service set spanning brand identity, exhibition design, motion graphics, print and book design, environmental graphics, interactive/web development, augmented reality, and integrated campaign work. Its client base is concentrated in cultural institutions, architecture and design firms, government and civic organizations, academic institutions, and select commercial brands, with named engagements including Intuit Art Museum, Chicago Architecture Center, Studio Gang, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Illinois Institute of Technology, Kohler Co., City of Chicago, Regional Transportation Authority, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Nature Conservancy, Field Museum, Planet Word, History Colorado, Letterform Archive, Ginkgo Bioworks, AT&T and Boeing.

The studio's revenue model is project-based professional services fees, with multi-year client relationships and contract terms negotiated directly rather than through published pricing tiers. Span Studio acquires work through industry recognition, awards, media coverage, and referrals within the design, cultural, civic and architecture communities — operating without paid marketing, relying on earned media placements in Wired, The Economist, Smithsonian, Fast Company and the Associated Press, plus an active portfolio site (span.studio), Instagram and Vimeo channels. The firm has earned 10 or more consecutive years of STA 100 recognition from the Society of Typographic Arts (2016–2026), including a 2026 STA100 Judge's Choice, plus awards from AIGA, Communication Arts, Tokyo TDC, PRSA, Graphis, AR100, ID Magazine, How Magazine and Print Magazine, and a 2026 National AIA Small Project Award.

The firm operates from a single Chicago headquarters at 650 West Lake Street, Suite 320, and maintains no external investors, parent company, subsidiaries, or M&A activity. Operational commitments include 1% for the Planet membership and anti-racism training via Community Connective. Capacity is augmented through a network of named collaborators including strategy consultants Donna Speigel, Tom Mulhern and Lyndon Valicenti, community engagement specialist Ryan Gann, and development director Danielle LeComte, enabling project-based scaling without proportional permanent headcount expansion beyond the stated 1–10 employee band.

Name

Span Studio

Legal name

Span Studio

Website

https://span.studio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Span Studio is a Chicago-based communication design studio serving cultural institutions, civic and government organizations, architecture firms, academic institutions and non-profits through brand identity, exhibition design, motion, print, environmental, AR and integrated campaign work.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Communication Design Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Production (Video, Design, Copy, Studio) (BPAFAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ), Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

Keywords

• Communication design services
• Brand identity design
• Exhibition design
• Design consultancy
• Visual identity systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Design Services: Project-based design services including brand identity, exhibition design, website development, campaign design, book design, and environmental graphics for cultural, civic, and institutional clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Span Studio is a Chicago-based communication design studio that provides comprehensive design services spanning brand identity, exhibition design, website development, motion graphics, print, book design, and integrated campaigns. The studio serves cultural institutions, government agencies, architecture firms, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations, delivering project-based design solutions across print, digital, environmental, motion, interactive, and exhibition mediums.

Product overview

Span Studio is a Chicago-based communication design studio offering a comprehensive range of design services rather than a single unified product. The studio operates across multiple service categories including Branding and Brand Identity, Exhibition Design, Website Design and Development, Motion Graphics and Animation, Print Design, and Campaign Design. Their work is organized by service type (Art Direction, Audio, Augmented Reality, Book Design, Branding, Campaign, Environmental Signage, Exhibition Design, Illustration, Interactive, Motion, Naming, Packaging, Performance, Print, Production Design, Research, Visualization) and by client sector (Academic, Architecture, Aviation, Cannabis, Civic, Construction, Cultural, Design, Entertainment, Government, Healthcare, Hospitality, Innovation, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Non-Profit, Performing Arts, Publishing, Real Estate, Restaurant, Retail, Self-Published, Wellness). The studio focuses on clients in cultural, civic, and design communities, creating work that crosses boundaries of communication design across all mediums.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Communication Design Services
• Branding & Brand Identity
• Exhibition Design
• Website Design & Development
• Motion Graphics & Animation
• Print Design
• Campaign Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Featured in major international media including Wired, The Economist, Smithsonian Magazine
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and minor.

• 1% for the PlanetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpan Studio is committed to giving at least 1% of annual revenue to environmental nonprofits through partnership with 1% for the Planet. The annual pledge supports organizations working within six core areas: climate, food, land, pollution, water, and wildlife.
• Community ConnectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnti-racism training provider led by Prerna Abbi-Scanlon and Heidi Massey. Span began its anti-racism journey with trainings to better understand individual, interpersonal, institutional, systemic, and structural racism.
• Studio GangkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm led by Jeanne Gang, collaborating with Span on Flyway City exhibition at Chicago Architecture Center. Studio Gang designed and co-curated the exhibition; Span developed graphic identity and environmental graphics.
• Chicago Architecture CenterkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient and collaborator on multiple exhibition projects including Flyway City. Span partnered with CAC to develop exhibition graphic identity and environmental graphics for public-facing exhibitions.
• Donna SpeigelminorOthersStrategy and copywriting collaborator who develops foundational brand strategy for clients. Previously the 'voice' of Crate and Barrel and CB2 brands for over 15 years, and VP Creative Director at Leo Burnett Company.
• Tom MulhernminorOthersStrategy and research collaborator with over 30 years experience helping clients navigate brand and experience strategy. Previously led teams at Doblin, VSA Partners, and Gensler.
• Lyndon Valicenti (Daylight)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding principal of Daylight with over 15 years cross-sector experience in strategy, policy, and research on social and environmental issues including climate resilience and equitable community development.
• Ryan GannminorOthersArchitecture and urban planning professional whose work expands to intersection of engagement and facilitation, elevating voices through design. Portfolio spans architecture, urban planning, and experimental design investigations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Landor: Global brand consultancy with deep experience in cultural, civic, and institutional identity and wayfinding. Represents the larger, established end of the market Span competes in for major institutional accounts.
• Wolff Olins: Global brand consultancy working across identity, experience, and culture for large institutions and corporations. Comparable to Span on brand strategy and identity for cultural and civic clients, but at significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Order Design: Independent design studio delivering brand identity, exhibition, and digital work for cultural and institutional clients. Directly comparable to Span in cross-disciplinary scope and client mix.
• Studio Mast: Independent design studio focused on brand systems, identity, and digital experience for mission-driven and cultural clients. Comparable in size, scope, and emphasis on cross-disciplinary communication design.
• Collins: Brand strategy and design firm working across identity, experience, and campaign for cultural, civic, and commercial clients. Overlaps with Span on multi-disciplinary brand and exhibition work for institutions.
• Pentagram: Partner-led design consultancy with offices across the US and globally, serving cultural, civic, and institutional clients on identity, exhibition, and brand systems. Closest structural analogue to Span's three-partner model and client mix.
• Civilization: Independent design studio focused on cultural, civic, and mission-driven work for museums, foundations, and community organizations. Comparable to Span in values-driven positioning and cultural-institution client roster.
• VSA Partners: Chicago-based brand and design firm serving enterprise, cultural, and civic clients with identity, experience, and campaign work. Geographic and category peer to Span within the Chicago design market.
• Manual: Independent creative agency delivering brand identity, digital, and campaign work for cultural and commercial clients. Comparable to Span in mid-sized independent creative model and cross-medium delivery.
• Two Twelve: Design and branding studio with deep cultural-institution and civic clients including museums and cultural organizations. Closely comparable in project types (exhibition, identity, campaigns) and values-driven positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/span_studio
• YouTubevimeo.com/spanstudio
• Facebookfacebook.com/studiospan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spanstudio
• Instagraminstagram.com/span_studio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Span Studio