Cogswell Design
Cogswell Design is an Orange, California-based creative fabrication company that designs, builds, and installs trade show booths, brand activations, scenic/props, and retail displays for enterprise entertainment, gaming, streaming, and consumer brand clients, acquired through direct enterprise relationships and agency partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersOrange, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Cogswell Design does
Cogswell Design is a creative fabrication company headquartered in Orange, California, that designs, fabricates, and installs physical environments for trade shows, brand activations, scenic/props, and retail/permanent displays. Founded in 2008, the company operates an in-house fabrication shop working across metal, wood, fabric, and foam, with integrated AV and lighting capabilities and certified beMatrix modular frame expertise that supports SEG fabric graphics and LEDskin video integration. Service offerings span 10x10 inline booths to full island builds and large-scale immersive environments, with marquee examples including an 8,000 sqft TikTok x Taylor Swift 'Life of a Showgirl' fan activation at Westfield Mall, a 110x110 Disney+/Hulu/ESPN booth at D23, and recurring Nickelodeon environments at San Diego Comic-Con since 2017.
The business operates on a project-based revenue model with quote-based pricing determined by scope, materials, complexity, and timeline. Revenue streams include custom fabrication projects (trade shows, activations, scenic/props, retail/permanent installations), equipment rental (beMatrix modular frames with I&D support), and show services support (installation & dismantling, logistics, insurance). Customer concentration is enterprise-grade, serving entertainment studios (Nickelodeon, Disney+, Warner Bros), streaming and social platforms (TikTok), gaming companies (Square Enix, Bandai Namco), and consumer brands (HDMI Licensing Administrator, Salt Dental Partners, Biome Brigade). Go-to-market is enterprise field sales driven by portfolio reputation, long-standing agency partnerships (Glow Studio LA, 2Heads, P3, NCompass, Invision, Done+Dusted, Wide Angle Group, E Factor), and direct relationships via the 'Build With Us' inquiry process on the company website.
The company appears to be founder-led and privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, funding events, M&A activity, or leadership transitions. Marketing is portfolio-driven through the company website and the 'Rough Cuts' blog, and the business maintains a small disclosed headcount band of 11–50 employees with a single Orange County fabrication facility supporting project execution at national venues including CES, San Diego Comic-Con, D23, and Las Vegas.
Cogswell Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cogswell Design
- Legal name
- Cogswell Design
- Website
- https://cogswelldesign.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cogswell Design is an Orange, California-based creative fabrication company that designs, builds, and installs trade show booths, brand activations, scenic/props, and retail displays for enterprise entertainment, gaming, streaming, and consumer brand clients, acquired through direct enterprise relationships and agency partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cogswell Design industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trade Show Fabrication Services
- NAICS
- Industrial Design Services (54142)
- SIC
- Prefabricated Wood Bldgs & Components (2452)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Light Assembly & Sub-Assembly (TLAIAFAD)
Keywords
Where Cogswell Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Orange
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cogswell Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Custom Fabrication Projects: Project-based custom fabrication services for trade shows, brand activations, scenic/props, and retail/permanent installations. Revenue is project-based with pricing determined by scope, materials, complexity, and timeline.
- Equipment Rental: Rental programs for beMatrix modular frame systems, including packing, labeling, and I&D (install & dismantle) support. Also includes accessory and structure rentals.
- Show Services Support: Supporting services including installation & dismantling (I&D), logistics, and insurance for trade show builds.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Cogswell Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cogswell Design is a custom physical fabrication shop that provides design, fabrication, and installation services for trade show booths, brand activations, scenic/props, and retail/permanent displays. The company operates from a fabrication facility in Orange, California, working with metal, wood, fabric, and foam, and offers integrated AV/lighting and beMatrix modular frame systems. It delivers turnkey project execution from sketch concept through on-site installation and dismantle (I&D).
Product overview
Cogswell Design is a physical fabrication company offering trade show booth design and fabrication, brand activations, scenic/prop fabrication, and retail/permanent display services. The core offerings include Trade Shows (booth design with beMatrix modular frames, SEG graphics, LEDskin integration), Activations (custom brand experiences), Scenic/Props (custom scenic pieces and props), and Retail/Permanent displays. The company operates from Orange, CA and serves major brands including Nickelodeon, Disney+, Warner Bros, TikTok, Square Enix, HDMI, and Salt Dental Partners. Services include in-house fabrication, installation and dismantle (I&D), logistics, and accessory rentals, with offerings ranging from 10x10 booths to full island builds and multi-zone experiential spaces.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Trade Shows Trade show booth design and fabrication services including turnkey design-driven builds, in-house fabrication, experienced crew for union regulations and show schedules, show services support (I&D, logistics, insurance), accessory and structure rentals, and beMatrix frame modular builds with SEG graphics and LEDskin integration. Targeted at enterprise brands and event agencies exhibiting at major trade shows.
- Activations Custom brand activation builds designed for interaction, photo opportunities, and brand impact. Fast installs on tight timelines, site-savvy production for varied footprints, collaborative approach with agencies and brand teams, and high-impact finishes. Targeted at enterprise brands running experiential marketing campaigns and pop-up experiences.
- Scenic/Props Scenic and prop fabrication services for oversized, oddly shaped, and highly specific custom builds including massive backdrops, dimensional logos, and custom scenic pieces with LED integration. Targeted at entertainment studios, agencies, and event producers needing precision-built thematic environments.
- Retail/Permanent Custom retail display fabrication including pop-up environments, retail displays, modular fabrication for different formats, and logistics-ready builds designed for installation from day one. Targeted at consumer brands needing retail displays and permanent branded installations that install easily and hold up to real-world use.
- beMatrix Modular Frame Systems Modular booth system using beMatrix frames featuring tool-free builds, custom infills and signage fabrication, SEG fabric graphics and lightboxes, LEDskin walls with video integration. Available for purchase or rental with packing, labeling, and install & dismantle (I&D) support. Targeted at trade show exhibitors and agencies needing flexible, scalable booth configurations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Salt Dental Partners grew 300%+ since 2023 with Cogswell as their trade show fabrication partner
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Cogswell Design
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cogswell Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Cogswell Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Glow Studio LAcoreLong-standing partnership since 2017 for Nickelodeon activations at San Diego Comic-Con. Built multiple immersive experiences including SpongeBob SquarePants, Avatar, Monster High, Good Burger themed environments. Extended partnership through 2025 for Avatar: The Last Airbender activation.
- GlowcorePartnership for TikTok Taylor Swift 'The Life of a Showgirl' activation at Westfield Mall. GLOW served as creative/agency partner while Cogswell Design provided fabrication. Collaboration described as 'smooth, the ideas are bold.'
- Wide Angle GroupminorBrand activation partnerships for experiential builds. Cogswell provides fabrication services for activations produced by Wide Angle Group.
- 2HeadsminorPartnership for trade show booth builds. Multiple projects displayed on Cogswell's trade shows page 'In partnership with 2Heads.'
- P3minorPartnership for Warner Bros and DC Comics booths at San Diego Comic-Con. 'In partnership with P3' noted on trade show builds.
- NCompass InternationalminorPartnership for trade show booth fabrication. Testimonial quote mentions 'incredible partnership' and 'skilled and professional team.'
- E FactorminorTrade show booth partnership noted on project gallery. Minor partnership for specific builds.
- InvisionminorPartnership for scenic/prop fabrication at Square Enix FanFest 2023. Invision served as creative and event producer; Cogswell Design provided design and fabrication.
- Done+DustedminorProduction partner for TikTok Taylor Swift activation alongside GLOW. Done+Dusted handled production; Cogswell handled fabrication.
- beMatrixcoreTechnology partnership for beMatrix modular frame systems. Cogswell Design is a certified builder using tool-free beMatrix frames for modular trade show booths with SEG graphics and LEDskin integration. Available for purchase or rental programs.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cogswell Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Trade Group: Texas-based custom exhibit and event fabrication company designing and building trade show booths, brand activations, and corporate environments. Closely comparable mid-sized fabrication business serving enterprise brands, with a similar custom-build value proposition.
- 3D Exhibits: Custom exhibit design and fabrication company producing trade show booths, brand experiences, and corporate environments. Direct comparable to Cogswell's custom fabrication work, with similar boutique positioning and enterprise client focus.
- Czarnowski: One of the largest US exhibit and event fabrication companies, producing trade show booths, brand activations, and custom builds for enterprise clients. Directly comparable business model to Cogswell Design — design/build of physical brand experiences — but operating at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.
- Impact Group: Exhibit and event fabrication company producing trade show booths, brand activations, and corporate events. Comparable boutique fabrication business targeting enterprise brand experiences with similar integrated design-build services.
- Sparks: Philadelphia-based experiential agency with in-house design, fabrication, and production capabilities for trade shows, brand activations, and pop-up environments. Comparable to Cogswell's integrated design-build model, particularly for enterprise brand experiences and event agency partnerships.
Broad incumbents
- Jack Morton Worldwide: Global brand experience agency building trade show exhibits, brand activations, and immersive environments for enterprise brands. Comparable output to Cogswell's trade show and activation work, but as a large, multi-region incumbent rather than a specialized boutique fabricator.
- George P. Johnson (GPJ): Global experiential marketing agency producing large-scale brand experiences, trade show presences, and immersive activations for major enterprise clients. Overlaps with Cogswell in event fabrication and brand activation work but operates at a much broader portfolio and geographic scale.
Others
- beMatrix: Manufacturer of the tool-free modular beMatrix frame system used in trade show booths worldwide. Cogswell is a certified builder of beMatrix systems; beMatrix is a strategic technology partner and adjacent ecosystem participant, not a direct competitor, but the relationship is central to Cogswell's modular offering.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cogswell Design social profiles
Digital presenceCogswell Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cogswell Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Cogswell Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cogswell Design M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cogswell Design
What does Cogswell Design do?
Cogswell Design is a custom physical fabrication shop that provides design, fabrication, and installation services for trade show booths, brand activations, scenic/props, and retail/permanent displays. The company operates from a fabrication facility in Orange, California, working with metal, wood, fabric, and foam, and offers integrated AV/lighting and beMatrix modular frame systems. It delivers turnkey project execution from sketch concept through on-site installation and dismantle (I&D).
Is Cogswell Design a public or private company?
Cogswell Design is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cogswell Design founded?
Cogswell Design was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cogswell Design based?
Cogswell Design is headquartered in Orange, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cogswell Design make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom Fabrication Projects are the primary driver. The others are equipment Rental and show Services Support.
Who are Cogswell Design's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Trade Group, 3D Exhibits, Czarnowski, Impact Group and Sparks. Broad incumbents are Jack Morton Worldwide and George P. Johnson (GPJ). beMatrix is listed as an others.
Does Cogswell Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cogswell Design.
What industry is Cogswell Design in?
Cogswell Design's product category is Trade Show Fabrication Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAIAFAD, Light Assembly & Sub-Assembly. Its NAICS code is 54142 and its SIC code is 2452.