1961 Design Studio

What 1961 Design Studio does

1961 Design Studio is a São Paulo-based design agency operating as a creative unit within the Centro de Pesquisas (Research Center) of Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia (IMT), a Brazilian technology university founded in 1961 — the year from which the studio derives its name. The studio delivers professional design services across animation, branding, graphic design, editorial design, product design, and place branding for a heterogeneous client base that includes industrial enterprises (CBA, Flexcell/Repsol Sinopec Brasil), education and research institutions (IMT itself), municipalities (São Bento do Sapucaí), and consumer-goods SMBs (Frescor da Mantiqueira).

Its service offering is differentiated by direct physical access to IMT's testing laboratories and Fab Lab Mauá infrastructure — including digital fabrication, rapid prototyping, Materials, Metrology, Chemistry, Industry 4.0, and Shelf Life facilities — which positions the studio as a hybrid design-and-prototyping partner rather than a conventional graphic-design freelancer. Core technology is therefore a combination of conventional creative tooling and academic fabrication laboratories tied to the global Fab Lab network.

The business model is project-based professional services with non-publicly-disclosed pricing determined via direct client quotation (website contact form, email, phone). The studio markets itself through its website portfolio, LinkedIn, and Instagram — there are no intermediaries, paid channels, or external sales motion. The firm has no subsidiaries, no external funding rounds, no M&A activity, and is entirely supported by its parent academic institution, operating with approximately 11 employees from a single headquarters on the IMT campus in São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo.

Name

1961 Design Studio

Legal name

1961 Design Studio

Website

https://1961designstudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

1961 Design Studio is a São Paulo-based design agency operated by Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia, delivering animation, branding, graphic, editorial, product, and place-design services with direct access to university fabrication and prototyping laboratories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Industrial Design Services (541420)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Brand identity design
• Graphic design services
• Product design agency
• Place branding services
• Animation design services

Headquarters

HQ city

São Caetano do Sul

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Design Services: Professional design services including animation, branding, graphic design, editorial design, product design, and place branding. Revenue generated through project-based engagements with clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

1961 Design Studio is a multidisciplinary design agency operated by the Research Center of Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia that delivers animation, branding, graphic design, editorial design, product design, and place branding services. Engagements are developed in direct partnership with IMT's testing laboratories and Fab Lab digital fabrication infrastructure, enabling tangible, prototyped, and testable design outputs.

Product overview

1961 Design Studio is a design agency that operates in partnership with Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia's testing laboratories. The studio offers a comprehensive portfolio of design services including animation, branding, graphic design, editorial design, place branding, and product design. The company serves diverse clients across sectors including industry (CBA aluminum animations, Flexcell hydrogen energy branding), government (São Bento de Sapucaí municipality identity), education (IMT campus furniture, sculpture, and internal branding), and consumer products (Frutirinhas packaging, Ma' product sub-brand). The studio leverages access to advanced digital fabrication and rapid prototyping technologies through Mauá's Fab Labs network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 1961 Design Studio Multidisciplinary Design Services

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Instituto Mauá de TecnologiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with IMT providing access to laboratory infrastructure including Fab Lab, digital fabrication, and rapid prototyping capabilities. The studio is operated by the Centro de Pesquisas do IMT and is part of the global Fab Lab network.
• Repsol Sinopec BrasilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Flexcell project - a hydrogen energy generation initiative using intensifiable flex transformation technology
• ANP (Agência Nacional do Petróleo)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Flexcell project - a hydrogen energy generation initiative
• Monitoria de DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the second edition of &Design magazine, involving layout design, photo editing, and illustration
• Lab Design (Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and extension project 'Entre Derivas' collaboration for Frutirinhas packaging redesign project

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fosforera: Brazilian creative studio with branding, graphic design, and editorial design offerings; comparable in scope and in serving Brazilian enterprise and institutional clients with project-based engagements.
• Casa Rex: São Paulo-based design agency known for branding, editorial design, and place branding with international reach; comparable for its mix of brand identity and editorial/publishing design work serving global enterprise clients.
• Elephant Design: Brazilian multi-disciplinary design studio with branding, packaging, and product design capabilities; comparable in services breadth and Brazilian market positioning across consumer and enterprise clients.
• Cão Design: Brazilian design agency offering branding, packaging, and graphic design services with similar multi-disciplinary scope and Brazilian enterprise client base; directly comparable in services, size tier, and market.
• Boldá Design: Brazilian design studio offering branding, graphic design, and product design services; comparable as a similarly sized, São Paulo-rooted multi-disciplinary agency competing for the same enterprise and SMB clients.

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: Global multi-disciplinary design firm with deep branding, editorial, and product design practice; comparable for service breadth and design-led enterprise engagements, though operating at vastly larger scale and global footprint.
• IDEO: Global design and innovation firm specializing in human-centered design and product prototyping; directly comparable for the lab-integrated, prototyping-enabled design model that 1961 also positions around, though at much larger scale.
• Interbrand: Global brand consultancy offering branding, naming, and corporate identity; comparable for enterprise branding work and serves as the established incumbent against which boutique studios like 1961 compete for marquee brand assignments.

Regional players

• Futura Design: Brazilian design studio with branding and product design capabilities based in southern Brazil; comparable as a Brazilian multi-disciplinary agency, though primarily serving the southern region rather than São Paulo.

Others

• Fab Foundation: Nonprofit operating the global Fab Labs network of which FabLab Mauá is a node; comparable not as a competitor but as the ecosystem enabler whose infrastructure underpins 1961's core differentiator and provides partnership pathways.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1961-design-studio
• Instagramshare.google/CPQeDXAHyhYjFVJtX

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 1961 Design Studio