Design ESPM SP

What Design ESPM SP does

Design ESPM SP is the undergraduate Design degree program at Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM), a private higher education institution founded in 1951 and headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil. The program offers multi-disciplinary design education covering UX, fashion, branding, editorial design, packaging, service design, typography, 3D modeling/animation, and game design. Its core pedagogy, branded as "Modo Designer ESPM," integrates strategic business thinking with hands-on creative practice, supported by experimental nuclei including GARAGEM ESPM (innovation methodology), Design Lab ESPM (professional design studio simulation), dsg editorial (interdisciplinary editorial projects), dsg mov (motion graphics), and the Nucleus of Fashion Business. The Scientific Initiation Program (operating since 1996) and the REVISTA DSG academic journal anchor its research output.

The program generates revenue primarily through recurring tuition from enrolled undergraduate students, distributed via ESPM's centralized admissions office and campuses across São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Porto Alegre. Its go-to-market is event-driven: prospective students are recruited through immersive Design Jam sessions, the Lider in Class guest lecture series, participation in national design events, and an active organic social presence (Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube portfolio channels). Real-world industry exposure is a defining feature — students execute live design challenges for Tok&Stok (10-year partnership, 12+ projects), Nestlé, Mercado Livre, Heineken, Corote, Suzano, and iFood.

Design ESPM SP is the top-ranked private Design course in Brazil (RUF 2023) and 6th overall nationally, having earned the maximum grade in the ENADE 2021 national evaluation. It sustains a multi-year track record at the Brasil Design Awards (multiple gold/silver/bronze annually across editorial, social impact, graphic design, and crafts categories) and has won international recognition through the LADAWARDS. International partnerships with School of Visual Arts (SVA) New York, Spanish design schools (double-degree), Japan House São Paulo, and IE School of Architecture & Design extend its reach beyond Brazil. Customer outcomes include alumni placements at Loblaw Digital (Canada), renowned design studios (Estúdio Polar Ltda), and entrepreneurial ventures.

Name

Design ESPM SP

Legal name

Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM)

Website

https://design.espm.edu.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Design ESPM SP is the undergraduate Design degree program at ESPM, a private Brazilian higher education institution in São Paulo. It delivers multi-disciplinary design education (UX, fashion, branding, editorial, packaging, 3D/animation) to undergraduate students, integrating real industry projects with brands like Tok&Stok, Nestlé, and Mercado Livre.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Design

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Design Colleges (Graphic, Industrial, UX/UI, Interior) (EDAHAJAB)

Keywords

• Undergraduate design education
• Design degree program
• Higher education design
• Strategic design training
• Creative arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Fees: As a private higher education institution (ESPM), the Design program generates revenue through tuition charged to enrolled undergraduate students. ESPM is a well-established private college in Brazil with multiple campuses.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Design ESPM SP is an undergraduate Design degree program offered through ESPM (Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing) in São Paulo, Brazil. The program delivers comprehensive design education across multiple disciplines including fashion, UX, branding, editorial design, service design, packaging, typography, and game design. Students gain practical experience through experimental nuclei (GARAGEM, Design Lab, dsg editorial, dsg mov), real client projects with partner brands, and a research-based curriculum supported by the Scientific Initiation Program (PIC) established in 1996.

Product overview

Design ESPM SP is an undergraduate Design degree program at ESPM (Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing) in São Paulo, Brazil. It offers comprehensive design education across multiple areas including fashion, graphic design, UX, service design, and digital design. The program features experimental nuclei such as DSG Editorial, DSG MOV, Design Lab, and GARAGEM ESPM, along with industry partnerships for student projects. As an educational institution offering a degree program, it does not operate as a product company with commercial software offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Design Degree Program (Bacharelado em Design)
• Experimental Nuclei (GARAGEM ESPM, Design Lab ESPM, dsg editorial, dsg mov)
• Scientific Initiation Program (PIC)
• REVISTA DSG Academic Journal

Quantifiable outcome

• Best private Design course in Brazil — RUF 2023 ranking
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tok&StokcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA decade-long academic partnership (2015-2025) in which Design ESPM students undertake real design challenges for Tok&Stok, creating surface patterns for bedding lines (repeat patterns) and tableware (localized patterns) across various trends. Over 12 challenges were completed, with winning designs produced and sold by the retailer.
• Japan House São PaulocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership agreement signed August 31, 2022. ESPM students have participated in artistic residencies in Kyoto with artist Kohei Nawa. Japan House São Paulo and ESPM collaborate on cultural and educational initiatives benefiting ESPM's creative programs.
• ABEDESIGN (Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Design)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerDesign ESPM is an associated university member of ABEDESIGN. The two organizations co-host annual events including 'Design & Experiência & Criatividade & Tecnologia' and the 'Amanhã da Profissão Design' event, connecting students with industry professionals.
• Fundação Bienal São PaulominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInformal collaborative partnership established since 2014, comprising Study Groups and student participation in the Biennale's creative workshops. Students contributed to the 35th Biennale through creation and language production workshops.
• CIETEC USP (Centro de Inovação, Empreendedorismo e Tecnologia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 1998, CIETEC is Brazil's largest technology business incubator. Design ESPM partners with CIETEC to provide students with access to innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem resources.
• D&AD ShiftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerESP M received a workshop as a result of its partnership with D&AD Shift, extending the international repertoire and connections of Design students through this specialized professional development program.
• SuzanominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Hackathon Green 2023, a 48-hour sustainability-focused hackathon. Student teams developed solutions for sustainable packaging challenges. The winning team received potential internship opportunity at Suzano.
• iFoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Hackathon Green 2023 alongside Suzano and ESPM. iFood provided real-world challenge data (packaging from food delivery orders) for student teams to develop sustainable solutions.
• School of Visual Arts (SVA), New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for a Summer Program at SVA NY titled 'Branding New York City,' offering ESPM students an international academic experience with a leading US design school.
• Spanish Design Schools (Double Degree Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational double-degree agreements with design schools in Spain, enabling students to graduate with two diplomas from two countries, gaining global competitive advantage and cross-cultural academic experience.
• Universidade de São Paulo (USP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional cooperation partnership with USP, originated in 2014 between professors Francisco Carlos Paleta (USP) and Charlley Luz (ESPM), focused on connecting academic research in Information Science with real market demands. Key initiative: X Simpósio de UX com IA, part of the XII TOI Congress.
• Colletivo DesignminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAwarded design studio cofounded by Vanessa Queiroz, who delivered a guest open class (Lider in Class) to Design ESPM students in April 2025, providing industry perspective and mentorship.
• Grupo CriativominorGTM or Marketing PartnerCreative agency led by Rodrigo Leme, who conducted a guest class for the Fashion Retail and Visual Merchandising discipline, providing real industry insights to students.
• Vimer Retail ExperienceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRetail experience company led by Camila Salek, which delivered a guest open class for the Fashion Retail and Visual Merchandising discipline at ESPM.
• Mercado LivreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Migra.me project was developed as a strategic sociocultural positioning exercise for Mercado Livre, creating a digital sales platform for Latin American immigrant artisans, demonstrating collaboration with major e-commerce platforms for social impact design.
• IE School of Architecture & Design (Spain)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDean David Goodman from IE School of Architecture & Design delivered a special class at ESPM in May 2026 on creativity, technique, and AI, fostering international academic exchange.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FAAP - Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado: FAAP is a private São Paulo university with a long-standing undergraduate Design program covering visual communication, fashion, industrial design, and digital media. It directly competes with Design ESPM for the same high-school applicant pool in São Paulo and competes on similar axes (faculty, industry projects, awards).
• Belas Artes São Paulo: Belas Artes is a private design-focused college in São Paulo offering undergraduate degrees in graphic design, product design, fashion, and digital design. It targets the same São Paulo design student segment as Design ESPM and competes directly on portfolio outcomes, faculty reputation, and industry connections.
• Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie - Design: Mackenzie is a private São Paulo university with a Design program that also emphasizes research, faculty with postgraduate degrees, and connections to advertising/marketing disciplines through its Communication school — directly comparable positioning to Design ESPM in the same city.
• PUC-Rio - Departamento de Design: PUC-Rio runs one of Brazil's most respected private Design undergraduate programs, producing BDA-recognized work across graphic, product, and social impact design. It competes with Design ESPM at the national top-tier for design students and faculty, with comparable industry partnership models.
• ESDI - Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial: ESDI (Rio de Janeiro) is one of Brazil's oldest and most established design schools, covering industrial, graphic, and product design. It competes for the same top Brazilian design students and is comparable in mission, faculty caliber, and award recognition (BDA-eligible portfolio output).
• Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS) - Design: UCS is a private Brazilian university in Rio Grande do Sul with design programs across graphic, product, and digital disciplines. It is a comparable peer in the Brazilian private design education segment, with similar faculty-driven research orientation.

Regional players

• IED - Istituto Europeo di Design (Brazil): IED operates a São Paulo campus offering design undergraduate and short-format programs with strong Italian design heritage and an international student body. It competes with Design ESPM for premium São Paulo design applicants but operates on a different international parent-ownership model.

Broad incumbents

• Parsons School of Design (The New School): Parsons is a globally recognized design school and a benchmark for what Brazilian private design programs (including Design ESPM) reference in curriculum. While not a direct Brazilian competitor, it sets the international standard for design education and is comparable on axes of industry partnerships, faculty, and award recognition.
• Royal College of Art: The Royal College of Art is a top global design school with strong industry partnerships and award-recognized output. It is comparable to Design ESPM as a benchmark for the strategic, industry-embedded design pedagogy that Design ESPM pursues, though operating at a different scale and geography.

Emerging players

• Domus Academy: Domus Academy is an Italian private design school with design master programs and an emphasis on industry collaboration and design thinking. It is comparable to Design ESPM's postgraduate and short-format international offerings (e.g., SVA NY summer program, Spanish double-degree) as an international design credentialing alternative.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@designespmspportfolios3411/playlists
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/design-espm-sp
• Instagraminstagram.com/design_espm_sp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Design ESPM SP