'48

What '48 does

'48 (Studio 48, formally "48 di Marco Giancarlo Pea") is a Milan-based graphic design and visual communication studio founded in 2003 by Marco Pea, who has been active in design since 1984. The studio operates as an Italian sole proprietorship (VAT IT 03982720967) and delivers a broad portfolio of design services across eight core areas: visual identity/identità visiva, editorial design/editoria, packaging, environmental graphics/ambienti, event design/eventi, web and social, advertising/branding, and infographics, plus a proprietary editorial sub-brand called Collana di '48. Its client base is a heterogeneous mix of cultural institutions (Palazzo Morando, Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Lombardia, Fabbrica del Vapore, Magazzini Generali), non-profits and NGOs (Gariwo, Comitato 3 Ottobre, ènostra, Fondazione Invernizzi), and historical corporate clients (Necchi, IME/BTicino, OliMedica, i Coloniali/Favini), with one disclosed SMB engagement (Azienda Agricola Le Sorgenti).

The business is bootstrapped and project-based, with revenue generated through professional service fees for individual client engagements rather than recurring or subscription contracts. There is no public funding, no outside investors, and no publicly disclosed pricing. Distribution is domestic, concentrated in Milan and Lombardy with occasional reach into other Italian regions (e.g., Termoli). The core team is two people (Marco Pea and Ilaria Carcano, who joined in 2018), supplemented by project-based collaborators. The studio operates from a co-working space at Studio Azzurro, La Fabbrica del Vapore (Via Procaccini 4, Milan). The GTM approach is hybrid sales-led (direct client engagement) and community-led, reinforced by Marco Pea's ongoing teaching positions at IED Milano and Politecnico di Milano, which serve as a soft channel for visibility and talent pipeline. The website (quarantotto.it) documents 127 project results spanning the studio's history.

Name

'48

Legal name

48 di Marco Giancarlo Pea

Website

https://quarantotto.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

'48 is a Milan-based graphic design and visual communication studio founded in 2003 by Marco Pea, delivering identity, editorial, packaging, environmental, event, web, and infographic services to cultural institutions, non-profits, and corporate clients across Italy. It operates as a 2-person bootstrapped sole proprietorship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graphic Design Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

Keywords

• Graphic design services
• Visual identity design
• Editorial design
• Brand identity design
• Packaging design

Headquarters

HQ city

Milano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Graphic Design Services: Professional services revenue from consulting, art direction, and graphic design execution on various media including print, web, and digital. Services include visual identity, editorial design, packaging, advertising, environmental graphics, events, web, social, interface, and infographics.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

'48 is a visual communication and graphic design studio founded in Milan in 2003. It delivers consulting, art direction, and graphic design execution across print, web, and digital media, designing visual identities for companies, institutions, products, and events, and extending them into editorial, packaging, advertising, environmental graphics, web/social, interface, and infographic applications. The studio also produces the signature editorial series 'Collana di '48,' a curated collection of project brochures serving as both portfolio and publishing artifact.

Product overview

48 is a visual communication and graphic design studio offering a comprehensive suite of design services. The core offering consists of eight interconnected service areas: Visual Identity (Identità Visiva), Editorial (Editoria), Packaging, Environments (Ambienti), Events (Eventi), Web and Social, Advertising (Pubblicità), and Infographics. The studio's specialty is the 'Collana di '48,' a signature editorial collection of brochures that document their complex projects across all disciplines. Founded in Milan in 2003, the studio provides consulting, art direction, graphic design execution, and production services across print, web, and digital media.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Identità Visiva (Visual Identity) Visual identity design service for companies, institutions, events, and products, encompassing naming, payoff, logos, typography selection, color systems, and brand book creation.
• Editoria (Editorial Design) Editorial design service for books, brochures, monographs, catalogs, institutional publications, newsletters, and technical manuals.
• Packaging Product packaging design service including containers, bottles, labels, boxes, and blister packaging for product lines.
• Ambienti (Environmental Graphics) Environmental graphics service including signage systems, exhibition design, trade show installations, museum displays, and event environments.
• Eventi (Event Visual Communication) Event visual communication service including identity application for seminars, workshops, training courses, meetings, and incentive travel, with associated support materials such as programs, posters, brochures, and environmental setup.
• Web e Social Web and social media design service including navigation systems, interfaces, newsletter and email graphics, social media campaign visuals, and website design.
• Pubblicità (Advertising and Branding) Advertising and branding campaign service including promotion for products or product lines, billboards, print ads, below-the-line materials, and point-of-sale advertising.
• Infografica (Infographic Design) Infographic design service including control panels, instrument interfaces, data visualization, charts, maps, diagrams, cartography, and synthetic data display systems.
• Collana di '48 A curated editorial series of brochures documenting Studio 48's complex projects across various disciplines of visual communication, forming a small publishing collection that functions as both portfolio and branded signature artifact.

Named customers13 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

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: Largest independent design firm globally, with partner-led studios covering identity, editorial, environmental, and digital design. Comparable in service breadth but materially larger; sets the upper-end benchmark for institutional design work Studio 48 also targets.
• Landor & Fitch: Global branding and design group offering brand identity, environmental design, and packaging. Competes with Studio 48 for institutional and corporate visual identity briefs, but at a significantly larger scale and with broader capabilities.
• FutureBrand: Global brand consultancy offering visual identity, packaging, and brand experience design. Competes with Studio 48 for larger institutional and corporate identity engagements.
• Sagmeister & Walsh (now &Walsh): Internationally recognized design firm with strong identity, editorial, and cultural-sector practice. Comparable in cultural/museum client orientation and design-led positioning, but materially larger.

Direct peers

• Leftloft: Milan-based independent design and brand consultancy offering visual identity, editorial design, and digital communication. Directly comparable in geography, services, and Italian institutional client base.
• Mucca: Independent brand design studio known for identity, editorial, and packaging work for cultural and consumer brands. Comparable boutique positioning and multi-disciplinary design offering.
• Total Tool: Milan-based graphic design and visual communication studio offering brand identity, editorial, and packaging design for Italian institutions and brands. Closest same-city peer to Studio 48 in scale, services, and cultural-sector focus.
• Igloo Design: Italian design agency delivering brand identity, packaging, and digital design for institutional and consumer clients. Comparable in service mix and Italian market focus.
• Happycentro: Italian small studio specializing in visual identity, editorial design, and creative direction for cultural and commercial clients. Comparable in team size, boutique positioning, and multi-disciplinary design services.
• Manuale: Boutique Italian design studio with practice spanning visual identity, editorial, and environmental design. Comparable in size, methodology, and Italian client base.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/'48
• Instagraminstagram.com/illi.illustration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 '48