Project No. 8
Various Projects, Inc. is a New York-based multidisciplinary creative studio founded in 2005 that designs and produces objects, garments, accessories, books, furniture, and spaces in collaboration with artists and brands, operating the Various Keytags e-commerce brand following the 2019 closure of its Project No. 8 retail spaces.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Project No. 8 does
Various Projects, Inc. is a privately held, multidisciplinary creative studio founded in 2005 in New York by Elizabeth Beer and Brian Janusiak, operating as a design and curatorial practice that creates objects, garments, accessories, books, furniture, and interior spaces through collaboration with artists, designers, and brands. From 2006 to 2019, the company operated Project No. 8 as a physical retail laboratory across multiple New York locations (Ace Hotel, Division St, Orchard St, Tribeca, TurnStyle subway station) and international pop-ups in Paris, Tokyo, and East Hampton. The retail arm ceased in 2019 after thirteen years, and the company now operates a leaner studio model centered on commission/collaboration work and the Various Keytags e-commerce spin-off (variouskeytags.com), which sells customizable keytags, sterling silver editions, enamel pins, notebooks, postcards, and small accessories to design-minded consumers.
The business model combines three revenue streams: direct-to-consumer product sales via the Various Keytags e-commerce storefront, unit-priced retail/wholesale of designed objects and accessories (pins, notebooks, lighters, bags, travel pillows), and bespoke collaboration/commission fees from enterprise clients such as Ace Hotel, Herman Miller, Google, New Museum, Walker Art Center, Cooper Hewitt, Sonos, Urban Outfitters, and Madewell. The core technology is creative and artisanal — hand-knit alpaca products, powder-coated steel furniture, custom printing, gold-foil stationery — supported by a network of fabrication partners rather than proprietary software. Pricing is opaque (contact-based for retail/wholesale, pay-as-you-go unit pricing online), and revenue is not publicly disclosed. The company employs 9 people, has no disclosed funding, no parent company, and maintains full founder-led creative control from its 2 Bond Street headquarters.
Distribution spans e-commerce (global reach via variouskeytags.com), physical retail previously and currently through pop-ups, and direct wholesale to enterprise customers. Marketing relies on the project portfolio website (various-projects.com), the e-commerce storefront, and the gravitational pull of marquee collaborations as a brand-building mechanism. Customer segments include design enthusiasts (primary, consumer), creative institutions (museums, galleries, hotels — enterprise), and the design industry (artists and studios for co-creation).
Project No. 8 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Project No. 8
- Legal name
- Various Projects, Inc.
- Website
- https://[email protected]
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Various Projects, Inc. is a New York-based multidisciplinary creative studio founded in 2005 that designs and produces objects, garments, accessories, books, furniture, and spaces in collaboration with artists and brands, operating the Various Keytags e-commerce brand following the 2019 closure of its Project No. 8 retail spaces.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Project No. 8 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Design Studio & Consumer Design Objects
- NAICS
- Interior Design Services (54141)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL), Content & Creative Studio for Creators (Concepting/Production) (MPAAAHAD)
Keywords
Where Project No. 8 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Project No. 8 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Product Sales: Direct sales of designed objects, garments, accessories, furniture, and various curated products through retail spaces and e-commerce.
- Various Keytags E-commerce: Online store for design-minded keytags and accessories, offering customizable word and phrase variations.
- Collaboration/Commission Work: Creating custom products and spaces for clients and partners on a project basis.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Enamel Pins |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Notebooks |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Various Keytags |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels3 records
Project No. 8 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Various Projects, Inc. operates as a multidisciplinary creative studio that designs and produces objects, garments, accessories, books, furniture, and interior spaces through collaboration with artists and designers. The studio sells directly through its Various Keytags e-commerce brand and, until 2019, operated the Project No. 8 retail spaces as a design laboratory. The studio also undertakes commissioned collaborations and project work for brands and cultural institutions such as Ace Hotel, Herman Miller, and the New Museum.
Product overview
Various Projects, Inc. is a multidisciplinary creative studio (founded 2005 by Elizabeth Beer & Brian Janusiak) that creates a diverse portfolio of products including retail spaces (Project No. 8, 2006-2019), accessories (Various Keytags including Sterling Silver Keytags, Enamel Pins), apparel (Womenswear, Menswear, Signal Mittens, Grid Scarf), objects (Birdwatching hand-knit alpaca birds, Notebooks, Tetra Lighter, Cloud Postcards), furniture (Magazine Rack, Island Display, Wood Garmet Rack), interiors (Nap Lab, The Cloud Lounge, The Dance nightclub), and publications (Ward Bennett monograph for Phaidon). The various product lines operate somewhat independently while sharing creative direction, with Various Keytags having evolved into its own e-commerce entity at variouskeytags.com.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Various Keytags
Companies that use Project No. 8
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Project No. 8 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Project No. 8 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Ace HotelcoreLong-term partnership where Various Projects operated Project No. 8 retail space within the Ace Hotel, creating a unique shopping destination that integrated design and hospitality.
- Herman MillercoreCollaboration on Ward Bennett exhibition and furniture curation, working with Geiger to produce custom pieces. Also conceived public showcase of late designer Ward Bennett.
- Print All Over MecoreOngoing collaboration on clothing customization and printed apparel products, including PAOM Kids line with Snarkitecture and various collections.
- SonosminorCollaboration on The Cloud Lounge installation at the Sonos NYC Flagship, featuring printed cloud formations and soft geometric abstract forms.
- Darcel DisappointsminorCreated Alpaca Darcel doll as ultimate NY souvenir and series of postcards for Travel/Hotel store. Product also sold at Collette in Paris.
- New MuseumminorCollaborated on special dress edition with Print All Over Me for opening of Chris Ofili's retrospective 'Night and Day'.
- ZimmerliminorDesigned t-shirts with Swiss knitwear company Zimmerli for Various Projects Pop-Up at Barneys New York in Tokyo, using Egyptian cotton in black or white.
- RO/LUcoreMultiple collaborations including Design Miami/ Curio installation at Patrick Parrish and Walker Art Center residency 'Participation As Performance'.
- Realities UnitedminorBerlin-based Realities United designed motion-activated animation system for fluorescent lights at Project No. 8 Division St store - first time this technology was done in the US.
- SnarkitectureminorCollaboration on PAOM Kids line - children's apparel combining Snarkitecture's design with Print All Over Me's platform.
- Wallpaper ProjectsminorCollaboration on 'Block Party' foam sectional installation at Collective Design 2016.
- Grey AreaminorEast Hampton pop-up collaboration.
- Barneys NY (Japan)minorVarious Projects Pop-Up at Barneys New York in Tokyo featuring Zimmerli t-shirt collaboration.
- Patrick Parrish GalleryminorVarious Projects created installation in collaboration with RO/LU for Design Miami/ Curio booth.
- Walker Art CenterminorRO/LU x Various Projects residency 'Participation As Performance' - visitors wore orange garments designed by Various Projects.
- Cooper HewittminorClient and collaborator.
- GoogleminorClient and collaborator.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Project No. 8 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Matter Made: Design studio and retailer producing limited-edition objects and furniture from emerging and established designers. Comparable to Various Projects in the curation of designer-driven objects and the studio-plus-retail hybrid model.
- Hem: Design furniture and objects brand working with independent designers to produce and retail contemporary pieces globally. Comparable product/category overlap and design-led retail distribution model to the furniture and objects lines of Various Projects.
- Areaware: Independent design brand and publisher producing and distributing design objects, home goods, and gifts from a wide network of designers. Comparable as a multi-designer design objects house that moves curated product through retail and wholesale channels.
- Snarkitecture: Brooklyn-based design studio creating installations, retail experiences, and design objects at the intersection of art and architecture. Directly comparable to Various Projects' multidisciplinary, experience-driven model, and an explicit collaborator (PAOM Kids, Block Party).
- RO/LU: Brooklyn/NYC-based design and architecture practice working across installation, furniture, and apparel, with frequent design-fair and museum projects. Directly comparable in scale, aesthetic, and collaboration profile, and an explicit Various Projects collaborator (Design Miami/ Curio, Walker Art Center residency).
- Print All Over Me: Custom apparel and printed products platform with deep ties to design and art collaborations. Multiple joint projects with Various Projects (Blanks, Nap Lab, The Cloud Lounge, Projection Collection) make it a directly comparable design-plus-commerce studio.
Broad incumbents
- MoMA Design Store: Museum-affiliated design retailer carrying curated design objects, furniture, and gifts from notable designers globally. Comparable to Project No. 8's former role as a design destination retailer for curated objects.
- Pentagram: Largest independent design consultancy in the world, with partners working across identity, product, editorial, and environmental design. Comparable as a multidisciplinary design firm operating at scale across multiple creative disciplines.
Emerging players
- WantedDesign: Design platform and NYCxDesign fair organizer connecting independent designers with manufacturers and audiences. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler for the same multidisciplinary design community Various Projects operates in.
- Sight Unseen: Design media platform and OFFSITE exhibition organizer championing independent designers and studios. Directly comparable audience and a documented partner of Various Projects at NYCxDesign events.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Project No. 8 social profiles
Digital presenceProject No. 8 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Project No. 8 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Project No. 8 subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Project No. 8 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Project No. 8 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 Project No. 8
What does Project No. 8 do?
Various Projects, Inc. operates as a multidisciplinary creative studio that designs and produces objects, garments, accessories, books, furniture, and interior spaces through collaboration with artists and designers. The studio sells directly through its Various Keytags e-commerce brand and, until 2019, operated the Project No. 8 retail spaces as a design laboratory. The studio also undertakes commissioned collaborations and project work for brands and cultural institutions such as Ace Hotel, Herman Miller, and the New Museum.
Is Project No. 8 a public or private company?
Project No. 8 is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Project No. 8 founded?
Project No. 8 was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Project No. 8 based?
Project No. 8 is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Project No. 8 make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are various Keytags E-commerce and collaboration/Commission Work.
Who are Project No. 8's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Matter Made, Hem, Areaware, Snarkitecture, RO/LU and Print All Over Me. Broad incumbents are MoMA Design Store and Pentagram. Emerging players are WantedDesign and Sight Unseen.
Does Project No. 8 have an API?
No public API is recorded for Project No. 8.
What industry is Project No. 8 in?
Project No. 8's product category is Design Studio & Consumer Design Objects. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAM, Industrial/Product & Furniture Design, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAL, Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design. Its NAICS code is 54141 and its SIC code is 5945.