What Pupila does

Pupila is a privately held creative design studio headquartered in San Pedro de Montes de Oca, Costa Rica, founded in 2010. The studio operates as a professional services firm delivering integrated brand and design work — brand strategy, brand identity, packaging, editorial design, art direction, photography, motion and 3D, illustration, and event/experience design — to clients across consumer goods, food and beverage, sports organizations, hospitality, real estate, financial services, healthcare, and editorial/publishing. Its work spans 27 countries across four continents with a cumulative portfolio of 500+ projects, anchored by named engagements for clients such as Kölbi, the Guatemalan Football Federation, San Diego FC, Clínica Bíblica, Joya de Nicaragua, Multimoney, and Verdelli.

The studio is built around four partners — founding partner Alfredo Enciso (Business Development), Bruno Campos (Creative Copywriting), Marcelo Jiménez (Art Director), and Cynthia Bonilla (Operations) — supported by roughly seven additional designers, photographers, motion/3D artists, and a web manager. Core technology is described as industry-standard creative tooling rather than proprietary IP, and the firm does not disclose a software stack or platform architecture; its competitive value rests on creative talent, cultural positioning, and a recognized portfolio.

Commercially, Pupila generates revenue on a project-based professional services model via direct client engagement and referrals, with no public rate card and pricing set per engagement after consultation. Beyond client services, the studio operates three side ventures: Bocanegra (a specialty coffee brand co-founded with roaster Mario Salas in 2015), the La Tina publishing platform (books on Latin American design talent released in 2023 and 2024), and FID (an international creative festival). The studio also monetizes a Doméstika online branding course. Pupila is bootstrapped with no disclosed funding rounds or external investors and remains under founder and partner control.

Name

Pupila

Legal name

Pupila

Website

https://pupila.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Boutique Costa Rica-based branding and design studio founded in 2010, offering brand strategy, identity, packaging, editorial, art direction, photography, motion, and illustration services to clients across 27+ countries in consumer, sports, hospitality, finance, and healthcare sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Pedro De Montes De Oca

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Design and Branding Services: Project-based design services including brand identity, brand strategy, packaging design, editorial design, art direction, photography, motion & 3D, and illustration. Revenue generated through client engagements for specific projects and ongoing creative partnerships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pupila is a Costa Rica–based branding and design studio that provides brand strategy, brand identity, packaging design, editorial design, and art direction services for businesses and organizations. The studio also produces self-initiated editorial publications (La Tina 01 and La Tina 02) and operates an in-house coffee brand called Bocanegra, serving as expressions of the studio's creative practice and as engagement tools for prospective clients.

Product overview

Pupila is a creative design studio and brand powerhouse based in Costa Rica, founded in 2010. The studio operates as a unified creative agency offering eight core design services: Brand Identity Design, Brand Strategy, Packaging Design Services, Editorial Design Services, Art Direction Services, Photography Services, Motion & 3D Services, Illustration Services, and Event & Experience Design. These services work together as an integrated creative offering—strategy guides brand identity, which is then expressed through packaging, editorial, photography, motion graphics, and illustration across various touchpoints. Beyond client work, Pupila has developed its own publications including La Tina 01 (175 Latin American female graphic designers) and La Tina 02 (100 Costa Rican illustrators). The studio also operates Bocanegra, its own specialty coffee roaster brand. With over 500 projects completed in 27+ countries since 2010, Pupila serves diverse industries from food & beverage and hospitality to sports, technology, and real estate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bocanegra: A specialty coffee brand founded by Pupila in partnership with Mario Salas, one of Costa Rica's most respected coffee roasters. The brand aims to make specialty coffees accessible to local Costa Rican consumers rather than exported entirely.
• La Tina
• FID

Products and services

• Brand Strategy Strategic brand positioning, architecture, and narrative development for organizations seeking to define or refine their brand foundation.
• Brand Identity Design Visual identity system development including logo, typography, color, and brand guidelines for businesses and organizations.
• Packaging Design Structural and graphic packaging design for consumer products, including label systems, three-dimensional packaging, and production-ready artwork.
• Editorial Design Design of editorial assets including magazines, books, reports, and other print or digital publications for client brands and organizations.
• Art Direction Creative direction across photography, advertising, and brand campaigns to ensure consistent visual execution.
• Photography Commissioned and art-directed photography for brand, editorial, and campaign projects.
• Motion & 3D Motion graphics, animation, and 3D design supporting brand expressions and campaigns.
• Illustration Custom illustration for brand systems, editorial, packaging, and campaign work.
• Event & Experience Design Design of physical and digital brand experiences, including events, exhibitions, and spatial environments.
• La Tina 01 Self-published editorial publication by Pupila, demonstrating the studio's editorial design capability and serving as a creative showcase.
• La Tina 02 Second self-published editorial publication in the La Tina series by Pupila, continuing the studio's editorial design showcase.
• Bocanegra Coffee In-house coffee brand developed by Pupila as a self-initiated design laboratory project, demonstrating the studio's brand and packaging capabilities end-to-end.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ design projects completed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers42 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Kevin Morales (Coyote)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaborated with Guatemalan designer Kevin Morales on the Guatemala Football Federation rebranding project. Together they crafted a new national team identity that speaks to all corners of Guatemala and the diaspora, respecting institutional history while reimagining it for the future.
• Fiesta RayóncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnered with Fiesta Rayón to search for and document illustrators across Costa Rica for La Tina 02 book project. This collaboration brought together local creative communities to showcase 100 Costa Rican illustrators.
• LizanoflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Created 'Costa Muy Rica: Cocinas Costarricenses y el Sabor del Paisaje' recipe book as tribute to Lizano brand's 100th anniversary. The book celebrates Costa Rican culinary heritage and flavors of the landscape.
• Madre ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Collaborated with Madre Consulting on the Cinco Décadas commemorative book for Joya de Nicaragua's 50th anniversary. The project created a high-end limited edition book celebrating Nicaragua's tobacco heritage.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mast Studio: Mexico City-based branding and packaging studio working with consumer, food & beverage, and lifestyle brands across Latin America and globally. Directly comparable offering and regional creative positioning to Pupila.
• Sagmeister: Independent design and branding studio known for bold, culture-driven identity and editorial work for global clients. Comparable as an independently owned, founder-led creative studio with international reach.
• Mucho Studio: Barcelona-based creative studio specializing in brand identity, editorial, and cultural projects with a strong international client base. Comparable as a culturally distinctive, mid-sized boutique studio working across borders.
• Futura: Latin American creative agency with offices in Peru and Chile, serving global brands in branding, packaging, and editorial design. Closely comparable scale, geographic roots, and service mix to Pupila.
• Anagrama: Mexico-based branding and design studio with international reach across Latin America, the US, and Europe. Highly comparable to Pupila in offering full-stack brand identity, packaging, and editorial work for premium consumer and institutional clients.
• Trama Visual: Mexican branding and visual identity studio specializing in strategic design, packaging, and editorial work. Overlapping service offering, similar mid-sized boutique structure, and shared Latin American design sensibility make it a strong comparable to Pupila.
• Bold Studio: Branding and design studio with multiple Latin American offices, focused on brand strategy, identity, and packaging for global consumer brands. Comparable in scope and Latin American creative positioning to Pupila.

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: Largest independently owned global design consultancy with multiple partners across the US, Europe, and Asia. Competes with Pupila on enterprise brand identity mandates but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Landor & Fitch: Global brand consulting and design network offering brand strategy, identity, and experience design at enterprise scale. Overlaps with Pupila's brand strategy and identity services, but with far broader geographic footprint and institutional resources.

Others

• Doméstika: Online creative education platform where Pupila Alfredo Enciso publishes a branding course; not a competitor but a distribution and thought-leadership channel for the studio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pupilaco
• Instagraminstagram.com/pupila.co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Pupila