What A Practice for Everyday Life does

A Practice for Everyday Life (trading as APFEL and APFEL Type) is a London-based design studio founded in 2003 by Kirsty Carter and Emma Thomas, both co-Presidents of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) UK Chapter. The studio provides creative direction, brand identity design, campaign art direction, editorial and packaging design, digital and web design, exhibition graphics, and signage and wayfinding for cultural institutions and luxury brands. Its core technology is custom typeface design and engineering, supported by historical and contextual research that informs both bespoke commissions and retail offerings.

The business operates two revenue streams. The primary line is project-based professional services sold through direct studio engagements, with new business originating from editorial coverage, referrals, and the studio's reputation (described by The Observer as "the art world's favourite studio"). Secondary revenue comes from APFEL Type, a self-serve e-commerce storefront launched in 2020 that licenses six proprietary retail typefaces — Certeau, Friedel, Periferia, Piloti, Remnants, and Lining — on desktop, web, and app terms, with one-time fees starting at £60 per style. Clients span museums (V&A, Tate, British Museum, Hepworth Wakefield, La Biennale di Venezia, CAM Gulbenkian), fashion and luxury (Erdem, JW Anderson, John Lobb/Hermès, Aesop, Birkenstock), publishers (Phaidon, Thames & Hudson, Rizzoli), and galleries (Gagosian, David Zwirner).

The studio is privately held by its founders with no external investment, parent company, or subsidiaries. It is headquartered at 37 Temple Street, London E2 6QQ, and serves a global client base across the UK, Portugal, Italy, Germany, France, and the US. Distribution is dual-channel: direct enterprise sales for studio engagements and e-commerce for typeface licensing. Marketing relies on earned media in top-tier design publications, Instagram (@apracticeforeverydaylife and @apfeltype), and case-study content on the studio website.

Name

A Practice for Everyday Life

Legal name

A Practice for Everyday Life Limited

Website

https://apracticeforeverydaylife.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

A London-based design studio founded in 2003 by Kirsty Carter and Emma Thomas, providing brand identity, custom typeface design, editorial, packaging, and exhibition graphics for cultural institutions and luxury brands. Operates APFEL Type retail typeface licensing as a secondary revenue line.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Design and Type Studio

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Graphic Design & Visual Communications (Collateral, Illustration) (MPAAAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Packaging & Brand Identity Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAN), Wayfinding, Signage & Environmental Graphic Design (BPAHAKAN), Graphic Design & Visual Content Production (BPAFAIAC)

Keywords

• Brand identity design
• Custom typeface design
• Retail typeface licensing
• Exhibition graphics design
• Creative direction services

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Direction and Design Services: Project-based studio engagements delivering brand identities, campaigns, digital and web design, editorial design, packaging, exhibition graphics, and signage/wayfinding for cultural institutions, fashion houses, and luxury brands.
2. Typeface Licensing (APFEL Type): Retail font licensing sold directly through the APFEL Type e-commerce storefront. License types include desktop, web, and app licenses. Pricing based on number of users (desktop) or page views (web). One-time purchase with no expiration. Additional extensions available for uses such as advertising and broadcasting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

A Practice for Everyday Life (APFEL) is a creative direction and design studio offering brand identity design, campaign art direction, editorial and publication design, packaging, digital and web design, exhibition graphics, signage and wayfinding for cultural institutions and luxury/fashion brands. The studio also designs custom typefaces for clients and operates APFEL Type, a retail storefront licensing six proprietary typefaces (Certeau, Friedel, Periferia, Piloti, Lining, Remnants) under desktop, web, and app licenses.

Product overview

A Practice for Everyday Life (APFEL) is a London-based design studio offering creative direction, design services, and type design since 2003. The company operates two distinct product lines: APFEL Type, a retail typeface platform offering six proprietary fonts (Certeau, Friedel, Periferia, Piloti, Lining, Remnants) available for desktop, web, and app licensing; and Custom Type Design, bespoke typeface commissions for brands and cultural institutions. Services include brand identity, campaign art direction, editorial and packaging design, digital/web design, and exhibition graphics. A publication, 'Type as Readymade,' accompanies the typeface launch.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• APFEL Type: A collection of retail fonts published by A Practice for Everyday Life, including Certeau, Friedel, Periferia, Piloti, Remnants, and Lining typefaces.

Products and services

• Certeau A monoline sans-serif typeface influenced by geometric Modernist typefaces and Dutch and German sans-serif typography from the 1930s, featuring expressive calligraphic details; available in Regular, Medium, and Bold weights from £80 per style.
• Friedel A neo-grotesque monoline sans-serif typeface named after Murray Friedel (inventor of the PhotoTypositor) and derived from a 1965 specimen of Solitaire by John W Denzner; available in Regular, Medium, and Bold weights from £80 per style.
• Periferia A display typeface referencing the rhythm and pattern of the urban environment, developed using modular stamped forms with hand-rendered sensibility; available from £60.
• Piloti A light sans-serif with tapered strokes inspired by stone-carved letterforms, featuring high x-height and curved forms for softness and warmth; available in Regular from £60.
• Lining A decorative neo-grotesque sans-serif developed as a contemporary reinterpretation of a typeface first advertised by American Type Founders Company in 1897; available in Regular from £60.
• Remnants A condensed display typeface developed from a display type found on an old Serbian book cover, expanded into a full Latin character set while retaining Cyrillic alphabet beauty; available from £60.
• Custom Type Design Bespoke typeface commissions for brands, individuals, and cultural institutions, ranging from modifying existing fonts and creating one-off display styles to developing complete type families. Notable commissions include custom typefaces for Camper, ELLE, Galderma, John Lobb, Hepworth Wakefield, Barnes Foundation, YDP, and the V&A.
• Design Services Creative direction and design services covering brand identity design, campaign art direction, editorial design, packaging design, digital and web design, exhibition graphics, and signage and wayfinding for cultural institutions and luxury/fashion brands.
• Type as Readymade A softcover 32-page publication (270 × 205 mm) exploring type as a form of readymade, examining the relationship between research, visual reference, cultural concept of the everyday, and type design in context; sold at £12.

Quantifiable outcome

• Record attendance of 800,000+ tickets at La Biennale di Venezia 2022 (35% increase over 2019 edition) for which APFEL designed the full visual identity, publications, exhibition graphics, signage, merchandise, and campaign
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• FormaFantasmaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024APFEL has collaborated with design studio FormaFantasma on at least two major exhibitions: the Shakers exhibition at Vitra Design Museum (2024–25), where FormaFantasma developed the exhibition design, and the La Biennale di Venezia 59th International Art Exhibition (2022), where FormaFantasma was the exhibition designer.
• Kengo Kuma & AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024APFEL developed the visual identity for CAM Gulbenkian (reopened September 2024), whose new building was designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates. The letter A within the CAM logotype echoes the curved, canopy-like forms of the new architecture. APFEL also extended the identity for A mesa do CAM restaurant, designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates.
• PhaidonminorOthers · 1 January 2022APFEL has designed multiple publications published by Phaidon, including 'Vitra: The Anatomy of a Design Company' (2025), which tells the story of three generations of Vitra's history. The studio also designed the Erdem monograph published by Rizzoli, and Erik Madigan Heck's 'The Tapestry' published by Thames & Hudson.
• Van Cleef & ArpelsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021APFEL collaborated with Erik Madigan Heck on Nomenus issue 2, 'The Language of Flowers', published in partnership with Van Cleef & Arpels (2021). The limited edition arts journal brought together contemporary painting and photography by contributors including Rita Ackermann, Helen Frankenthaler, Anselm Kiefer and Nick Knight.
• David Chipperfield ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPFEL was commissioned at an early stage of The Hepworth Wakefield museum project to embed signage into the building's architecture alongside David Chipperfield Architects' approach. The collaboration allowed signage to be developed seamlessly alongside the architecture, with wayfinding woven into the material language of the museum.
• Tom Stuart-Smith StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPFEL expanded The Hepworth Wakefield identity for the museum's shop and The Hepworth Wakefield Garden, a free public garden designed by Tom Stuart-Smith Studio. The collaboration introduced a more playful visual language for the garden and retail context.
• Studio BoumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPFEL collaborated with Studio Boum on the JW Anderson 'On Foot' exhibition at Offer Waterman gallery (2023). The gridded image layout used across the campaign took reference from the metal framework of Studio Boum's exhibition design.
• RizzoliminorOthersAPFEL designed the Erdem monograph published by Rizzoli, the first book to celebrate Erdem Moralioglu and twenty years of the fashion house. The book interweaves primary source material, artworks, and photography, bringing together contributions from Anna Wintour, Christian Lacroix, Andrew Bolton, Hanya Yanagihara, Glenn Close and Ruthie Rogers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Commercial Type: Independent type foundry and custom type studio serving cultural institutions and luxury brands. Comparable to APFEL's combined bespoke type commissions and retail typeface offering.
• Spin: London design studio with deep cultural institution and luxury brand work (Tate, Design Museum, V&A). Closely comparable scale and cultural-sector focus to APFEL.
• Grilli Type: Independent retail type foundry with strong design press standing. Direct competitor to APFEL Type in the retail type licensing channel, with a larger font catalog.
• M/M (Paris): Paris-based art-world design studio known for cultural institution identities, exhibition graphics, posters and type. Directly comparable to APFEL for Biennale/V&A-tier cultural clients and bespoke type commissions.
• Made Thought: London creative studio working across brand identity, packaging and digital for cultural and consumer clients. Comparable boutique positioning and client mix to APFEL.
• Studio Dumbar: Dutch design studio with a long track record in cultural identity, exhibition graphics and signage/wayfinding. Comparable to APFEL in institution-led identity work and European cultural footprint.
• Dinamo: Independent type foundry and custom type studio with strong cultural-institution and luxury clientele. Comparable to APFEL on the type-design side of the business.
• North: London design studio working with cultural and brand clients on identity, editorial and exhibition design. Comparable boutique positioning in the UK cultural design market.
• Pentagram: Partner-led global design firm with a London office. Pentagram works across cultural institutions, luxury and consumer brands in identity, editorial and type, mirroring APFEL's cultural/luxury clientele and founder-led model.

Broad incumbents

• Wolff Olins: Global brand consultancy with a London HQ working on cultural and corporate identities. Broader, larger-scale incumbent operating in the same identity space as APFEL.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a-practice-for-everyday-life
• Instagraminstagram.com/apracticeforeverydaylife
• Facebookfacebook.com/A-Practice-for-Everyday-Life-100054520088048

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 A Practice for Everyday Life