We Play Design

What We Play Design does

We Play Design is a privately held Swiss design studio founded in 2008 by co-founders Sophie Rubin and Cédric Rossel, both serving as Creative Directors. The studio operates as a multidisciplinary laboratory delivering bespoke visual identity, branding, art direction, type design, graphic design, motion design, generative design, illustration, and print design services. Its work is anchored in experimental visual techniques, including custom typeface development (notably Gridsystem Mono with over 650 alternative glyphs), algorithmic/generative poster systems, and craft-based methods such as marbling and kaleidoscope imagery.

The studio serves a mix of cultural institutions and festivals (Festival Archipel, Les Concerts du mercredi, Festival FILMAR en América Latina, Far° Festival des arts vivants, Casino Théâtre de Rolle) and small commercial brands (Poisson Crabe, Le Montriond, Urban Gastronomy), primarily in the French-speaking Swiss regions of Geneva and Vaud, with international visibility through awards and exhibitions. Revenue is generated on a project-by-project professional services basis at undisclosed per-engagement pricing, with supplementary income from workshops, lectures, and consulting. The studio has accumulated 200+ international design awards between 2016 and 2024, including European Design Awards Agency of the Year 2021 and DNA Paris Grand Prix 2021, and has no disclosed external investors, parent company, acquisitions, or formal partnerships.

Name

We Play Design

Legal name

We Play Design

Website

https://weplaydesign.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

We Play Design is a privately held Swiss multidisciplinary design studio, co-founded by Sophie Rubin and Cédric Rossel, that delivers bespoke visual identity, branding, type design, and generative design services to cultural institutions, festivals, and small commercial brands primarily in the Geneva and Vaud regions of Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graphic Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage) (MPAAAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

Keywords

• Visual identity design
• Graphic design services
• Brand identity design
• Type design services
• Art direction

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

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. Visual Identity & Branding Projects: Project-based design services creating visual identities, logos, and brand systems for cultural institutions, festivals, restaurants, and retail brands. Revenue is generated through project fees for design assignments.
2. Workshops & Consulting: The studio offers lectures, workshops and consulting services. Contact via [email protected].
3. Print Design Services: Design services for posters, programs, signage, tickets, flyers, catalogs, and books. Revenue generated through project-based fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

We Play Design is a Swiss graphic design studio that creates visual identities, brand systems, and graphic design output for cultural institutions, festivals, and design-driven brands. Its practice spans art direction, custom type design, motion design, generative design, editorial and print design, illustration, and signage, delivered through bespoke projects for each client.

Product overview

We Play Design is a Swiss design studio operating as a multidisciplinary laboratory where experimentation and creation are central. The studio offers a unified portfolio of design services rather than separate software products. Core offerings include visual identity design, type design, graphic design, motion design, generative design, website design, branding, illustration, print design, and signage design. The studio creates bespoke visual communication systems for cultural festivals (Archipel, Les Concerts du mercredi, FILMAR), cultural venues (Casino Théâtre de Rolle), commercial brands (Poisson Crabe, Urban Gastronomy, Le Montriond), and various other clients. Services are delivered as creative projects rather than packaged software products, with notable capabilities including original typeface development and algorithmic/generative design approaches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Studio Dumbar: Rotterdam-based independent design studio renowned for cultural sector visual identities, motion design and experimental typography, overlapping directly with We Play Design's service mix and client focus.
• Anette Lenz: Paris-based independent design studio focused on visual identity, signage and exhibition design for cultural institutions, with a comparable founder-led creative model.
• Mucca: Milan-based brand design studio with cultural and commercial identity work, comparable in scale, founder-led structure and emphasis on distinctive, award-winning visual systems.
• Norm: Zurich-based Swiss design studio with strong cultural, publishing and institutional clients, offering the closest Swiss geographic peer with a similar boutique multidisciplinary model.
• Bureau Borsche: Munich design studio with deep cultural and institutional client work in visual identity, posters and exhibitions, operating at a similar boutique scale and craft level.
• Base Design: Belgian/Swiss boutique studio specialising in visual identity and brand design for cultural, public, and commercial clients, with strong festival and institutional portfolio highly comparable to We Play Design.
• Studio Philippe Apeloig: Paris studio specialising in typography, visual identity and exhibition design for cultural and institutional clients, sharing We Play Design's emphasis on type design and cultural commissions.
• Studio Output: London independent design studio working across brand identity, motion and digital for cultural and commercial clients, comparable in craft, scale and award recognition.

Broad incumbents

• Landor: Global brand consulting and design firm offering visual identity at enterprise scale. Acts as broad incumbent competitor for larger cultural and commercial branding engagements We Play Design might otherwise pursue.
• Pentagram: Largest independent design partnership with global offices, offering visual identity, branding and motion. Operates as a broad incumbent across many sectors versus We Play Design's cultural niche focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WePlayDesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weplaydesign

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 We Play Design