Register
Register is a San Francisco-based brand strategy, design, and marketing activation consultancy serving enterprise, mid-market, startup, and nonprofit clients. It delivers bespoke engagements via its proprietary "Registering By Design™" methodology, executed by distributed senior talent with experience at top global agencies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Register does
Register is a San Francisco-based brand strategy, design, and marketing activation consultancy founded in 2017 by Lucy Farey-Jones and Christoph von Ruexleben, both formerly of Venables Bell + Partners. The firm serves enterprise (Lyft, Autodesk, Goodman), mid-market (Evernow, Shift, Spacemaker, Brilliant Home Technologies), startup (NationBuilder), and nonprofit (The Nature Conservancy, Engine No. 1) clients through bespoke engagements that span purpose/vision/values development, brand architecture, identity and design systems, naming, go-to-market strategy, and integrated creative campaigns. Service delivery is rooted in a proprietary four-act methodology, "Registering By Design™" (Business Inventory, Cultural Relevance, Deliberate Design, Intentional Introduction), which the firm employs as its core operating framework.
The firm's principal proprietary intellectual asset beyond the methodology is the AI Dis/comfort Index, a primary consumer research instrument first fielded in 2019 (n=1,200 across 26 AI/robotics use cases) and re-run in 2022 (n=1,560 across 31 use cases), debuting at TED 2019. Register does not develop software, SaaS, APIs, or AI products; all revenue is generated through custom professional services engagements, with no disclosed recurring subscription, license, or platform component.
The business is founder-led and operates a distributed, senior-only talent model: every project is staffed directly by senior strategists and creatives whose backgrounds include IDEO, Wieden + Kennedy, Crispin Porter Bogusky, Venables Bell + Partners, Arnold Worldwide, Siegel + Gale, Mother, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, and Prophet, with clients engaging those principals without junior intermediaries. The firm is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or external investment. Lucy Farey-Jones leads as Founder and Chief Strategy Officer; Christoph von Ruexleben leads as Partner and Managing Director.
Register firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Register
- Legal name
- Register, LLC
- Website
- https://registerbydesign.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Register is a San Francisco-based brand strategy, design, and marketing activation consultancy serving enterprise, mid-market, startup, and nonprofit clients. It delivers bespoke engagements via its proprietary "Registering By Design™" methodology, executed by distributed senior talent with experience at top global agencies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Register is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Register business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Professional Services — Brand Strategy and Design Consulting: Register generates revenue through bespoke consulting engagements, delivering brand strategy, design, and activation services to enterprise and mid-market clients. Each engagement is custom, likely sold as project-based or retainer contracts. No subscription, software, or usage-based revenue streams are disclosed. The company is described as a consultancy, not a SaaS or product business.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Bespoke engagement — no tiered pricing publicly listed |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Register product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Register is a San Francisco-based brand strategy, design, and marketing activation consultancy that delivers bespoke engagements for enterprise and mid-market clients through its proprietary "Registering By Design™" four-act methodology (Business Inventory, Cultural Relevance, Deliberate Design, Intentional Introduction). The firm offers three integrated service pillars—Strategy, Design, and Activation—covering purpose/vision/values development, brand architecture, brand identity design, UX/UI, environmental design, go-to-market strategy, creative campaigns, and naming. Each engagement is staffed by a custom team of distributed senior talent drawn from top global agencies.
Product overview
Register is a branding and strategy consultancy—not a software product company—offering strategy, design, and activation services through its proprietary "Registering By Design™" methodology. The core offering is strategy services (Purpose/Vision/Values, Brand Architecture, Culture Change, Product Strategy, Innovation Strategy), layered with bespoke design services (Brand Identity, Environmental Design, UX/UI Design, Organizational Design, Packaging) and activation services (Marketing Strategy, Go-to-Market, Channel Strategy, Creative Execution, Naming). Projects are delivered by custom teams of distributed senior talent with experience at top global agencies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Strategy Services Strategic consulting encompassing Purpose, Vision, and Values; Culture Change; Product Strategy; Innovation Strategy; and Brand Architecture to define clear brand objectives and future potential for enterprise and mid-market clients.
- Design Services Bespoke design execution including Brand (Logo & Full Systems) Identity, Environmental Design, UX/UI Design, Organizational Design, and Packaging & Merchandise Design.
- Activation Services Go-to-market and creative activation services including Marketing Strategy, Go-to-Market Strategy, Channel and Target Strategy, Creative Concepting & Execution, and Naming.
- Registering By Design™ Methodology Proprietary four-act process structuring all client engagements: Business Inventory (understanding company history and defining future potential and brand strategy), Cultural Relevance (identifying where company culture, customer needs, and unique POV overlap), Deliberate Design (bespoke creative outputs designed to stand out in category), and Intentional Introduction (equipping clients with tools for internal/external roll-out, GTM planning, and 360° creative campaigns).
- AI Dis/comfort Index Research
Quantifiable outcome
- Autodesk: 12 different engagements across multiple important divisions
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Register
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Register technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Register partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Register competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Anomaly: Strategy + creative hybrid known for blending business strategy with brand-building — closely parallels Register's 'ambidextrous thinking' positioning and enterprise challenger brand focus.
- IDEO: Design and innovation consultancy delivering brand, product, and experience strategy — named in Register's alumni network and a comparable premium human-centered design firm.
- Landor & Fitch: Global brand strategy and design consultancy offering brand identity, architecture, and experience design for enterprise clients — directly comparable to Register's strategy + design + activation stack.
- Lippincott: Brand strategy and design firm known for purpose, identity, and brand architecture work for Fortune 500 clients — operates in the same premium, senior-led strategic branding niche as Register.
- FutureBrand: Global brand consultancy delivering brand strategy, identity, and experience design across consumer and corporate categories — directly overlapping with Register's service portfolio.
- Prophet: Growth and brand transformation consultancy with strategy, brand, and experience capabilities — directly overlaps with Register's purpose-led transformation segment and is named in Register's talent alumni pool.
- Venables Bell + Partners: Independent brand-led creative agency where Register's founders previously led — operates a similar strategy-first, creativity-driven model targeting enterprise challenger brand work.
- Siegel+Gale: Brand strategy, naming, and design consultancy with a 'simplicity' philosophy — explicitly named as part of Register's talent alumni network and a directly comparable services offering.
- Pentagram: Partner-led, project-based design firm working on identity, brand systems, and creative campaigns — operates a similar distributed-senior model without junior intermediaries.
- Interbrand: Pioneer brand consultancy providing brand strategy, naming, identity, and valuation services to global enterprises — same buyer, same deliverables, same senior-led engagement model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Register social profiles
Digital presenceRegister financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Register leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Register funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Register 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 Register
What does Register do?
Register is a San Francisco-based brand strategy, design, and marketing activation consultancy that delivers bespoke engagements for enterprise and mid-market clients through its proprietary "Registering By Design™" four-act methodology (Business Inventory, Cultural Relevance, Deliberate Design, Intentional Introduction). The firm offers three integrated service pillars—Strategy, Design, and Activation—covering purpose/vision/values development, brand architecture, brand identity design, UX/UI, environmental design, go-to-market strategy, creative campaigns, and naming. Each engagement is staffed by a custom team of distributed senior talent drawn from top global agencies.
Is Register a public or private company?
Register is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Register founded?
Register was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Register based?
Register is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Register make money?
One revenue line is on record: professional Services — Brand Strategy and Design Consulting.
Who are Register's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Anomaly, IDEO, Landor & Fitch, Lippincott, FutureBrand, Prophet, Venables Bell + Partners, Siegel+Gale, Pentagram and Interbrand.
Does Register have an API?
No public API is recorded for Register.