Rubber Design Studio

What Rubber Design Studio does

Rubber Design, Inc., operating as Rubber Design Studio, is a privately held San Francisco-based boutique creative firm specializing in brand identity, packaging, environmental/signage design, and marketing collateral for food and hospitality businesses. Founded and led by principals Jacquie Van Keuren and Will Yarbrough, who serve as Creative Directors, the studio operates from a single office at 2415 Third Street in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood and is funded entirely by its founders with no disclosed external investment, subsidiaries, or parent company.

The studio's core offering spans five interlocking service lines: branding and identity (strategy, naming, visual systems), packaging design (food labels, retail packaging), signage and environmental design (wayfinding, in-store graphics), advertising and marketing collateral (menus, POS, campaign creative), and events/experiential design. Its technology stack is conventional creative tooling — there is no proprietary platform, API, or software product, and no AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. Client engagements are project-based, custom-quoted per scope, and reportedly structured as multi-year contracts for ongoing brand stewardship, with the Whole Foods Market Northern California/Nevada Prepared Foods rebrand (40+ locations) representing the largest disclosed engagement to date.

Go-to-market is sales-led and referral-driven, supported by an Instagram and LinkedIn presence plus an extensive website portfolio. The customer base is fragmented across enterprise (Whole Foods Market, Bacchus Management Group), mid-market chains (Yalla Mediterranean, Gus's Community Market, Santa Barbara Public Market), and a long tail of independent restaurants, grocers, and startup food concepts primarily across the Western United States (Bay Area, Marin, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Orange County, Nevada). The studio has accumulated industry recognition including 2016 Print Regional Design Annual, How International Design Awards, and Communication Arts Awards, primarily anchored to the Whole Foods and Bacchus Management Group work.

Name

Rubber Design Studio

Legal name

Rubber Design, Inc.

Website

https://rubberdesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rubber Design Studio is a privately held San Francisco-based boutique creative firm that provides brand identity, packaging, environmental signage, and marketing collateral design exclusively for food, beverage, and hospitality clients across the Western United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Industrial Design Services (541420), Interior Design Services (54141)

akta.pro primary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Brand identity design
• Food hospitality branding
• Packaging design services
• Restaurant brand strategy
• Environmental signage design

Headquarters

HQ city

South San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North 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 Services: Project-based branding and design engagements for food and hospitality clients including brand identity, packaging, environmental design, signage programs, marketing collateral, and advertising campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Rubber Design Studio is a San Francisco-based creative firm that develops brand identities, packaging systems, signage and wayfinding programs, and advertising/marketing collateral for food and hospitality brands. The studio delivers end-to-end brand development services — from naming and positioning through visual identity, packaging, environmental graphics, and ongoing marketing stewardship — for restaurants, grocers, food halls, and food retail clients.

Product overview

Rubber Design Studio is a San Francisco-based design firm specializing in branding, packaging, signage, and marketing collateral for food and hospitality businesses. Their core offering encompasses brand identity development, packaging design, environmental signage systems, and advertising/marketing collateral. The studio works with restaurants, markets, food brands, and hospitality clients, creating comprehensive brand experiences from concept through execution across multiple touchpoints.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding & Identity Brand strategy, visual identity systems, naming, and brand positioning services for food and hospitality businesses.
• Packaging Design Food packaging and label design for consumer products, restaurants, and markets.
• Signage & Environmental Design Store signage programs, wayfinding systems, and environmental graphics for retail and restaurant spaces.
• Advertising & Marketing Collateral Print advertising, promotional materials, menus, point-of-sale materials, and campaign creative for food and hospitality clients.
• Events & Experience Design Event marketing, pop-up design, and experiential brand activations for markets and restaurants.

Named customers16 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Interbrand: Global brand consultancy operating across CPG, hospitality, and restaurant categories. Comparable in offering brand identity and packaging design but at enterprise scale with strategic consulting depth.
• Bulletproof: Global brand experience agency with significant food, beverage, and hospitality client roster. Competes for restaurant and CPG branding work as a broader multi-service creative agency.
• Pentagram: Global independent design consultancy with multiple partners working across food, hospitality, and consumer brand identity. Overlaps with Rubber Design on F&B clients but operates at much greater scale and portfolio breadth.
• Landor & Fitch: Global branding and design consultancy with extensive food, beverage, and hospitality portfolio including restaurant chains and food retailers. Competes for restaurant and food retail branding work at enterprise scale with broader strategic capabilities.

Direct peers

• Sennep: London design studio with strong portfolio in food, restaurant, and consumer brand identity. Comparable in boutique scale and craft-driven approach to branding engagements for F&B clients.
• Pearlfisher: London-based design agency specializing in brand and packaging design for food, beverage, and beauty categories. Comparable boutique scale and packaging-driven expertise for food and hospitality brands.
• Anagrama: Mexico City-based brand identity agency with significant food, beverage, and hospitality client work. Comparable in offering full-stack branding, packaging, and environmental design capabilities for restaurant and lifestyle brands.
• ThoughtMatter: NYC-based brand and design agency with focus on food and consumer brands. Comparable boutique scale and category focus with deep F&B packaging and identity expertise.
• Coley Porter Bell: UK-based brand and design agency with deep specialization in food, drink, and household brands. Comparable in vertical focus and craft-driven boutique approach to packaging and identity work for F&B clients.
• Character: US-based creative and design agency with work spanning brand identity, packaging, and environmental design for food and lifestyle clients. Similar boutique profile and multidisciplinary design capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rubber-design-studio
• Instagraminstagram.com/rubberdesign

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 Rubber Design Studio