The Felt Hat Inc

What The Felt Hat Inc does

The Felt Hat is a Portland, Oregon-based strategic design office founded in 1994 by Nicole Misiti and Don Rood, operating under a deliberate small-team model of three principals: Nicole Misiti (Principal, Designer), Don Rood (Principal), and Paul Mort (Senior Designer). The firm delivers integrated brand, communication, and environmental design services including brand strategy, identity design, packaging, signage systems, environmental storytelling, and digital media. Client work is project-based and sold through direct, sales-led engagements, targeting best-in-class businesses across multiple verticals such as higher education (Stanford University, Oregon State University), hospitality (W Hotel Seattle), retail (Mario's, lucy activewear, Rejuvenation), museums (OMSI), and architecture firms (SRG Partnership, Rowell Brokaw, Dangermond Keane, Skylab).

The firm's core technical and creative capabilities include custom typeface development (e.g., the Architrave typeface inspired by stone-carved letter forms), narrative-driven environmental design (e.g., multi-story murals at Stanford's Shriram Bioengineering Center contrasting bioengineering and chemical engineering research), and interactive scrim installations that respond to visitor movement via sensors (Turbine Hall at OMSI). Work has been recognized in the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Museum of Design permanent collection, validating craft credibility. The firm holds certifications as a Woman-Owned and Emerging Small Business in Oregon and as a Just Corporation through the International Living Future Institute.

Revenue is generated exclusively through professional services fees on commissioned projects; no pricing is publicly disclosed, and no productized software or standardized offerings exist. The business is privately held with no outside funding, no parent entity, and no subsidiaries, and ownership rests with the founding partners. The firm operates from three Oregon locations (Portland, Parkdale, Hood River area), serving primarily a Pacific Northwest market.

Name

The Felt Hat Inc

Legal name

The Felt Hat, Inc.

Website

https://felthat.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Felt Hat is a Portland-based strategic design office providing brand, communication, packaging, signage, and environmental design services to best-in-class businesses, universities, museums, and retailers across the Pacific Northwest since 1994, led by three principal designers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Design Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Packaging & Brand Identity Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD), Event Strategy & Experience Design (BPAFAGAA)

Keywords

• Strategic design services
• Brand identity design
• Environmental storytelling
• Signage and wayfinding
• Packaging design

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Design Services: Professional design services including brand strategy, identity design, packaging, signage systems, environmental storytelling, and digital media for a broad range of industries. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Felt Hat is a strategic design office that delivers brand strategy, identity design, packaging, signage systems, environmental storytelling, and digital media for best-in-class businesses across a broad range of industries. Engagements are commissioned directly with clients and executed by a small team of senior principals who combine research, business acumen, and creative intuition in every project.

Product overview

The Felt Hat is a strategic design office offering a unified portfolio of design services rather than a modular software product. Their offering spans brand design, digital/web design, signage, packaging, environmental/physical design, and storytelling. Services are delivered as integrated commissions to clients across industries including higher education (Stanford, Oregon State), hospitality (W Hotel, Marriott), retail (Mario's, lucy), galleries (Elizabeth Leach Gallery), architecture firms, nonprofits, and cultural institutions. There are no discrete software products or modules — all work is custom design consultancy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Design Services End-to-end strategic design consulting encompassing brand strategy, identity design, digital design, signage systems, packaging design, environmental storytelling, and creative direction for clients across higher education, hospitality, retail, galleries, architecture, nonprofits, breweries, and consumer goods.

Quantifiable outcome

• lucy activewear: $1.2M monthly revenue, sold to VF Corp for $110M
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dangermond Keane ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on OMSI Turbine Hall redesign project, where Dangermond Keane Architecture served as the architectural partner and The Felt Hat led design thinking and experiential design. Also worked together on Columbia Building for Portland Bureau of Environmental Services.
• Skylab ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on multiple projects including W Hotel Seattle ground floor renovation (creating brand narrative and lenticular mural) and Columbia Building project. Both firms understand integrated design processes and respond directly to specific contexts.
• 2inkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with 2ink and Skylab Architecture on Columbia Building project for Portland Bureau of Environmental Services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MetaDesign: International brand and digital design agency with deep identity and corporate design heritage. Comparable in providing comprehensive brand systems spanning print, digital, and environmental applications.
• Lippincott: Brand strategy and design consultancy focused on corporate identity, naming, and integrated brand systems for large enterprises. Comparable in providing strategic, research-driven brand design for established clients across industries.
• Studio Dumbar: Independent Dutch design studio renowned for identity design and cultural institution work. Comparable for senior-led brand identity and visual systems for cultural and institutional clients.
• Siegel+Gale: Global brand strategy, design, and experience firm emphasizing simplicity and brand-led transformation. Comparable as a strategic design consultancy with measurable business outcomes orientation.
• Mucho: Independent strategic design studio specializing in brand identity, packaging, and wayfinding with a similar small-team, partner-involved model. Comparable for integrated brand and environmental design work.
• Turner Duckworth: Boutique branding and packaging design studio known for award-winning work with consumer brands. Directly comparable for packaging design, brand identity, and creative direction on consumer-facing work.
• Manual (Creative): Strategic creative agency focused on brand identity, naming, and packaging for consumer brands. Comparable in offering integrated brand and packaging work with an emphasis on strategic positioning.
• Pentagram: Independent multi-disciplinary design firm with a partnership model of senior designers, working across brand identity, environmental design, and digital media for major cultural and institutional clients. Directly comparable in offering a boutique, partner-led alternative to traditional agencies.
• Character (NYC/SF): Independent brand design and strategy studio with offices in NYC and SF, working on identity systems and digital experiences for tech and consumer clients. Comparable as a senior-led independent brand design practice.

Broad incumbents

• Landor & Fitch: Global brand consulting and design firm offering brand strategy, identity, and experience design at enterprise scale. Comparable in core brand identity capability but operates as a much larger incumbent with broader service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/felthat

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 The Felt Hat Inc