What Studio Tomo does

Studio Tomo is a Brooklyn-based brand strategy and design consultancy founded in 2015 that provides branding, communications, marketing, and web design services exclusively to mission-driven organizations. The studio's core service offering spans brand strategy, visual identity, copywriting, website design and development, animation, brand architecture, and campaign planning and execution. It is led by Founder and Managing Director James Wu and operates with a headcount in the 1-10 range, functioning as a boutique professional services firm rather than a scaled agency.

The studio's business model is project-based professional services. Engagements are scoped to client needs and pricing is not publicly disclosed, but visible marquee work with organizations including National Geographic, Duolingo, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the New York Community Trust, the Equality Fund, and Village of Wisdom suggests individual project fees in the low-to-mid six figures. Studio Tomo does not develop or resell proprietary software, platforms, or technology products; its product is human-led strategic and creative output delivered through a curated partner model. Rather than employing a large in-house production team, Wu assembles multidisciplinary teams per engagement by teaming with specialist agencies including Johnson Banks, Hyperakt, Gretel, Briteweb, NewWorld (formerly A-B Partners), and Publiq Group, who handle visual identity, web development, copywriting, motion, and PR while Studio Tomo leads strategy and curation.

Go-to-market is portfolio- and referral-driven, anchored to Wu's reputation and his embedded relationships with the partner agency ecosystem. Client acquisition comes from the studio's case-study website, referrals from agency partners, and word-of-mouth within the nonprofit, foundation, and social-impact sectors. The customer base is heavily weighted toward nonprofit organizations, community foundations, and philanthropic entities, with selective corporate engagements (National Geographic, Duolingo, The Crossland Group) where the brand has a mission-driven or social-impact orientation. No venture funding, institutional investment, or acquisition activity is disclosed.

Name

Studio Tomo

Legal name

Studio Tomo

Website

https://studiotomo.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Studio Tomo is a Brooklyn-based boutique brand strategy and design consultancy that delivers branding, communications, and web design services to nonprofit organizations, foundations, and mission-driven companies. It is led by Founder James Wu, who assembles multidisciplinary creative teams per project rather than maintaining a large in-house staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Strategy and Design Consulting

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Content Production (Video, Design, Copy, Studio) (BPAFAAAF)

Keywords

• Brand strategy consulting
• Visual identity design
• Nonprofit branding services
• Website design development
• Mission-driven marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Brand Strategy Consulting Services: Studio Tomo provides brand strategy, messaging, and positioning consulting services to nonprofit organizations, foundations, social enterprises, and purpose-driven companies. Engagement types include brand strategy, messaging development, brand architecture, and verbal branding. The studio also curates and leads multidisciplinary creative teams for complex brand projects.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Studio Tomo is a brand strategy and design consultancy that helps mission-driven organizations articulate their purpose and build cohesive brand identities. The studio delivers brand strategy, messaging and positioning, visual identity, copywriting, website design and development, animation, and brand launch campaign planning. It often curates multidisciplinary creative teams tailored to each project's needs, frequently partnering with specialized design and digital agencies to execute complex rebranding engagements for nonprofits, foundations, and purpose-led companies.

Product overview

Studio Tomo is a branding agency that offers professional services including brand strategy, visual identity design, copywriting, website design and development, animation, and campaign planning and execution. The company works primarily with mission-driven organizations committed to social impact, equity, and justice. Their service offerings are delivered through collaborative engagements where they partner with clients to develop comprehensive brand identities, positioning, messaging systems, and digital experiences. Studio Tomo often collaborates with other agencies such as Johnson Banks, Hyperakt, Gretel, and Briteweb on client projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Strategy

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of small business owners served by Start Small Think Big were women and people of color
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• A-B Partners (now NewWorld)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021During his tenure at A-B Partners (now NewWorld), Studio Tomo Founder James Wu served as Partner and Head of Strategy. During this time, A-B Partners was hired by Equality Fund to rebrand the foundation. James Huff-Hannon and Jenny Ryder were also part of the team alongside A-B Partners' visual identity work.
• BritewebcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Briteweb is a branding and digital agency that engaged Studio Tomo's James Wu to lead brand strategy for Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' website redesign project. The engagement involved rethinking and redefining the organization's positioning, personality, and key messaging.
• Johnson BankscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohnson Banks is a London-based design agency that has collaborated with Studio Tomo on multiple high-profile brand projects including Acumen, Duolingo, and Start Small Think Big. Studio Tomo's James Wu provides brand strategy while Johnson Banks handles visual identity, copywriting, and animation. The partnership represents a recurring working relationship where Studio Tomo brings strategic expertise and Johnson Banks provides design execution.
• HyperaktcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHyperakt is a Brooklyn-based design studio that has partnered with Studio Tomo on multiple projects including the New York Community Trust, ColorPop Books (for DonorsChoose), and the original DonorsChoose rebrand. James Wu led strategy for these engagements while Hyperakt provided visual identity and brand architecture.
• GretelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGretel is a design studio that hired Studio Tomo's James Wu to lead brand strategy and architecture for National Geographic. James Wu served as lead strategist during the rebrand, working to unify the iconic brand's sub-brands under a 'One Purpose. One Brand' ethos.
• Publiq GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPubliq Group is a branding and digital agency that engaged Studio Tomo's James Wu to lead brand strategy for Live Baby Live. Mike Preston provided visual identity and creative direction while Leigh Silver handled marketing strategy and Jeremy Pippenger served as copywriter.
• Bureau for GoodminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBureau for Good, through its founder Maria De La Guardia, provided website design services for Imagine H2O as part of Studio Tomo's engagement. Good Chee handled website development for the same project.
• DomminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDom provided visual identity and website design services for The Crossland Group's 2016 rebrand as part of the Studio Tomo-led engagement. The team also included Diamond + Branch for content strategy and Big Wheel Brigade for website development.
• The Good PixelminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Good Pixel (Tully Murray) provided website development services for the Village of Wisdom project. Studio Tomo curated this partner as part of a multidisciplinary team that also included Future is Color (visual identity), KidEthnic/TR Laww Media (video), and others.

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Big Duck: Branding and communications agency focused exclusively on nonprofit and social-impact organizations. Directly comparable to Studio Tomo in target customer, mission-driven positioning, and core brand strategy and visual identity services.
• Gretel: Branding and design studio that engaged Studio Tomo's James Wu to lead brand strategy for National Geographic. Comparable as a mid-sized branding studio that subcontracts or partners on strategy-led engagements.
• Briteweb: Branding and digital agency serving nonprofits and foundations. A recurring Studio Tomo partner (Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors) and a direct competitor for nonprofit brand strategy engagements.
• Hyperakt: Brooklyn-based design studio specializing in branding for mission-driven organizations. It is a recurring Studio Tomo partner on projects like New York Community Trust and DonorsChoose, and competes for the same nonprofit/foundation client base with overlapping visual identity capabilities.
• Johnson Banks: London-based design agency with strong social-impact credentials (Acumen, Duolingo, Columbia Global, Start Small Think Big). A strategic-tier Studio Tomo partner and a directly comparable branding studio for mission-driven clients.
• NewWorld (formerly A-B Partners): Brand strategy and identity consultancy focused on social-impact and nonprofit organizations. Founder James Wu previously served as Partner and Head of Strategy there, and it is a recurring Studio Tomo partner (Equality Fund, Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund).
• Franke + Co: Independent brand strategy consultancy serving nonprofits, foundations, and purpose-driven organizations. Closely comparable in positioning, service mix, and target client segment to Studio Tomo.
• Publiq Group: Branding and digital agency with a mission-driven focus. Recurring Studio Tomo partner (Live Baby Live) and direct competitor for nonprofit brand strategy projects.

Broad incumbents

• Purpose: Larger strategic consultancy and creative agency purpose-built for social impact, with brand strategy, campaigns, and movement-building capabilities. Comparable in mission-driven focus but with substantially greater scale and a broader service portfolio than Studio Tomo.
• Pentagram: Large, multi-disciplinary independent design firm offering brand strategy and visual identity. Comparable as a brand consultancy but operates at vastly greater scale and serves primarily commercial enterprise clients rather than the nonprofit niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Studio Tomo