What MATBLACK STUDIO LIMITED does

Matblack Studio Limited is a Nottingham-based, privately held creative agency founded in 2018 and operated as an "agency of one" by founder Mathew Pemberton. The studio delivers brand identity, graphic design, web design, packaging direction, and multidisciplinary creative services to UK-based small and medium-sized businesses. Publicly documented engagements span seven sectors, including financial advice (Lifestage), private healthcare (Sloane Square Medical), renewable energy (Solvexa Green Energy), luxury jewellery (Pafeny Fine Jewellery), fitness (Zaca Fit), events (Binks Depot), and wellness (The Shala), indicating deliberate vertical diversification within an otherwise horizontal SME target segment.

The studio's core deliverables are full visual identity systems comprising logos, colour palettes, brand direction, packaging systems, and websites built in Wix Studio, with image treatment handled in Adobe Photoshop. Notable technical work includes a custom banknote-engraving-inspired five-stage life icon for Lifestage, a hand-drawn nature-inspired icon for The Shala, and bespoke Photoshop droplet effects for Pafeny Fine Jewellery. No proprietary platform, API, or software product is offered; the studio operates as a service-only consultancy with no disclosed automation, integrations, or technology assets beyond standard creative tools.

Commercially, the studio uses a project-based professional services model with quote-based pricing structured around four public budget tiers (under £1,000, £1,000-£2,500, £2,500-£5,000, £5,000+) and multi-year client relationships. The go-to-market is direct: prospective clients submit a contact form on matblack.studio specifying problem type and budget. Marketing runs primarily through organic social channels (Instagram, LinkedIn) and a portfolio website featuring detailed case studies plus a curated "Spotted" inspiration section. The business is wholly founder-owned with no external institutional investment, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no recorded M&A, partnerships, or funding activity.

Name

MATBLACK STUDIO LIMITED

Legal name

MATBLACK STUDIO LIMITED

Website

https://matblack.studio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Matblack Studio Limited is a Nottingham-based solo creative agency, founded in 2018 by Mathew Pemberton, delivering brand identity, graphic design, web design, and packaging services to UK small and medium-sized businesses across healthcare, financial services, fitness, wellness, energy, and luxury retail sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Design Services: Project-based professional services revenue model. The studio creates full visual identities including logos, colour palettes, brand direction, packaging, and website design for clients across various industries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Matblack Studio is a solo creative design agency that delivers end-to-end brand and visual identity services to small and medium-sized businesses. Offerings include logo and identity design, colour palette development, brand direction and strategy, packaging design, website design and development, and image treatment/photography styling. Projects are delivered directly by the founder as bespoke, client-specific engagements.

Product overview

Matblack Studio operates as a single-person creative agency providing brand, design, and production services across diverse industries. The company delivers bespoke visual identity projects for clients including financial services (Lifestage), healthcare (Sloane Square Medical), jewellery (Pafeny Fine Jewellery), fitness (Zaca Fit), wellness (The Shala), renewable energy (Solvexa Green Energy), and hospitality/events (Binks Depot). Services include logo and identity design, branding, packaging direction, and website design. The portfolio demonstrates expertise in creating comprehensive visual identities from the ground up or through rebranding existing businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding & Design Services

Named customers7 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

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• North Design: UK-based brand and design consultancy working in identity, packaging, and digital. Comparable in offering full visual identity projects for SME and mid-market clients across diverse sectors.
• Here Design: London-based cross-disciplinary design studio working across branding, packaging, and digital. Comparable in scope (visual identity plus packaging plus web) and clientele across lifestyle, food, and culture sectors.
• Studio Output: UK digital and brand design studio producing identity systems, websites, and motion. Comparable in offering integrated visual identity plus digital/web design for a mix of SME and mid-market clients.
• Manual: Independent UK design studio offering branding, packaging, and digital design. Comparable boutique-studio feel with a similar diversified client base across consumer and lifestyle brands.
• Ragged Edge: London-based branding agency specializing in visual identity, brand strategy, and naming. Comparable in scale, sector breadth, and the full identity-build offering that Matblack delivers.
• Koto: London-based branding and visual identity studio working with consumer brands across industries. Directly comparable in brand identity, naming, and strategy work, with a similar boutique-agency positioning and cross-sector client book.
• Carter Wong Design: UK-based branding and graphic design agency with a long-standing portfolio of identity, print, and digital work. Comparable boutique-to-mid-scale agency offering overlapping services to similar client types.
• Spin (Studio Spin): London-based brand design and digital agency serving arts, culture, and consumer brands. Comparable in offering integrated visual identity plus digital experience work, with a similar boutique-agency positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: One of the world's largest independent branding and design firms, with a multi-partner model. Highly comparable in offering visual identity, branding, and packaging to a wide range of clients, though operating at vastly greater scale and geographic reach than Matblack.
• Mother Design: Creative network's design arm producing brand identity, packaging, and digital design for global brands. Larger and broader portfolio, but directly comparable in the visual identity and packaging services Matblack offers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/matblack
• Instagraminstagram.com/matblackstudio

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 MATBLACK STUDIO LIMITED