MONKEYS VS ROBOTS LTD

What MONKEYS VS ROBOTS LTD does

Monkeys vs Robots Ltd is a London-based, privately held multi-disciplinary creative studio founded in 2015, operating as the professional alias of Creative Director and Designer Derren Toussaint. The studio delivers four interlocking service pillars: Direction (creative leadership, project management, and strategic thinking), Design (multi-disciplinary product design for creative and entertainment industries), Illustration (editorial commissions, album and book covers, game concept art, and subject work across sports, fashion, food and drink, music, and tech, rendered with a distinctive Caribbean-inspired color palette), and Studio Collective (collaborative delivery on Digital, UX/UI, Retail Design, and Branding projects). The firm is not a software or platform business; revenue is generated through project-based creative services engagements rather than licensed product or subscription.

The client base is a horizontal mix of enterprise, government, and education buyers across publishing, media and broadcast, healthcare, sports, and aviation. Named logos include Harper Collins, the World Health Organisation, Oxford University, Canal+, Conde Nast, FA.com, First Story, American University, York University, and Emirates. Distribution is direct, with no agency or channel layer, and pricing is project-based with no publicly disclosed rate card. The studio is founder-owned and operated with no disclosed external investors, subsidiaries, or parent entities, and operates globally in client reach though physically anchored in London.

Name

MONKEYS VS ROBOTS LTD

Legal name

MONKEYS VS ROBOTS LTD

Website

https://MonkeysvsRobots.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

London-based multi-disciplinary creative studio founded in 2015 by Derren Toussaint, delivering illustration, design, direction, and digital/UX/UI services to enterprise, government, and education clients across publishing, media, healthcare, sports, and aviation on a project-based basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Character & Creature Animation (MPADACAE)

Keywords

• Graphic design services
• Illustration services
• Creative direction
• Brand identity design
• Editorial illustration

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

MONKEYS VS ROBOTS LTD is a London-based multi-disciplinary creative design studio providing direction, design, and illustration services to publishers, broadcasters, universities, and consumer brands. The studio works on editorial illustration, book and cover design, brand identity, advertising art direction, and film/motion direction, supplemented by a wider Studio collective of collaborators for larger commissions. It is a founder-led, project-based creative practice rather than a software, platform, or product business.

Product overview

MONKEYS VS ROBOTS LTD is a multi-disciplined, hybrid design studio that operates as the alias of Creative Director & Designer Derren Toussaint. The studio provides illustrative design solutions through four interconnected service offerings: Direction Services (providing design leadership, project management, and strategic thinking), Design Services (multi-disciplinary product design for creative and entertainment industries), Illustration Services (editorial commissions, album/book covers, game concept art, and various subject matters with Caribbean-inspired colors), and Studio Collective Services (collaborative services for Digital, UX/UI, Retail Design, and Branding projects). Rather than a software product platform, the company delivers creative services through these four integrated offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Direction Services Creative direction services for advertising campaigns and film/motion projects, providing artistic oversight and visual leadership for client productions, aimed at brands, publishers, and broadcasters.
• Design Services Graphic and brand design services including book and cover design, brand identity development, and related design commissions for publishers, universities, and consumer brands.
• Illustration Services Editorial and commissioned illustration work applied to books, covers, publications, campaigns, and broadcast properties, delivered for publishers, media organisations, universities, and consumer brands.
• Studio Collective A curated collective of collaborators that supplements the founder on larger commissions, enabling the studio to scale capacity for multi-deliverable projects while retaining Creative Director oversight.

Named customers10 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

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• NB Studio: NB Studio is a London independent brand and design studio working with publishers, cultural institutions, and corporate clients. Comparable because it pursues similar editorial, publishing, and cultural-sector briefs with a boutique multi-disciplinary team.
• Ragged Edge: Ragged Edge is an independent London brand design studio producing identity, packaging, and digital work for challenger and established brands. Comparable because it operates the same small-studio model pursuing enterprise brand and editorial design briefs that require a distinctive creative viewpoint.
• Studio Output: Studio Output is a London-based independent design and branding studio serving publishers, broadcasters, and cultural brands. Comparable because it operates the same boutique, founder-led model targeting publishing, media, and education clients with multi-disciplinary design and illustration capabilities.
• Koto Studio: Koto is a London-headquartered brand and design studio working on identity, digital, and creative direction for global brands. Comparable because it shares the same boutique studio model targeting enterprise brand clients across diverse sectors, with a similar emphasis on creative direction plus execution.
• dn&co: dn&co is a London independent design studio specialising in brand identity, editorial design, and digital for cultural and corporate clients. Comparable because it serves the same mix of publishing, education, and brand clients with a small-team, founder-led creative model.
• Sagmeister Inc: Sagmeister Inc is an internationally recognised, founder-led design and art direction studio operating with a small core team. Comparable because it operates the same boutique, principal-led model where the founder's personal aesthetic is the brand, serving publishing, cultural, and brand clients.
• Wilderness Studio: Wilderness is a London-based independent creative studio offering brand strategy, design, illustration, and digital production. Comparable because it targets the same publishing, media, and brand client set with a similar multi-disciplinary, founder-led service stack.

Emerging players

• Hato Press: Hato Press is a London-based independent publisher and design practice producing illustration-led editorial, book, and print projects. Comparable because it sits at the intersection of illustration, editorial design, and publishing — overlapping with Monkeys vs Robots' editorial and book-cover illustration work.

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: Pentagram is a long-established multi-disciplinary design partnership with a London office offering branding, illustration, editorial design, and digital work. Comparable because it competes for the same marquee publishing, media, and brand clients (e.g., Harper Collins-adjacent publishers) for high-end illustration and design commissions, but at a much larger scale with multiple partners rather than a solo founder.
• Mother Design: Mother Design is the design and branding arm of the Mother creative network, with a London presence. Comparable because it competes for the same enterprise brand, publishing, and entertainment briefs for high-end illustration and design, but with significantly more scale and broader capabilities than a solo studio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/monkeys-vs-robots-ltd

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 MONKEYS VS ROBOTS LTD