Smartmaps
Smartmaps is a woman-owned, Knoxville-based graphic design firm that creates system maps, route schedules, signage, and specialty maps for US public transportation agencies. It operates integrated design-to-print production under one roof and serves transit authorities including RTA Chicago and MARTA Atlanta.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersKnoxville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Smartmaps does
Smartmaps is a woman-owned graphic design firm headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee that specializes in passenger information graphics for the US public transportation industry. Operating for over twenty years, the company produces system maps, individual route schedules, signage, specialty maps, and broader marketing and communication design deliverables for transit authorities and metropolitan transit agencies.
The company's core technology is digital publishing applied to transit graphics, with an integrated workflow that places design, digital prepress, printing, and display production under one roof at its Knoxville facility. Designs are built to be repurposed across web graphics, ride guide books, and physical signage, which lowers incremental production cost per deliverable. The firm has produced thousands of maps, schedules, and signage products and counts major US agencies including RTA Chicago, MARTA Atlanta, CAT Raleigh, PRTC Virginia, HRT Hampton Roads, and Omnitrans San Bernardino among its customers.
Smartmaps generates revenue primarily through professional design services and one-time signage and display product sales under multi-year, quote-based contracts. Go-to-market is direct: a website portfolio plus phone and email engagement with transit agency buyers, with no disclosed channel partners or resellers. Pricing is custom and not publicly disclosed, and the company operates as a private, founder- or management-owned business with no external funding rounds, parent company, or institutional investors evidenced in the source material.
Smartmaps firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Smartmaps
- Legal name
- Smartmaps
- Website
- https://smartmaps.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Smartmaps is a woman-owned, Knoxville-based graphic design firm that creates system maps, route schedules, signage, and specialty maps for US public transportation agencies. It operates integrated design-to-print production under one roof and serves transit authorities including RTA Chicago and MARTA Atlanta.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Smartmaps industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Transit Graphic Design Services
- NAICS
- Graphic Design Services (541430)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ)
Keywords
Where Smartmaps is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Knoxville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Smartmaps business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Transit Map and Schedule Design Services: Custom design services for public transportation agencies including system maps, route schedules, and specialty maps. Services include design, digital prepress, printing, and display production.
- Signage and Display Products: Bus stop signage, shelter displays, outdoor signage, trade show displays, posters, banners, backlits, and portable modular display systems
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom design services with integrated production |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Smartmaps product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Smartmaps is a woman-owned graphic design firm that creates system maps, route schedules, web graphics, bus stop signage, and shelter displays for public transportation agencies. The company operates integrated design, digital prepress, printing, and display production capabilities under one roof, providing complete transit graphic solutions from concept through physical production.
Product overview
Smartmaps is a woman-owned graphic design firm offering a portfolio of specialized services for public transportation systems. The core offerings include System Maps (comprehensive route and system overviews), Route Schedules (individual route timetable designs in multiple formats), Signage (bus stop and shelter displays, outdoor signage, trade show materials), Specialty Maps (customized products for special audiences such as transit center displays, downtown insets, and visitor maps), and Design Services (corporate identity, bus exterior graphics, marketing collateral, and advertising materials). All products are created using digital publishing technology with design, prepress, printing, and display production offered under one roof.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- System Maps Comprehensive transit system maps showing all routes and system overviews, designed to explain routes and service in a clear, user-friendly manner. Includes community and neighborhood maps, downtown insets, transit center and hub diagrams, and visitor maps for dense areas with complex routing. Produced for U.S. public transportation agencies.
- Route Schedules Individual route schedule designs featuring a variety of timetable formats and map styles including schematic, geographic, and pictorial maps. Designed with the rider in mind, with easy-to-read typefaces, larger type sizes, graphic presentation by importance, and carefully selected color schemes for maximum readability. Route map and timetable brochures are efficiently repurposed for web graphics, ride guide books, and signage. Built for U.S. public transportation agencies.
- Signage Bus stop and shelter display graphics that provide important information and support to riders, plus outdoor signage, trade show displays, posters, banners, backlits, and a complete line of portable modular display systems. Produced for U.S. public transportation agencies and related organizations.
- Specialty Maps Customized map products targeting transit information to special audiences, including transit center displays, boarding zone maps, hub diagrams, visitor maps, downtown insets, hiking and biking maps, and neighborhood maps. Built for U.S. public transportation agencies.
- Design Services Marketing and communication design services for public transportation systems, including corporate identity, bus exterior graphics, how-to-ride guides, seat notices, newsletters, web graphics, marketing collateral, and advertising material. Graphics are designed to support a comprehensive message and raise brand awareness for U.S. public transportation agencies.
Companies that use Smartmaps
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Smartmaps technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Smartmaps partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Smartmaps competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Jacobs: Global engineering and professional services firm with significant transit practice including passenger information, wayfinding, and station design. Comparable in addressing transit agency design needs but operating at vastly larger scale and as one offering within a multi-sector portfolio.
- WSP: Large professional services firm providing planning, engineering, and design services to transit agencies, including passenger information graphics and wayfinding. Overlaps with Smartmaps in serving US transit clients with design and engineering deliverables, but at significantly greater scale and scope.
- AECOM: Global engineering and design firm with a large transit practice that includes wayfinding, signage, and passenger information design for public transit agencies. Comparable to Smartmaps in serving transit agency customers with design deliverables, but as part of a much broader transportation services portfolio.
- VHB: Engineering, planning, and design firm serving transit and transportation clients across the US East Coast and beyond. Overlaps with Smartmaps in producing transit-related graphics and design deliverables, but as part of a broader infrastructure consulting practice.
- Stantec: Engineering and design consultancy with a transportation practice serving transit authorities. Comparable to Smartmaps in producing transit-related design and wayfinding materials, though as one offering within a diversified infrastructure services portfolio.
Direct peers
- Caliper Corporation: Developer of Maptitude transit mapping and GIS software used by transit agencies to produce route maps and schedules. Directly comparable to Smartmaps as a provider of transit map creation tools and outputs, though Caliper sells software while Smartmaps sells finished design services.
Others
- TomTom: Mapping technology provider with transit map data and APIs. Thematically related to Smartmaps' transit mapping work but competes at the digital map and data platform layer, not in custom designed print and signage deliverables.
- HERE Technologies: Mapping and location platform providing transit data, map tiles, and APIs used in transit-facing applications. Adjacent to Smartmaps in serving the transit mapping ecosystem, but operating at the platform/data layer rather than producing finished printed or branded design assets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Smartmaps social profiles
Digital presenceSmartmaps financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Smartmaps leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Smartmaps funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Smartmaps M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Smartmaps
What does Smartmaps do?
Smartmaps is a woman-owned graphic design firm that creates system maps, route schedules, web graphics, bus stop signage, and shelter displays for public transportation agencies. The company operates integrated design, digital prepress, printing, and display production capabilities under one roof, providing complete transit graphic solutions from concept through physical production.
Is Smartmaps a public or private company?
Smartmaps is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Smartmaps founded?
Smartmaps was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Smartmaps based?
Smartmaps is headquartered in Knoxville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Smartmaps make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Transit Map and Schedule Design Services are the primary driver. The others are signage and Display Products.
Who are Smartmaps's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Jacobs, WSP, AECOM, VHB and Stantec. Caliper Corporation is listed as a direct peer. Others are TomTom and HERE Technologies.
Does Smartmaps have an API?
No public API is recorded for Smartmaps.
What industry is Smartmaps in?
Smartmaps's product category is Transit Graphic Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIANAJ, Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities). Its NAICS code is 541430.