What Estrela Digital Studio does

Estrela Digital Studio, trading as Estrela Studio (Pty) Ltd, is a privately held design agency incorporated in South Africa in 2021 and headquartered in Cape Town at 21 Roodehek Street, Gardens. The firm operates as a female-led boutique studio with seven core members, including a Digital Director, Creative Director, Studio Manager, three Product Designers, and a Chief of Happiness, and positions itself with roots in both Vienna and Cape Town while serving clients globally.

The studio's core offering is professional design services — spanning Product Strategy and Design, UX Design, UI Design, Design Systems, Branding Design, Motion Design, and App/Website Design — delivered as bespoke creative engagements rather than software or SaaS products. There is no proprietary platform or technology stack disclosed beyond industry-standard design tooling and third-party services (Prismic for CMS, Mailchimp for email, Google Analytics for traffic), with implementation typically handed off to a network of trusted development partners. Service delivery follows a structured discovery, UX, and UI phase model, with timelines of roughly 6–8 weeks for branding and 8–12 weeks for digital products.

Estrela generates revenue through project-based pricing and ongoing retainers billed at flat hourly rates, with estimates provided upfront and scope changes flagged early. Its go-to-market is direct-to-client via website inquiry, phone, and email, supplemented by presence on Awwwards, Behance, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. The customer base is anchored in South African fintech (PayJustNow, Payfast, FinChoice) and extends into US-based engagements (HelpGuide.org, LCFO, Growth Experts, Sims Lifecycle Service) and adjacent verticals including packaging, hospitality, nonprofit, and edtech. The company is bootstrapped, with no disclosed funding rounds, institutional investors, or parent entities.

Name

Estrela Digital Studio

Legal name

Estrela Studio (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://estrela.studio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Estrela Digital Studio is a female-led, Cape Town-based boutique design agency offering branding, UX/UI, design systems, and motion services to fintech, e-commerce, and select US-based enterprise clients on a project and retainer basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Project-based design services: Bespoke design projects for branding, websites, and digital products billed at flat hourly rate with clear project estimates provided upfront.
2. Ongoing retainers: Continuing design support and partnership arrangements with existing clients, providing sustained revenue and client relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Estrela Digital Studio is a branding and digital design agency that delivers UX/UI design, brand identity, design systems, motion design, and product strategy services for websites, mobile apps, and digital products. Engagements are delivered as bespoke creative projects on a project basis or ongoing retainer, billed at a flat hourly rate with upfront scoping.

Product overview

Estrela Digital Studio is a branding and digital design agency offering a comprehensive suite of design services rather than a software product platform. The core offerings include Product Strategy and Design, UX Design, UI Design, Design Systems, Branding Design, and Motion Design. These services are delivered as professional consulting and creative engagements, not as standalone software products or SaaS platforms. The studio works with clients across fintech, e-commerce, hospitality, and non-profit sectors to build brands, websites, and digital products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Product Strategy and Design

Quantifiable outcome

• +8% increased average engagement time for PayJustNow website redesign
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers11 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

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Parsons BrandingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Parsons Agency during PayJustNow rebrand. Estrela translated the bold new brand identity (crafted by Parsons) into the app and website digital experience, working alongside Parsons Agency for brand execution.
• Lea Crafford PhotographyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaborated with Lea Crafford Photography to direct a custom product shoot for Yucca Packaging, capturing textures, scale, and quality of packaging in an authentic, brand-consistent way.
• Development PartnerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrusted development partners for implementation of designs. For clients with existing dev teams, the studio works hand-in-hand to ensure smooth handover and seamless build.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100091661185714
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/estrela-digital-studio
• Instagraminstagram.com/estrela_digitalstudio/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Estrela Digital Studio