creature works
Creature Works is a 4–5 person Waconia, Minnesota digital agency providing branding, custom web design, graphic design, and the Find Your Veteran™ touchscreen kiosk platform for SMBs, nonprofits, museums, and select Fortune 100 clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersWaconia, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What creature works does
Creature Works Inc. is a privately held, founder-operated digital agency headquartered in Waconia, Minnesota, with approximately 4–5 employees. Founded in 1994 by Dale Hughes and Martha Kurtz, the firm provides branding, web design, graphic design, and digital content services to a heterogeneous client base that includes Fortune 100 companies, small and mid-size businesses, authors, artists, nonprofits, and government entities, with a concentration in the Carver County, Minnesota region.
The firm builds custom WordPress, Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce websites alongside hand-coded solutions, and maintains a technical stack spanning PHP, JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3, MySQL, Unity3D, and WordPress. Its specialized product is Find Your Veteran™, a registered trademark and searchable veteran-registry platform deployed as touchscreen kiosk, online registry, or both, with integrations to MALHM CollectiveAccess and structured staff/volunteer access workflows. The firm also produces custom interactive touchscreen kiosks and Unity 3D applications for enterprise sales presentations.
Creature Works operates on a project-based professional services model with custom per-project quoting. Revenue streams include custom web design and development, branding services, graphic design and marketing materials, and one-time licensing of the Find Your Veteran platform. Sales occur primarily through direct outreach (phone, email, website contact forms) and a portfolio-driven website. The firm is bootstrapped, with no external investment, no subsidiaries, and no acquisitions since incorporation. Notable industry recognition includes the 2025 MALHM Award and a Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Dot.Org Award for the Carver County Historical Society work.
creature works firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- creature works
- Legal name
- Creature Works Inc.
- Website
- https://creatureworks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Creature Works is a 4–5 person Waconia, Minnesota digital agency providing branding, custom web design, graphic design, and the Find Your Veteran™ touchscreen kiosk platform for SMBs, nonprofits, museums, and select Fortune 100 clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
creature works industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Web Design & Development Services
- NAICS
- Graphic Design Services (541430)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)
Keywords
Where creature works is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Waconia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
creature works business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Web Design & Development: Custom website design and development services including WordPress, Shopify, and hand-coded solutions. Project-based professional services with pricing based on scope and complexity.
- Branding Services: Brand identity development including logo design, brand guidelines, visual identity systems. Project-based engagements.
- Graphic Design & Marketing Materials: Print collateral, marketing materials, signage, event materials, packaging design. Project-based professional services.
- Find Your Veteran Platform Licensing: Sale/deployment of Find Your Veteran kiosk systems and online registries to museums, historical societies, and community organizations. Includes customization and ongoing support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based professional services - custom quotes |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
creature works product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Creature Works is a hands-on digital creative agency that designs and builds custom websites, brand identities, and graphic design materials for businesses, nonprofits, and government entities. The agency also produces custom interactive touchscreen kiosks and 3D/Unity3D applications for enterprise clients, and licenses its proprietary Find Your Veteran™ searchable veteran registry platform to museums, historical societies, and community organizations. Service offerings span strategy, creative direction, development, and ongoing maintenance.
Product overview
Creature Works is a web development, branding, and graphic design agency offering a portfolio of services. Their core offerings include custom website design and development (with specialization in WordPress and Shopify), branding services, and graphic design. Their flagship specialized product is the Find Your Veteran Search Platform, a searchable database system for museums and historical societies available as touchscreen kiosk, online registry, or both. They also offer Unity 3D development for interactive applications and custom interactive touchscreen kiosks. Additional services include e-commerce solutions, SEO, UX/UI design, and digital marketing. The company has over 30 years of experience working with diverse clients from Fortune 100 companies to small businesses and nonprofits.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Find Your Veteran: A search platform developed by Creature Works that helps organizations preserve and share Veteran stories. It can be presented as a touchscreen kiosk, an online registry, or both.
Products and services
- Find Your Veteran Search Platform A proprietary searchable database platform for museums, historical societies, and community organizations to preserve and share Veteran stories. Available as a touchscreen kiosk, online registry, or both, with a custom profile builder, secure staff/volunteer access, centralized photos/documents/awards storage, and military awards automatically ordered by precedence. Scales from small projects to large archives.
- Website Design & Development Custom website design and development services including WordPress, Shopify, and hand-coded solutions. Services include website maintenance, SEO, UX/UI design, content creation, and brand messaging for businesses and organizations.
- Branding Services Hands-on branding services including brand identity, naming, brand personality, messaging, visual identity, logo design, brand style guides, and web design/digital branding for businesses and organizations.
- Graphic & Design Services Professional graphic design and communication materials across multiple technologies including brand identity, marketing collateral, event materials, signage, digital design, photography, and visual content for businesses and organizations.
- Unity 3D Development 3D development and programming services for interactive applications, including iPad and Windows apps for sales tools and interactive presentations for touchscreen displays, used by Fortune 100 clients.
- E-commerce Solutions Custom e-commerce website development and integration services using platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, including email list integration, booking software integration, and custom product/quote functionality.
- Interactive Touchscreen Kiosks Custom-built interactive touchscreen kiosks with 3D interaction capabilities, virtual tours, and gamification features, used for museums, historical societies, Fortune 100 companies, and community organizations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Carver County Historical Society Veteran Registry: 2,626 veteran profiles accessible via touchscreen kiosk
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use creature works
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
creature works technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability5 records
Feature3 records
creature works partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Electric StudiocoreCollaboration with The Electric Studio on the Power Generation App for a global leader in power generation systems. The Electric Studio handled design, direction, and 3D modeling while Creature Works handled Unity 3D development and programming. Created iPad and Windows touchscreen apps for sales presentations and conventions.
- ShopifycoreCreature Works operates as a Shopify Partner, building custom Shopify stores for clients. Built Mocha Monkey e-commerce site on Shopify platform.
- ColdspringminorColdspring contracted to construct the Carver County Veterans Memorial granite monument. Creature Works designed the high-resolution imagery for etching on six polished black granite panels (36" x 80.75").
- Guthrie Theaterminor
- Black Earth InstitutecoreOngoing partnership designing and managing websites for About Place Journal (semi-annual online literary journal) and the parent Black Earth Institute organization. Jesse Hughes serves as layout editor for the journal.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights8 records
creature works competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Electric Studio: Design and 3D/animation studio with Unity3D interactive work—already a Creature Works partner on the Power Generation App. Comparable in 3D modeling, interactive application, and Fortune 100 enterprise sales-tool work.
- Lounge Lizard: Boutique full-service digital agency offering web design, branding, and digital marketing. Highly comparable as a similarly sized creative/web agency targeting mid-market and enterprise clients with custom design and development services.
- Blue Fountain Media: Digital agency providing web design, branding, and integrated digital strategy for Fortune 500 and growth-stage clients. Comparable in service breadth (web + brand + strategy) and enterprise client positioning.
- SmartSites: Web design and digital marketing agency building custom websites (including WordPress and Shopify) for SMBs and enterprises. Comparable offering profile and customer base overlap with Creature Works' SMB/enterprise mix.
- Huemor: Boutique web design and development agency specializing in custom websites on platforms like WordPress and Shopify. Directly comparable in offering and SMB-to-mid-market client focus.
- Dotlogics: Web design and development agency with WordPress, Shopify, and custom coding expertise serving SMB and mid-market clients. Closely mirrors Creature Works' core web development stack and customer segment.
- Fresh Consulting: Digital product and design agency offering custom web/app design and interactive experiences including kiosk-style and 3D applications. Comparable in its custom digital craftsmanship and interactive project capability.
- Ruckus: Boutique branding and web design agency serving SMB to mid-market clients with custom branding, web, and digital marketing. Comparable as a similarly sized full-service creative agency with analogous service mix.
Broad incumbents
- IDEO: Globally recognized design and innovation firm with broad portfolio across branding, digital, and interactive experiences. Operates at much larger scale but overlapping creative direction, interactive kiosk, and enterprise client capabilities.
- Frog Design (Capgemini Engineering): Global design and strategy firm covering branding, digital products, and immersive/interactive experiences. Overlaps with Creature Works on creative direction and interactive systems, but serves a much broader enterprise footprint.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
creature works social profiles
Digital presencecreature works financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
creature works leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
creature works funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
creature works 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 creature works
What does creature works do?
Creature Works is a hands-on digital creative agency that designs and builds custom websites, brand identities, and graphic design materials for businesses, nonprofits, and government entities. The agency also produces custom interactive touchscreen kiosks and 3D/Unity3D applications for enterprise clients, and licenses its proprietary Find Your Veteran™ searchable veteran registry platform to museums, historical societies, and community organizations. Service offerings span strategy, creative direction, development, and ongoing maintenance.
Is creature works a public or private company?
creature works is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was creature works founded?
creature works was founded in 1994. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is creature works based?
creature works is headquartered in Waconia, United States, in the North America region.
How does creature works make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Web Design & Development is the primary driver. The others are branding Services, graphic Design & Marketing Materials and find Your Veteran Platform Licensing.
Who are creature works's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Electric Studio, Lounge Lizard, Blue Fountain Media, SmartSites, Huemor, Dotlogics, Fresh Consulting and Ruckus. Broad incumbents are IDEO and Frog Design (Capgemini Engineering).
Does creature works have an API?
No public API is recorded for creature works.
What industry is creature works in?
creature works's product category is Web Design & Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAAAD, Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX). Its NAICS code is 541430.