We don’t need crystal balls or psychics to see the future. All we need to do is to find out who is leading the way in each sector. In the design world, it’s usually the studios that establish the path to follow. In this article, we’ll talk about a few of them:

Pentagram

Most of the time, large studios are led by one or two people. Pentagram is that exception to the rule since it’s led by 23 partners who work hand in hand. All through the years, they’ve worked with stars such as Alan Fletcher (who is for the British press one of the best designers of all time), Bob Gill (an illustration eminence), Paula Scher (who is probably one of the most influencer designers in the world, mainly known for her pop works) and Michael Bierut (an incredible designer whose opinions are the most valued in the world).

This multidisciplinary studio has done iconic works over the years. From branding campaigns for electoral purposes like NYC Votes, to the redesign and identity of one of the most important zoos in the world, the San Diego Zoo.

One of their stronger points is the level of abstraction and creativity when developing their projects. From logos to general aesthetics, the professional level of the professionals they work with can be appreciated in every project they make.

Clay

Coca-Cola, Google, Facebook or Amazon. For many people, working with just one of these companies would mean reaching the pinnacle of their career. However, UX/UI agency Clay has worked with all of them and many more.

We can find in their portfolio well-developed pieces like clean and carefully designed webs that flow dynamically making them very user friendly. We can also find product development with special applications incorporated as the project they developed together with Jacquard.

Clay is a studio that has done pretty much everything. From UX/UI to digital strategy, development of native apps for iOS and Android, content generation, enterprise software, etc.

Here you’ll find some of their most interesting works:

• Joe & The Juice
• Moneylion

Meta Design

This studio has been working with the best for more than three decades.

From brand identity and development strategies to activations and experiences. They not only focus on design, but also on marketing and publicity.

One of the aspects that define them the most is their versatility. They can generate both classy and elegant pieces, as well as innovative, fresh and colourful ones.

At the same time, we can appreciate how they combine both the aesthetics of images with complex programming, as in the project they developed for the Sonoton Music platform.

As every designer knows, each design must be justified, it’s not just about making an attractive image. Mainly, when redesigning a logo, an explanation is needed since it’ll be the face of the company. That’s why it’s interesting to see the work that Meta Design made for TK Elevator.

Happy Cog

If you are a web design fan, you may have probably heard of Jeffrey Zeldman, one of the people who has fought the hardest for the standardization and optimization of web design. He has also won countless prizes and recognitions and is the creator of the digital design studio Happy Cog.

The Internet is in constant development and so is Happy Cog. Working with a wide variety of clients has allowed their designers to learn new skills and show new tricks for each project.

They develop very daring websites in terms of aesthetic and functionality such as & Pizza, a site that wanted to replace their traditional restaurant business model with an interactive shopping experience during the pandemic. They achieved this with a colorful and attractive design. Since its implementation, & Pizza has multiplied by 10 times their online orders.

Harvard is probably one of the most historic universities in the world. For over 100 years, its Blue Book has been considered the quintessential legal citation guide. Not just anyone would be able to adapt this piece to the digital world, but Happy Cog is definitely not just any design studio. In this project, they’ve adapted a traditional book to the new times. A hard job focused on the UI allowed them to optimize it by generating a new digital version with a clear, professional and aseptic but dynamic image.

Mucho

Spain has a lot to offer in terms of visuals (and we’re not just talking about a certain site called Freepik…).Mucho is probably one of the most important design studios in the country. They’ve worked with reference companies like Apple, Google, BMW and Hewlett-Packard.

One of their most important characteristics is that, when working on a project, they leave no detail to chance. From the programming of the web to the design of the typographies and the photographs that will be shown. They work on every possible detail. We can see an example in the work they did for Tina Frey.

Another outstanding project they created was the one for the Robata restaurant. Japanese urban aesthetics are very complex and taking them as a reference can be a great challenge. In this case, Mucho managed to perfectly incorporate these elements in the same space, generating visually attractive and eye-catching environments and taking care of every detail

As you see, the world is full of talented people. Amazing individual designers (like JuanSinMiedo, Ilustronauta or Fernando Nunes) and graphic studios, like the ones we’ve seen, lead the way in terms of aesthetics and creativity.

Do you have any others to recommend? Tell us in the comments.