People in Seattle have so much to be thankful for: stunning natural beauty, vibrant city life, and iconic landmarks. However, not many are aware that it is also home to some of the best design agencies in the area. Here is our list of the top 5 to help you make an informed decision:

Penji

Known for its unlimited design requests and revisions, Penji tops this list of the best design agencies in Seattle. While not based in the area, Penji’s remote-first model lets it deliver faster turnaround times, wider design expertise, and more transparent pricing than many traditional local design agencies. So, if you need high-volume design but have a limited budget, Penji gets it done without sacrificing quality.

Spin Creative

With a strong focus on branding, advertising, and creative storytelling, Spin Creative helps brands communicate their message effectively. It offers brand strategy, video production, integrated campaigns, social media creatives, and a wide range of graphic design services.

Pure Design Group

A full-service digital agency, Pure Design Group, helps small to medium-sized businesses with their marketing, design, and development challenges. It offers graphic design services, including logos, web design, brochures, email templates, business cards, and marketing collateral. It can also help you market your brand digitally, gain insights into your marketing efforts, and strategize, among other services.

Electric Pen

With 25 years of creative experience, Electric Pen needs to be on this list of the best design agencies in Seattle. It offers a wide variety of services, which include branding, presentations, website, and marketing. It takes pride in its team of designers, strategists, writers, and many other experts to bring value to your business.

RocketDog

If you want to work with an award-winner, RocketDog is the best design agency for you. It offers branding, digital, creative, and AI-powered marketing services. This includes brand development, website design, corporate identity, and AI-powered audience targeting, to name a few.

If you’re a growing business in the San Jose, California area, finding the right graphic design partner is easy. The city holds some of the best design agencies in the region. Here’s a shortlist to narrow down your options:

1. Penji

As a top design-as-a-service platform, Penji offers a wide range of graphic design services to businesses in San Jose and anywhere in the world. Its unlimited request and revision model allows growing brands to get all their design assets for one single fee. You can submit requests for logos, infographics, custom illustrations, and many others.

2. Design in Mind

Offering a full menu of services, Design in Mind offers branding, marketing, web, and event design services. This includes logos, brand guidelines, print collaterals, UI/UX, and event branding services. It has done impressive work for Ploughshares, LinkedIn InDay, Natera GSM 2025, iChina, and Project Peace, to name a few.

3. Baunfire

With a promise to drive brands forward, Baunfire is an excellent design agency for growing businesses. It offers a wide array of services, which include website design, UI/UX design, web development, insights and analytics, research and discovery, and competitive analysis, among others.

4. Clear Digital

With offices in New York, Houston, and Chicago, Clear Digital has its headquarters in San Jose, California. Its broad range of services includes strategic branding and positioning, digital experiences and creative, technology infrastructure and support, and more. Its multidisciplinary approach is carefully followed by its team of strategists, designers, developers, and client managers.

5. WebEnertia

Popularly known as Silicon Valley’s non-profit digital agency, WebEnertia is another option you can consider. It has worked with non-profit brands The James Irvine Foundation, Hoover Institution, and IMBA. Its key services include digital strategy, UX/web design, motion graphics, web and mobile app development, SEM strategy, and analytics and tracking services, among many others.

TLDR: For scalable, high-volume, high-quality design without hiring hassles, Penji is your best bet. For deeply strategic, narrative branding work, go traditional with Contrast & Co, BB Agency, or ProDesigns.

Did you know design is responsible for 94% of first impressions? That means your design is the welcome mat for your soon-to-be customers.

Are you a startup or agency based in Space City looking to launch your design into the stratosphere? You need a design partner who can match your pace.

1. Penji

Welcome to the future of design. Penji combines the top 2% of design talent and AI tools for on-demand, monthly subscription, unlimited graphic design, illustration, and UI/UX work.

Get a whole team at your fingertips. Get drafts in 24-48 hours without having to hire a team or deal with inconsistent freelance pricing. From a quick social media graphic to a full web mockup, Penji keeps your project on track at all times.

Pros: 

• Unlimited Requests: Submit as many projects as you want. 
• Fast Turnaround: Drafts in 24-48 hours. 
• Cost-Effective: Flat monthly fee, no hidden charges. 
• Expert Designers: Access to top global talent. 

Cons: 

• Not Strategy-Focused: Best for execution, not long-term brand strategy.

2. Contrast & Co

If you’re looking for the traditional agency model with a little storytelling flair, Contrast & Co is the way to go. Although they’re based in Annapolis, they are experienced with many Houston clients and are known for building brands based on “radical differentiation.” They don’t just design; they tell stories.

Pros:

• Strategic Depth: Excellent for complex rebranding and brand positioning.
• High-End creative: Known for award-winning, narrative-driven visuals.

Cons:

• Cost: Their premium strategic approach often comes with a higher price tag ($10,000+ minimums).
• Timeline: Traditional agency models typically have longer turnaround times than on-demand services.

3. BB Agency

BB Agency works with SaaS and tech companies. They build businesses through thorough B2B branding and digital product design. If you are in the B2B tech space, their portfolio speaks for itself—clean, modern work which places UX at its core.

Pros:

• Tech Focus: Deep expertise in SaaS and B2B sectors.
• Holistic Approach: They handle everything from branding to development.

Cons:

• Niche: Their specific focus on tech might not be the right fit for consumer lifestyle brands.
• Budget: Project costs often range between $50,000 and $200,000.

4. ProDesigns

For businesses needing specific, project-based graphic design services, ProDesigns offers a solid middle ground. They focus heavily on logos, corporate design, and packaging. So if you need something created without a subscription or heavy retainer price, they’re great for local one-off projects.

Pros:

• Project-Based: Good for one-off needs like a logo or brochure.
• Affordable: generally more accessible pricing for small businesses compared to large agencies.

Cons:

• Limited Scalability: Managing high-volume, ongoing design needs can become costly on a per-project basis.
• Slower Feedback Loops: Revisions may take longer compared to a subscription model.

FAQs

How much does a graphic design agency cost in Houston? 

Agencies in Houston typically charge $100–$175 per hour. Project costs range from $1,000 for small tasks to over $50,000 for full branding. Services like Penji offer a flat monthly rate, often much lower than a single agency project.

What is “design as a service”? 

Design as a service offers a subscription model with a flat monthly fee for as much design work as you need for that monthly fee. Instead of paying per hour or project as normal with an agency, this is a way to ensure predictable budgeting and consistency with your design team.

Credit for cover image: Photo by Mikael Blomkvist on pexels