Elli Cares app design: a DesignRush awards finalist
The Elli App is a finalist in DesignRush’s June 2026 Best App Design Awards, Health & Wellness. What the jury noticed, and what health apps can borrow.
20 Oct 2026
The best design agencies by industry in 2026
Hand-picked design studios for 10 industries, from SaaS and HealthTech to real estate and education, with real projects you can check.
Short answer
The best design agency for you is the one that already knows your buyer. A studio that designs beer cans won’t know what a hospital procurement team checks, and a studio that designs banking apps won’t know how an installer reads a wiring diagram. So this guide is split by industry: 10 of them, from SaaS and HealthTech to real estate and education, with four to six studios each. Every studio links to its website and every project to its case study, so you can judge the work for yourself.
A note before you read. We’re on seven of these lists, in the industries where most of our work is. Same four rules, same entry format as everyone else, and never in first place. The other three lists don’t include us at all. Nobody paid to be here.
How we chose
Four rules, applied to every studio, us included:
Proof in the industry.
At least one public case study for a client in that industry. A logo in a client strip doesn’t count.Recent work.
Projects from 2022 onward where we could date them. When a studio’s best example is older, we say so.Work you can check.
Every studio links to its website and every example to the studio’s own case study, or to press coverage where there isn’t one.Fit for a growing company.
Studios that take on startups, scale-ups and smaller organisations, not only global corporations.
Ratings and headcounts come from Clutch or the studio’s own pages, checked in October 2026. The order within each list is our judgement.
Best SaaS design agencies
SaaS buyers compare you with three tabs open. Your brand has to look like it will still be around in five years, and your product has to explain itself in a demo.
Focus Lab, US
Founded 2010. A branding studio that works almost only with B2B software companies. Work to look at: Quantive, the identity behind Gtmhub’s rename. LaunchDarkly, brand strategy, a new logo and the website UI. Best for: B2B SaaS companies going through a rename or a proper rebrand.Dtail Studio, Spain
16+ years · 5.0 on Clutch. A small senior team that designs brand and product side by side. Work to look at: ConverSight, an AI analytics platform for manufacturers and distributors: the complete brand and the platform design (not the marketing site). Best for: seed to Series A SaaS teams that want brand and product designed together.Moving Brands, UK and US
Founded 1998. Senior identity work for scale-ups that need to look bigger than their headcount. Work to look at: Vanta, a brand system built around a llama, with motion and tone of voice to match. Gong, identity, website and key product screens. Best for: Series B and later companies with a category to own.Ramotion, US
4.9 on Clutch from 29 reviews. Brand, website and the build under one roof, with a dedicated SaaS practice. Work to look at: Island, brand and Webflow site for the enterprise browser as it came out of stealth. Clearbit, a rebuilt marketing site. Best for: teams that need a new brand and a live website on the same timeline.Eleken, Ukraine
4.9 on Clutch from 127 reviews. Product UX rather than brand, with more than 70 published SaaS case studies, mostly dashboards and complex workflows. Work to look at: Hubble Network, a geospatial dashboard with role-based views and a mobile scanning app. Datawisp, a redesign of a no-code data analysis product. Best for: product teams whose UI has outgrown its first version.
Best design agencies for AI products
AI products have an odd problem: the thing they do is invisible. The best AI brands give it a shape, a voice and a reason to trust it.
Studio Dumbar/DEPT, Netherlands
Founded 1977 · part of DEPT since 2016. A design partner to OpenAI since spring 2024. Work to look at: OpenAI DevDay 2025, an identity built from code-like layouts, ASCII characters and arcade games. OpenAI, event design, brand motion and the shaders behind ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice mode. Best for: AI companies that need motion and sound as much as a logo.Porto Rocha, US and UK
Founded 2019. A young studio with very visible work: it gave Google’s AI assistant its look and its voice. Work to look at: Google Gemini, the visual and verbal identity, from the “Spark” symbol to three separate voices for user, product and brand. Best for: consumer AI products that need to feel friendly at huge scale.Dtail Studio, Spain
At home with B2B AI products that are hard to show in a screenshot. Work to look at: Cinelytic, an AI platform that helps the film industry put a value on talent and forecast what a film will cost and earn: logo, complete brand and platform design. A client since 2018, and still one. Best for: B2B AI startups that need buyers to understand the product before the demo call.Pentagram, UK
London partners Jody Hudson-Powell and Luke Powell, with the most consistent record of AI identities of any team we looked at. Work to look at: Cohere, logo, a custom type family, website and playground (Cohere has since moved to a newer identity by other studios). Intrinsic, Alphabet’s AI robotics company. Best for: technical AI companies that want a type-led, systematic identity.Geist, US
A small studio with one published case study, and it’s a big one. Work to look at: Anthropic, identity, type and colour system, and the digital overhaul for the Claude launch, over two and a half years. Best for: research-led AI companies that prefer calm to hype.
Best fintech design agencies
Money brands have to feel safe and easy at the same time. Lean too far either way and you look like a bank from 1998 or a crypto airdrop.
Clay, US
4.8 on Clutch from 32 reviews. A dedicated fintech practice with clients across payments, banking and investing. Work to look at: Marqeta, the digital brand and marketing site for the card-issuing platform. Tipalti, a ground-up website redesign with a design system. Best for: B2B fintech with a complex product and an enterprise buyer.Output, UK
A brand and digital partner to UK challenger banks and fintechs. Work to look at: Zempler Bank, the full rename and rebrand of Cashplus Bank, announced in March 2024. ClearBank, brand, UX/UI and website. Best for: regulated fintechs going through a rename.Dtail Studio, Spain
Mobile product design for financial teams who live on their phones. Work to look at: SoftPhone, an app for loan officers that brings calls, CRM, scheduling and messages into one place, so nobody loses the thread between tools, 2026 (case study). Best for: fintech teams whose users juggle too many apps in a working day.Porto Rocha, US and UK
Also on our AI list, for good reason. Work to look at: Robinhood, the 2024 identity refresh that took Robinhood from trading app to wealth platform. Best for: consumer fintech growing into a bigger category.UXDA, Latvia
4.8 on Clutch from 21 reviews. Works only on financial products, and on product UX rather than brand identity. Work to look at: Emirates NBD, UX and UI for the ENBD X banking app, launched in 2022. Liv, apps for Emirates NBD’s lifestyle bank, 2024. Best for: banks and fintechs rebuilding a mobile app.Gretel, US
Founded 2005. A small team behind some of the most recognisable payment brands. Work to look at: PayPal, one global identity across visual, verbal and sonic work, made with PayPal’s in-house team. Best for: established fintech brands that need one system across many products.
Best HealthTech design agencies
A health product gets read by three audiences at once: patients, clinicians and whoever signs the contract. Each one is looking for a different reason to say no.
ustwo, UK
Founded 2004. A dedicated health practice working with pharma, clinical care and insurers, and one of the few studios that publishes outcomes. Work to look at: RVO Health, an AI quit-smoking coach whose pilot launched in September 2025 and signed up three times the forecast in its first month. Pineapp Fertility, a companion app for fertility treatment. Best for: health companies building a regulated digital product.Dtail Studio, Spain
HealthTech is our biggest focus, especially products for people who find technology hard. Work to look at: Elli Cares, an app for people living with cognitive impairment and their families, rebuilt around simpler flows, high contrast and a calm visual language (case study). The Elli App is used in 19 countries and was a joint winner of the 2024 Future of Ageing Award (Technology Consumer). RINQ 5, a landing page for a titanium smart ring that reads sleep and heart rate, told as one scroll-driven 3D story. Best for: seed to Series A HealthTech teams that need brand, product and investor materials to agree.Koto, UK
About 115 people. A large brand studio with a strong run in mental health. Work to look at: Talkspace (Fast Company coverage), the May 2024 rebrand that kept the turquoise and added warmth, a serif and real-user photography. Best for: consumer health brands that need to feel human.Mucho, Spain and US
Founded 2003. A healthcare portfolio of a dozen projects, from pharmacies to diagnostics. Work to look at: Ostro, naming and a modular identity for a life-science software company. Eko Health, brand identity for AI-powered digital stethoscopes. Best for: medtech and life-science companies with a technical product.Further (formerly DesignStudio), UK, US and UAE
Renamed in September 2025, and now a bigger group after merging with two other studios. Work to look at: Compound by Eucalyptus, naming and brand for a preventive men’s health service, across app, web, packaging and clinics. Best for: direct-to-consumer health services with physical and digital touchpoints.
Best wellness and beauty design agencies
Wellness is crowded, which is why so many brands look like the same jar of beige powder. The good ones have a point of view. The best ones have data behind it.
Ragged Edge, UK
Founded 2007 · B Corp. The clearest wellness specialism in Europe, with results printed right on its case pages. Work to look at: ZOE, the nutrition company’s rebrand, down to the at-home test kit. Unmind, a workplace mental health brand carried all the way into the product UI. Best for: science-led wellness brands that sell to consumers.Instrument, US
Founded 2002. Long-term digital partner to the smart ring everyone’s partner seems to wear. Work to look at: Oura, an app redesign with a new data-visualisation framework and a My Health tab. Webby winner 2026. Best for: wearables and data-heavy wellness apps.Dtail Studio, Spain
Wellbeing and beauty products for people who are busy or not confident with technology. Work to look at: Elli App wellness cards, mood check-ins and medication reminders for people over 70: type you can read at arm’s length, tap targets for unsteady hands and one decision per screen. Evolus, the performance beauty company: branding, and platform designs for the practices and professionals it sells to. Best for: wellness and beauty companies whose brand has to work in a consumer campaign and in a B2B tool.Red Antler, US
Founded 2007. The studio that launched Casper and Allbirds, with a long list of wellness launches since. Work to look at: Keeps, a hair-loss brand designed to feel like grooming, not pharma. Lifelines, a brand for a new stress-relief product category. Best for: founders launching a consumer wellness brand from scratch.Base Design, Belgium
Founded 1993. A generalist with standout beauty work. Work to look at: Caudalie, a ground-up rebrand with a new grape icon and colour-blocking across product lines. Best for: beauty and skincare brands with a big product range.
Best sports and fitness design agencies
Sports brands live on shirts, stadiums, screens and phone wallpapers. Get it wrong and the fans will tell you before half-time.
Nomad, UK
Founded 2016. A dedicated sports branding studio. Work to look at: Premier League, the 2023 refresh with a single, unified lion. Tottenham Hotspur, the “Remastered” identity, November 2024. Best for: leagues and clubs with a global fan base.Further (formerly DesignStudio), UK, US and UAE
The broadest sports and fitness roster we found, from Wimbledon to UFC. Work to look at: World Rugby WXV, the identity for a new women’s tournament, 2023. Orangetheory Fitness, a global repositioning and franchise toolkit. Best for: new competitions and fitness franchises.Doubleday & Cartwright, US
Founded 2010. The boutique behind the newest US pro-team identities. Work to look at: Utah Mammoth, the NHL team’s identity and custom typeface, May 2025. Golden State Valkyries, naming and identity for the WNBA team. Best for: new teams that need a name as well as a logo.Mythology, US
Formerly Partners & Spade, with a deep connected-fitness record that includes Peloton and Mirror. Work to look at: Supernatural, the brand refresh for Meta’s VR fitness service. Best for: fitness products and apps.DixonBaxi, UK
Sports and sports media identities that love to move. Work to look at: Everton FC, a brand system built around Prince Rupert’s Tower, 2022. Best for: clubs and broadcasters that live on screen.
Best renewable energy and climate tech design agencies
Energy companies sell to homeowners, installers, utilities and investors, and each of them has a different idea of what a kilowatt-hour is. Clarity wins here.
How&How, UK and US
B Corp. A self-described climate-first studio that weighs climate impact when choosing clients and runs a pro-bono programme for climate startups. Work to look at: Meteoric Energy, naming, brand and website for a German AI-powered energy supplier. Best for: climate startups that want a studio as committed as they are.Dtail Studio, Spain
Energy products are full of numbers nobody understands, so we keep designing until a homeowner and an installer read the same screen the same way. Work to look at: Cubee, an energy management startup: logo, brand strategy, identity, packaging and product design, built on a geometric symbol system based on energy flow (case study). Cubee has passed 2,000 installations. Best for: energy hardware and software startups that need brand and product to work as one.Bakken & Bæck, Norway
Founded 2011. Makes hard science feel tangible, across brand, web and product. Work to look at: Photoncycle, brand and website for solar energy stored as solid hydrogen. Carbo Culture, identity and website for carbon removal. Best for: deep-tech climate companies with a complex story.Kontrapunkt, Denmark
Founded 1985. Still the reference project for energy branding at utility scale, even though it dates from 2017. Work to look at: Ørsted, the identity for DONG Energy’s change into one of the world’s largest offshore wind developers. Best for: established energy companies changing what they stand for.COLLINS, US
Founded 2008. A US option with a striking repositioning story. Work to look at: Legence, the naming and brand that turned a group of mechanical services companies into an energy transition business, ahead of its Nasdaq IPO. Best for: energy services companies preparing for a big moment.
Best mobility and automotive design agencies
A mobility product lives in three places at once: the vehicle, the phone and the street. People use it while driving, walking or running late, so every screen has to work at a glance.
Stockholm Design Lab, Sweden
The studio behind Polestar’s identity from day one. Work to look at: Polestar, the symbol and typographic system, plus digital, retail, event and motion work, still running in 2025. Best for: EV and car brands that want a design-led identity.ustwo, UK, Sweden, Portugal and US
Founded 2004. Also on our HealthTech list, with a long record of apps for car makers and fleets. Work to look at: Alphabet, the AlphaGuide app for BMW Group’s lease car drivers in twelve markets, relaunched in 2022. Jaguar Land Rover, the InControl Remote app and its smartwatch versions (2019, so older). Best for: connected car and fleet apps.Dtail Studio, Spain
Apps for people on the move with half an eye on the screen. Work to look at: Taxi driver app, the driver side of a taxi service: going online, trips and weekly earnings, all readable in a glance (2019, so older). Best for: ride-hailing and fleet startups whose drivers can’t afford to squint.Ramotion, US
Also on our SaaS list, and a regular partner for US venture-backed startups. Work to look at: Stable, brand identity and website for an EV charging analytics platform. Best for: US mobility startups that need brand and website together.Orbix Studio, US, UAE and Bangladesh
A brand and web studio that takes on early-stage companies. Work to look at: Zypo Electric, brand identity for an urban e-bike and scooter company, 2025. Best for: early micromobility brands on a tighter budget.
Best real estate and proptech design agencies
Property products serve buyers, renters, agents and investors, and every one of them is about to spend serious money. Trust and a search that works beat decoration every time.
DD.NYC, US
Founded 2015. A boutique with a real estate practice across brand and web. Work to look at: Sozen Homes, logo, identity, website and animations for a high-end rental company, 2023. Best for: property companies that want brand and website from one small team.Less Rain, Germany
A digital agency since 1998, doing naming, identity and websites for property developers and investors. Work to look at: Contour, the name, corporate design, brochure and website for a Munich development. More in its real estate overview. Best for: developers launching a new building in German-speaking markets.Lazarev.agency, US
Product UX with a dedicated real estate practice. Work to look at: CoHome, a redesign of a fractional home co-ownership platform. Rentcredit, product design for a rent and property management platform. Best for: proptech startups that need product UX more than a new logo.Musemind, US, Germany, UK and UAE
A UI and UX team of 80+ people, with offices in New York, Berlin, London and Dubai. Work to look at: Divine Home, research, UI and build for a Portuguese property website. Best for: property platforms that want a fast redesign from a bigger team.Bourne and Bred, UK
A small brand studio. Work to look at: Proptech Analytics, the brand identity for a property data company. Best for: young UK proptech companies on a modest budget.
Best education and edtech design agencies
Education products serve learners, teachers, parents and administrators at once. Budgets are tight and systems are old, so the design has to work for busy people with mixed digital skills.
Clearleft, UK
Founded 2005. A long-term design partner to universities, from design systems to student research. Work to look at: University of Manchester, the homepage, the routes international students take through the site and a strategy microsite. UAL, helping the university’s teams build their own design system in nine weeks. Best for: universities that want to build design skills in-house.Springload, New Zealand
Founded 2003. Large, accessible public education sites, including bilingual English and te reo Māori work. Work to look at: Tahatū Career Navigator, New Zealand’s national careers site for the Tertiary Education Commission. Massey University, a website rebuilt from research with over 700 people. Best for: education bodies with big, content-heavy sites.Qubstudio, Ukraine and UK
4.9 on Clutch from 93 reviews. Brand and product design with a dedicated education practice. Work to look at: LinkIt!, a rebrand and portal redesign for a K-12 assessment platform. Best for: edtech SaaS companies that need brand and platform designed together.Cieden, Canada
4.9 on Clutch from 46 reviews. A UX studio with a long edtech redesign on its books. Work to look at: MedEntry, web and mobile redesign of an exam preparation platform, with study plans and gamification, 2023. Best for: edtech scale-ups that need web and mobile product design.Lazarev.agency, US
Also on our proptech list, with a dedicated edtech section. Work to look at: Abu Dhabi University, a platform redesign for applicants, students and faculty. Best for: universities and edtech companies that need a full product redesign.
How to pick from a list like this
Open two case studies, not the homepage.
Look for the problem, what changed and a number. Pretty pictures with no problem statement tell you very little.Ask who will do the work.
At big studios, the people in the pitch are not always the people on the project.Ask for a client to call.
Five minutes with a past client beats any review page. Our guide to choosing a HealthTech design agency has the questions to ask.Match the studio to your stage.
A studio built for Coca-Cola will run your seed-stage project like a Coca-Cola project, budget included.
FAQ
How much does a design agency cost in 2026?
It depends on scope and studio size more than on your industry. Senior boutiques in Europe usually quote brand projects from the low tens of thousands of euros, and large global studios start a lot higher. Ask every studio for a range on the first call.
Should I hire an agency that specialises in my industry?
Usually yes, if your buyer is specialised. Health, finance and energy all have buyers who check things a generalist won’t know to design for. In consumer categories, craft and taste count for more than sector knowledge.
Should I hire a big global studio or a small senior team?
It depends on how much attention you need. A global studio brings scale and a famous name. A small senior team usually means the people who pitch are the people who design, and your project matters to them. Most seed to Series A founders are better off with the second.
Should I start with the brand or the product?
Start with whichever your next buyer sees first. If investors or customers judge you on a deck and a website, start with the brand. If they judge you in a demo, start with the product. The best studios design both so they don’t contradict each other.
What should I bring to the first call?
What you’re building, who buys it, what isn’t working today, your deadline and a rough budget. Screenshots of what you have now help more than a polished brief.
If you’d like a second opinion on your shortlist, with or without us on it, we’re happy to talk it through.
About the author: Alma Johnson is Content Lead at Dtail Studio and writes about brand strategy, positioning and how founders explain what they do.
Sources: Clutch profiles for Ramotion, Eleken, Clay, UXDA, Qubstudio and Cieden (October 2026). Fast Company on the Talkspace rebrand (May 2024). Business Wire on the Quantive rename (Dec 2022). Design Week on DesignStudio becoming Further (Sep 2025) and on the Premier League identity (Aug 2023). Tech.eu on Cashplus becoming Zempler Bank (Mar 2024). All other facts are from each studio’s own website and case study pages, linked above.
Digital health UX agency: 7 US studios to consider
Choosing a digital health UX agency in the US: 7 studios with real health work, the criteria we used and questions to ask on the first call.
Workflow automation UX design: build the log first
Workflow automation UX design people trust: why users switch automations off, and how status, previews, run history and undo keep them on.
