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New York · Logo & marks · 2026

The best NYC logo design agencies

A logo is not a brand, and the New York studios best at marks aren't always the ones best at brand strategy. This list ranks on mark craft: reduction, memorability, typographic discipline, and whether the thing holds at favicon size and over decades. That produces a different order from a general branding page, and every studio here has a genuine New York presence.

See the agencies Back to the ten

At a glance

Compare the eight

Facts, not scores. Ownership, base, and focus side by side so you can see which studio's approach to marks fits your brief.

StudioOwnershipBaseFocusBest for
Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv IndependentNew York CityTrademarks, identityTimeless corporate marks
Pentagram IndependentNew York (+ 4 offices)Identity, type, editorialNamed-partner authorship
COLLINS IndependentNew York & SFIdentity, motion, namingMarks inside rebrands
Gretel IndependentNew York CityIdentity, type, motionScreen-led marks
Order IndependentBrooklyn + MiamiIdentity, type designSystematic, disciplined marks
&Walsh IndependentWilliamsburg, BrooklynIdentity, art directionExpressive, high-POV marks
DIA IndependentNew York CityKinetic identity, motionMotion-first marks
Clay Global IndependentRemote-first · NYIdentity, systems, productMark within a system

Ownership is stated because it predicts process and pricing more reliably than any ranking would. This chart compares facts only — there are no scores here by design.

The studios, in full

Full profiles

Each studio is written up against the same structure so they compare directly, and every name links out to the studio's own site.

01

Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv

The firm that defined modern American trademark design.

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Founded 1957New York CityIndependentTrademarks, brand identity, environmental graphics
Why they're on this list

More enduring American marks came out of this studio than any other, built on reduction and abstraction long before either was conventional. Its focus is still trademarks meant to outlast the companies that commission them, not systems designed to be refreshed every five years.

Signature work

NBC, Chase, Mobil, PBS, National Geographic, and the US Open.

Industries
CorporateInstitutionsCultureMedia
Best fit

Institutions and corporations that want a timeless mark, not a trend-responsive one.

Good to know

Mark-first and heritage-driven; the pick for a symbol built to last, not for a fast startup identity refresh.

02

Pentagram

Partner-led marks at landmark scale.

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New York (+ London, Austin, Berlin, Paris)Independent, partner-ownedIdentity, type, editorial, packaging
Why they're on this list

Pentagram runs as a collective of partners who each lead their own work, so you're hiring a specific designer's authorship rather than a house style. Its New York office has produced some of the most recognized marks of the last four decades.

Signature work

Identity work for Microsoft, Citibank, MoMA, Saturday Night Live, and the High Line.

Industries
CorporateCultureMediaInstitutions
Best fit

Clients who want named-partner authorship on a mark and the credibility that carries.

Good to know

You're buying a particular partner, so which one matters as much as the firm; premium engagements.

03

COLLINS

Marks built inside ambitious brand reinventions.

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New York & San FranciscoIndependentBrand strategy, identity, motion, naming
Why they're on this list

COLLINS designs marks as part of larger reinventions rather than as standalone commissions, which is its strength and its constraint. When a new logo has to carry a genuine change in what a company means, this is the New York studio at that altitude.

Signature work

Identity work for Figma, Spotify, Dropbox, Twitch, and Mailchimp.

Industries
TechMediaConsumerCulture
Best fit

Established brands where a new mark signals a real shift in the business.

Good to know

Built for full brand systems, so the engagement is bigger than a standalone logo brief.

04

Gretel

Image-driven marks with type and motion in-house.

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Founded 2005New York CityIndependentIdentity, typography, motion, editorial
Why they're on this list

Gretel makes bold identity work across screen and print, with typography, motion, and 3D held in-house. A mark arrives with the system and movement around it, rather than being handed to a separate production partner, which matters when a logo has to work hardest on screen.

Signature work

Identity work for Netflix, Nike, MoMA, Vice, and MasterClass.

Industries
MediaEntertainmentCultureConsumer
Best fit

Media and consumer brands whose mark has to live on screen.

Good to know

Image- and motion-led; a stronger fit for dynamic brands than for a single static trademark.

05

Order

Systems-driven marks with real typographic rigor.

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Brooklyn (+ Miami)IndependentIdentity, type design, guidelines, signage
Why they're on this list

Founded by Jesse Reed and Hamish Smyth, Order works to the principle that everything is done for a reason and nothing for decoration. The founders also run Standards Manual, the publisher behind the reissued NASA and NYC Transit graphics standards, which tells you how seriously they take systematic marks.

Signature work

The Kickstarter rebrand, plus identity work for Herman Miller and the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy.

Industries
TechCultureDesignInstitutions
Best fit

Companies wanting a disciplined mark with genuine typographic craft behind it.

Good to know

Rigor over flourish; the pick for systematic identity, less so for expressive or illustrative marks.

06

&Walsh

Expressive, concept-driven marks with personality.

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Founded 2019Williamsburg, BrooklynIndependent, founder-ownedIdentity, art direction, motion
Why they're on this list

Jessica Walsh's studio makes marks that lean expressive and idea-led rather than reductive, a deliberate choice for brands that would rather be noticed than be safe. Strategy, motion, and packaging run in-house alongside the identity work.

Signature work

Identity for biodesign company Geltor, the app Lex, and vertical-farming company Plenty, plus branding for Google I/O.

Industries
TechCultureFood & beverageConsumer
Best fit

Brands wanting a mark with a strong point of view.

Good to know

Expressive by signature; suits clients who want personality over corporate restraint.

07

DIA

Marks designed to move.

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New York CityIndependentKinetic identity, motion, typography
Why they're on this list

DIA treats motion as foundational rather than as something applied to a finished logo, pairing marks with generative tools and typographic systems. It's the New York call when a mark will live mostly in video and has to move as well as it sits still.

Signature work

Motion-driven identity systems for culture, technology, and consumer brands.

Industries
CultureTechConsumerMedia
Best fit

Brands whose mark needs to move as much as it needs to sit still.

Good to know

Motion-first; a stronger fit for screen-led identities than for a purely static or print mark.

08

Clay Global

A mark built as part of a product and brand system.

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Global, remote-firstNY office · 148 Lafayette StBrand identity, design systems, product, web
Why they're on this list

Clay isn't a mark specialist and shouldn't be hired as one. What it offers instead is a logo designed alongside the identity system and the product it appears in, from one team, which is the right call when you need the whole thing rather than a standalone trademark.

Signature work

Brand and digital work for Google, Amazon, Snapchat, Sony, Coca-Cola, and Stripe.

Industries
SaaS & enterprise softwareFintechConsumer techMedia
Best fit

Companies that need a mark, an identity system, and a product it lives inside, scoped together.

Good to know

Not a standalone-logo house; the reason to hire Clay is the system and product around the mark, not the mark alone.

Common questions

FAQ

Is a logo the same as a brand?

No. A logo is a single asset; a brand is the whole system it lives inside. The studios best at marks are not always the ones best at strategy, which is why this list ranks on mark craft specifically.

What does a logo cost in New York?

A standalone mark from a boutique can start in the five figures; a heritage trademark firm, or a mark designed inside a full identity system, runs into six figures. Most studios here prefer to design the mark as part of a system rather than in isolation.

Static mark or one that moves?

If your identity lives mostly on screen, motion-native studios like DIA and Gretel design it to move from the start; for a timeless static trademark, a mark-first firm such as Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv is the better fit.