The criteria we apply, what we look for, and the principles that govern which studios appear on this site.
Every studio has been assessed against five criteria. No numeric scores are assigned — the criteria determine whether a studio meets the threshold for inclusion and how it is positioned relative to the specific discipline it serves.
This directory covers a wider range of disciplines than most: brand identity, UX and product design, web design and development, interactive installation, financial services design, and values-led brand strategy. Consistent criteria across that range means evaluating each studio on its own terms — a museum experience design firm is not scored against a startup brand studio on the same scale.
Inclusion requires a minimum level of portfolio quality assessed through live deployed work, at least one verifiable engagement with a named client that can be independently confirmed, a confirmed San Francisco address, and sufficient public evidence to evaluate across all five criteria.
The directory is reviewed once per year. Individual profiles are updated on a rolling basis when significant new work, team changes, or validation signals emerge. Factual corrections can be submitted via the Contact page with supporting documentation.
Read the 15 studio profiles — each with an explicit best-for and not-a-fit-for, so you can judge fit rather than a number.