MKKA/ Studio
Studio · Est. 2017 · New York / Lisbon / Berlin
We build identity systems, motion languages, and product UI for Series A–C SaaS and consumer-tech companies. We do not take pitch decks, sub-$25K brand exercises, hourly retainers, or white-label subcontracting.
§ 01 — Who MKKA is
MKKA was founded in 2017 by two former lead designers at Asana and Stripe. The studio has stayed deliberately small: 14 full-time designers, art directors, and engineers, all on payroll, with no offshore contractors. Work ships from Lisbon, New York, and Berlin, with the full team convening in person twice a year for week-long summits.
Since founding we have completed 220+ engagements across SaaS, fintech, and consumer tech — including 17 unicorns and 4 public companies. The median engagement is 11 weeks at an average value of $148,000. Engagements are fixed-scope, priced from a published rate card, and never billed by the hour.
The team has shipped work in 41 countries and across 9 product categories. We maintain a 4.97/5 average rating on Clutch across 63 published reviews, an NPS of 78 across the last two fiscal years, and an 89% retention rate on clients who return for a second project.
§ 02 — A belief
Design inside a shipping product is not decoration, and it is not a deck. It is the system a team uses to decide what to build next, and how that thing will be remembered. Our job is to leave you with that system — owned by your team, load-bearing in your roadmap, and quiet enough to never get in the way of the work.
§ 03 — By the numbers
§ 04 — How we operate
Every engagement is scoped in writing, priced in writing, and signed against a flat fee. No hourly billing. No surprise overages. If the brief changes, we re-scope — we don't quietly roll the meter.
Designers, art directors, and engineers are on MKKA payroll in Lisbon, New York, and Berlin. The team you meet on the scoping call is the team that ships the work. We do not subcontract motion, 3D, or engineering to outside vendors.
Brand systems at MKKA include a motion language by default, not as an add-on. Our animators and 3D artists sit inside the studio, briefed in the same room as the brand and product designers, so the moving system and the still system read as one.
Day-to-day, the team is remote-first across Lisbon, New York, and Berlin. Twice a year the entire studio convenes for a week of cross-project review, critique, and tooling work. Client kickoffs and final presentations are held in person when geography allows.
Featured in Communication Arts Typography Annual 2023 for the Halcyon identity system. Won "Best Brand System" at the CSS Design Awards Annual 2022. Named one of Awwwards' Top 100 Independent Studios in 2022 and 2023. Work has appeared in the Type Directors Club Annual 2023 and It's Nice That.
§ 05 — Fit
A short, honest list. If you're on the left, we are not the right studio, and we'd rather you know now than after a sales call.