Top Graphic Design Agencies In Manchester For 2026

Meta description: Our guide to graphic design Manchester studios for 2026, from award-winning identity specialists to small teams producing print, packaging and campaigns.

When it comes to graphic design Manchester has one of the strongest creative scenes in the UK, with studios that have shaped identities for broadcasters, universities, galleries, football clubs and global consumer brands. Choosing a graphic design agency in Manchester is less about finding someone who can make a logo and more about finding a team whose thinking, craft and sector experience match what your brand needs next.

This guide covers a range of Manchester graphic design agencies, from long-established creative consultancies with decades of awards to small, senior-led studios that specialise in typography, cultural placemaking or sustainability-focused brands. Some also offer websites, campaigns and social content, while others stay close to pure design and print.

Design rarely works in isolation, so if your project includes a new website or a launch campaign it is worth reading this alongside our guides to digital agencies in Manchester and SEO agencies in Manchester. The design services and Greater Manchester addresses below come from the studios’ own websites, and we only include facts the studios publish themselves.

Graphic Design Agencies In Manchester At A Glance

Company	Based In	Best For	Known For
The Chase	Commercial Street, Manchester	Big ideas across every format	Independent creative consultancy since 1988
Superfried	Oxford Court, Manchester	Purpose-led and sustainability brands	Identity, typography and bespoke typefaces
Instruct Studio	Lever Street, Manchester	Arts, culture and architecture	Co-founders of Design Manchester festival
True North	Newton Street, Manchester	Universities, cultural and health bodies	Brand identity for 25 years
BGN	Ancoats, Manchester	Consumer brands needing identity and packaging	Brand-led design for Carlsberg and Unilever
Holdens	Northern Quarter, Manchester	Brands wanting identity plus experiential	Design systems and immersive activations
Cheetham Bell	Hardman Street, Manchester	Food and grocery brands	Packaging and shopper marketing
Sunny Thinking	Altrincham	Charities, health and family brands	Founded 2008, more than 20 awards
IF Agency	Altrincham	Consumer brands moving into social commerce	Brand-first identity and TikTok Shop
Dinosaur	Princess Street, Manchester	Retail, finance and public sector campaigns	Independent creative communications
Love & Logic	Manchester	Startups and mission-led organisations	Project-built specialist teams
Behive Design	Irlam, Greater Manchester	Small businesses on tighter budgets	Logos, brochures and event graphics

Best Graphic Design Agencies In Manchester

1. The Chase — Independent Creative Consultancy Since 1988

The Chase was founded in 1988 and remains independently owned. Its Manchester studio is at 2 Commercial Street, close to Castlefield, with a second office on Newburgh Street in Soho. It offers advertising, design and branding to every sector, and sums up its range with the line “from stamps to stadiums, no job too big or too small”.

The consultancy describes itself as one of the most awarded creative consultancies in the world, and its philosophy is simple: the idea is the thing, and its relevance matters as much as its originality. That idea-first approach runs across conventional and unconventional media, from print and identity to environmental work such as Woolwich Works for the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Its client list features M&S Bank, Asda, AstraZeneca, Hasbro, Royal Mail, the British Council, the BBC and JD.

The Chase suits organisations that want a senior creative team to find a memorable idea and then carry it across every format, whether that is a single stamp, a brand identity or a building. It is one of the most established names in Manchester design, so expect a fee level that reflects its experience.

2. Superfried — Identity And Typography Studio For Sustainable Brands

Superfried works from Bartle House on Oxford Court in Manchester city centre and describes itself as a bold, curious, award-winning graphic design agency. Its focus is brand strategy and identity for global and local clients seeking a more sustainable future.

The studio’s portfolio leans heavily on craft. It designs identity systems and logotypes, creates bespoke typefaces, and produces illustration, character design, annual reports and marketing literature. Clients include the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, the Jane Goodall Institute, Quorn through Marlow Ingredients, Sadler’s Wells and Fast Company, which shows how far a Manchester studio can reach. Superfried is a member of 1% for the Planet, is associated with Design Declares, uses green web hosting and publishes a free guide to spotting greenwashing. It also shares free advice for clients choosing a design agency.

Superfried is an excellent fit for charities, foundations, ethical businesses and cultural organisations that need an identity with real typographic character, and that want to work with a studio whose own practice reflects the values they are trying to communicate.

3. Instruct Studio — Multidisciplinary Studio For Culture And Place

Instruct is a multidisciplinary design studio at 22 Lever Street in the Northern Quarter, working within the architectural, media and cultural sectors. It has more than 15 years of studio experience and over 20 years of placemaking expertise, and it offers what it calls good, honest design and strategic direction for brands and digital platforms.

Its service list is broad: brand strategy, visual identity, campaigns, broadcast design, curation, content creation, illustration, animation, moving image, exhibitions, signage and wayfinding, website design and even VR design. Named clients include Adidas, the BBC, the British Council, the National Trust, Manchester Art Gallery, the Royal Exchange Theatre, the Science Museum Group and Universal Pictures. The team also co-founded and produces Design Manchester, the city’s festival celebrating art, design, illustration, animation and photography, which says a lot about its standing in the local creative community.

Instruct is a natural choice for galleries, theatres, property developers and public bodies that need design to work across print, screen and physical space, including wayfinding and exhibition graphics.

4. True North — Brand Identity Studio For Institutions And Culture

True North is based at Cheetwood House on Newton Street and has been building brands for 25 years. Its work spans brand strategy, including research, positioning, naming and brand architecture, and brand identity covering visual, verbal and behavioural identity with full guidelines. It also handles marketing and internal communications, from campaigns to culture programmes.

The studio is known for work with institutions that have complex audiences and long histories. Its client list includes Durham University, Oxford and Cambridge, Tate, the National Gallery of Ireland, the Royal Academy of Arts, Cancer Research UK, the Wellcome Trust, Royal Mail and the British Council. Recent projects include Brook Street, the Schwarzman Centre and Our Future Health. True North says it measures success by client outcomes rather than peer recognition, and its approach centres on stepping back, challenging assumptions and finding insights others miss.

True North suits universities, cultural organisations, health charities and research bodies that need an identity able to unite many stakeholders, along with a team experienced at guiding large committees through a rebrand.

5. BGN — Brand-Led Design Agency For Consumer Brands

BGN is a design agency based at One Express on George Leigh Street in Ancoats, with a team of strategists, designers and developers who embed into client businesses. Its work is organised around creative strategy, brand-led design and digital experiences, following a double-diamond process of equal parts thinking and doing.

On the design side, BGN covers visual identity, verbal identity, motion, packaging and campaigns, supported by strategy services such as research, positioning, brand architecture and naming. That combination of identity and packaging is particularly useful for consumer brands launching or refreshing products. Clients include Carlsberg, Unilever, Rolls-Royce, Rio, Onken and Total Fitness, ranging from scale-ups to established global businesses. The agency has been recognised at The Drum Awards and is a BIMA member.

BGN is a strong option for food, drink and consumer brands that need a design team able to move from brand strategy to pack design to a website without changing agencies, and that want the work to balance style with practical usability. Its Craft CMS and WordPress skills also mean the new identity can be rolled out online quickly.

6. Holdens — Strategic Design Agency With Experiential Capability

Holdens is a strategic and creative marketing agency with its Manchester studio at 39-45 Edge Street in the Northern Quarter. It also has a workshop at Higher Whitley in Cheshire and an office at Factory Berlin, which gives it unusual physical production capability for a design agency.

The agency organises its work into four areas. Brand Expression covers strategy, identity and what it calls AI-ready design systems, built so that brand assets can be used consistently by teams and tools. Brand Engagement covers websites, apps and digital products. Brand Exposure covers marketing and advertising campaigns, and Brand Experience covers immersive and experiential activations. Its stated aim is simple: helping brands make an impact.

Holdens suits brands whose identity needs to come alive in physical spaces as well as on screen, such as events, retail activations, showrooms and launches, and businesses that want a design system robust enough to scale across many teams and channels. The Cheshire workshop is a practical advantage when a project moves from graphics into building real objects and installations.

7. Cheetham Bell — Graphic Design And Packaging For Food And Grocery Brands

Cheetham Bell is based at 1 Hardman Street in Spinningfields and was established 20 years ago as an advertising agency. Today it combines brand strategy, graphic design, web design, digital marketing, shopper marketing and content, and it uses its own Brand DNA tool to define what makes each brand distinct.

Its graphic design work covers packaging, corporate identity, posters and digital design, and its client list is weighted towards food and grocery: Dr. Oetker, John West and Baxters, alongside Magnet Kitchens and Dreams. That retail experience is backed by a shopper marketing offer, Retail Connect, which helps designs perform on shelf and in store. The agency’s sustainability campaign for John West achieved incremental sales of £17m, which it reports as a 9:1 return on investment. Its approach is to find the clear, engaging and distinct truth that sets a brand apart, then express it simply.

Cheetham Bell is a good fit for food, drink and home brands that need packaging and point-of-sale design created by a team that understands supermarket buyers and shopper behaviour, not just aesthetics.

8. Sunny Thinking — Award-Winning Branding Agency For Purpose-Led Organisations

Sunny Thinking was founded in 2008 by Jonathan Reed, a former account director at creative agencies in England and Canada, and works from 78 Borough Road in Altrincham. Its small team includes graphic designers, copywriters, photographers, illustrators, animators, motion graphics specialists and digital experts.

The agency offers branding for startups and established organisations, design and marketing across print and digital formats, and marketing-first websites, often built on Craft CMS. It has won more than 20 awards, including global recognition, and keeps a public record of them on its site. Its clients lean towards health and wellbeing, charities and family-oriented businesses, including the NHS, Making Space, The Regenda Group, Manchester Metropolitan University and Soreen. Sunny Thinking works to a triple bottom line of people, planet and profit, and each year gives a share of its time and profits to charities, grassroots sports and community causes.

Sunny Thinking suits charities, housing associations, health organisations and friendly consumer brands that want warm, accessible design from a team whose values match their own, and it publishes free guides on branding and charity branding to help clients prepare.

9. IF Agency — Brand-First Creative Agency For Social Commerce

IF Agency is based at The Courthouse on Grafton Street in Altrincham and has more than two decades of experience. It describes itself as a brand-first creative agency: it starts with strategy, distinctive assets and voice, then builds content, campaigns and commerce on top of that foundation.

Its design and identity work sits in a pillar it calls Shift, covering positioning, naming and identity that cuts through noise. The agency then extends those identities into social-first content, user-generated content, creator partnerships, paid media and social commerce, including TikTok Shop, live selling and shoppable content. Clients include Kärcher, Faith In Nature, Freshpet, YHA, Knowsley Safari, Parcel2Go and Oggs. Its case studies report a 9,333% uplift in paid social revenue for YHA and a 935% GMV increase for Ultimate Products. The creative team is led by Creative Director Jo Whiteley.

IF Agency suits consumer brands in food and drink, retail, travel, pet and beauty that need a refreshed identity designed to work hard on social platforms and in social shops, not just on packaging and print.

10. Dinosaur — Independent Creative Communications Agency

Dinosaur is an independent creative communications company based at 86 Princess Street in Manchester city centre. It describes its aim as creating ideas that are impossible to ignore, whether they are joyous, daring, charming or heartbreaking, built on provocative thinking and insight-led strategy.

Its services include brand identity, design, brand development and brand strategy, carried through into social media, digital, TV, outdoor and print. That means a Dinosaur identity is usually designed with the campaign in mind, so the visual language works as hard on a billboard or in a social feed as it does on a letterhead. Its portfolio includes work for Pets at Home, The Co-operative Bank, Crown Paints, Holts, the NHS, Silentnight, Merseyrail, Go North East and Bupa Well+. Recent work includes the Amounts To More campaign for The Co-operative Bank and the Looks Like campaign for Crown Paints.

Dinosaur is a good fit for established retail, finance, transport and healthcare brands that need graphic design and campaign thinking delivered together by an independent agency with national-scale experience.

11. Love & Logic — Brand Identity Consultancy With Project-Built Teams

Love and Logic is a Manchester brand consultancy founded in 2022 by Creative Director Angela Roche, who brings nearly two decades of experience as a brand consultant and creative director. Before launching the studio she delivered projects for Brother, PlayStation, Molson Coors, Barnardo’s and Nichols, the company behind Vimto.

The studio offers brand identity, graphic design, social media creatives and animation and motion design. Its model is different from most agencies: rather than building a permanent team and then finding work to keep it busy, it assembles specialist strategists, designers, animators, copywriters and technologists for each project from a network based in Manchester and internationally. That keeps overheads down and means each brief gets the right skills. Clients include the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Creative Boom, Interactive Investor, Barnardo’s, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Environment Agency.

Love and Logic suits startups, scale-ups and mission-led organisations that want senior creative direction on their identity without paying for a large agency structure, and that value a single point of contact throughout the project.

12. Behive Design — Graphic Design And Web Studio For Small Businesses

Behive Design is based in Irlam, on the western edge of Greater Manchester, and brings more than 20 years of industry experience. It offers creative design, web design and SEO, making it a practical one-stop studio for smaller organisations that need their brand, print and website handled by the same people.

Its creative design service runs from logos and full branding packages to brochures, event graphics and social media assets. Web projects range from single landing pages to full ecommerce builds, all mobile-friendly and managed through a content management system, and its SEO work covers on-page optimisation, link building and content marketing. Portfolio clients include ADAPT Ideations, Timber Building Specialists, The Club House restaurant, Tiger Team Events, Franklin Care Group and EE Homes, a mix of local trades, hospitality, care and events businesses.

Behive suits small and medium-sized businesses in Salford, Trafford and west Manchester that want professional graphic design without city-centre agency costs, and that would rather work with one studio on their logo, brochure, signage graphics and website than coordinate several suppliers.

How To Choose A Graphic Design Agency In Manchester

Can You Visit The Studio And See Proofs?

Many design businesses list Manchester on a location page without having a studio here. Check for a street address and ask whether you can visit. Every studio in this guide shows a Greater Manchester base on its own site, and being able to review printed proofs, materials and mock-ups in person is genuinely useful for identity and packaging work.

Does Their Portfolio Match Your Sector?

A studio that has rebranded universities will approach your project differently from one that designs supermarket packaging. Look for case studies in your sector or with similar challenges, and pay attention to how the work performs across applications, not just how the logo looks. Ask to see guidelines and real-world roll-out, not only hero images.

Who Will Actually Do The Design Work?

In a large agency the people in the pitch may not be the people at the desk. Ask who your lead designer and creative director will be, how much of their time your project will get, and whether any work is outsourced. Smaller graphic design companies in Manchester often offer direct access to founders, while larger consultancies bring broader teams and specialist skills.

What Will You Own At The End?

Clarify which files, fonts, templates and usage rights you will receive. Bespoke typefaces, illustration and photography can carry licensing terms, and brand guidelines should be detailed enough for your team or other suppliers to apply the identity consistently. A good branding agency in Manchester will hand over master files and templates as standard.

How Does Design Connect To The Rest Of Your Marketing?

An identity has to work on your website, in social feeds, in advertising and in content. Ask how the studio will support roll-out, and whether it can work alongside your marketing partners. If you are planning content to launch the new brand, our guide to content marketing agencies in Manchester is a useful companion.

Conclusion

Manchester offers graphic design at every scale, from consultancies that have been winning awards since the 1980s to independent studios specialising in typography, cultural placemaking, packaging and purpose-led brands. The best choice depends on your sector, your budget and how far beyond the identity itself you need the work to go, from print and packaging to social content and physical spaces.

Shortlist two or three studios whose portfolios show work for organisations like yours, meet the people who will lead the project, and agree clearly on deliverables and ownership before you start. Good design is a long-term asset, so it is worth taking the time to find a team you trust.

For other Manchester services, from marketing and software to IT, legal and local trades, browse the Manchester services hub.