Best Brand Design Agency

Ranked #12 of 14 for best brand design agency

Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv review

An independent New York design firm, practicing since 1957, that specializes in trademarks and identity programs 1 2.

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Verdict

6.6/10

Pick Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv when the logo is the job: the firm designed the Chase octagon, in use since 1961, and redrew the NBC peacock, and it says all principals take part in every project 3 4 2.

Best for Enduring logos and trademarks

Skip it if you need a published budget before first contact 5, or want naming, strategy and motion made entirely in house: the names and strategy for Prosper Global, Radius Recycling and Corus were developed with or by Brand Federation 6 7 8, and the ATP film credits Thornberg & Forester 9.

Visit Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv (opens the Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv website)

Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv at a glance
Founded1957, per the firm; Cooper Hewitt's 2014 award citation says 1958 102
OwnershipIndependent, per the firm; owners not published1
Legal entityChermayeff & Geismar & Haviv LLC, a New York limited liability company (DOS ID 3199776), first filed 3 May 2005, status Active11
LeadershipFounding partner Tom Geismar, partner Sagi Haviv, principal designers Mackey Saturday and Melanie McElduff2
StudioOne New York office: 27 West 24th Street, Suite 900, New York, NY 10010 25
SpecialtyTrademarks and identity programs; also exhibitions, print and motion graphics, and art in architecture 21
Major honorsAIGA Medal 1979 to Ivan Chermayeff and Thomas Geismar; National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement 2014 to Chermayeff and Geismar 1012
Published minimum budgetNot published5

How Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv scores

Score breakdown for Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv
Body of work 30%9.0Marks in use for decades: the Chase octagon since 1961 3, the redrawn NBC peacock 4 and Mobil's full corporate identity 13. Recent programs include Warner Bros. 14, America250 15, the ATP 9 and the 2026 rename of Mercy Corps to Prosper Global 6. Tom Geismar has designed more than a hundred corporate identity programs, by the firm's count 16. The output centers on marks and identity systems.
Recognition 20%5.0The founders hold two of the profession's lifetime honors: the AIGA Medal in 1979 12 and Cooper Hewitt's National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2014 10. Sagi Haviv has chaired the Clio Awards jury and served as D&AD jury president 17. The site publishes no awards list 1, and no recent award or agency ranking for the firm was confirmed from an official archive for this review, so the score rests on honors from 2014 and earlier and sits below agencies with awards from 2023 onward.
Strategy depth 15%6.0The firm gave Practo positioning, communications strategy and brand architecture 18, and developed the Royal Caribbean Group name and guidelines that cover brand voice 19. Its Logos archive tags three projects with Name: Corus International, Radius Recycling and Prosper Global 20, and all three credit Brand Federation for name or strategy work 8 7 6. Brand Federation's founder, strategist Kelly O'Keefe, is listed on the firm's leadership page 21 2.
Access and fit 15%5.5No budget, minimum or timeline is published; work inquiries go to one email address and one phone number in New York 5. Clients run from founders and start-ups, such as Impossible Aerospace, Optimism Brewing and Heart of Tea 22, to Warner Bros. Discovery 23, with projects in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East 2.
Range of delivery 10%6.5The firm lists brand identities, exhibitions, print and motion graphics, and art in architecture 2. Delivered work includes the TCS New York City Marathon guidelines with route-signage pictograms 24, a custom typeface for TNT Sports 25, Mobil's packaging and sign standards 13, bottles, labels and a website for Heart of Tea 22, posters, and art in architecture such as work for the Lisbon Aquarium 26 27. Motion is the gap: the ATP film credits Thornberg & Forester 9 and the Warner Bros. Discovery animation is credited to the client 23.
Transparency 10%5.0The leadership page names six people with bios 2, and case studies explain the reasoning behind the marks and name outside partners such as Brand Federation 6. The case studies checked credit no project team, the only published process is the About page's statement that all principals take part in every project, and no prices, team size or minimum budget are published 2 5. The founding year differs between the firm (1957) and Cooper Hewitt (1958) 2 10.

Strengths and weak spots

Strengths

  • Marks that have lasted decades: the Chase octagon has been in use since 1961, the firm redrew the NBC peacock, and it built Mobil's identity program 3 4 13.
  • The firm says all principals are personally involved in every project 2.
  • Recent large programs, including Warner Bros., America250, the ATP and Prosper Global 14 15 9 6.
  • Identity systems ship with working rules: the New York City Marathon system covers logo lockups, sponsorship levels, patterns and pictograms for route signage 24.
  • Works for founders and start-ups as well as global companies, from Impossible Aerospace and Optimism Brewing to Warner Bros. Discovery 22 23.

Weak spots

  • No published prices, minimum budget or timeline 5.
  • Names and strategy on three renaming projects, Prosper Global, Radius Recycling and Corus, were developed with or by Brand Federation 6 7 8.
  • Motion in the case studies involves outside studios or the client: the ATP film was created with Thornberg & Forester, which also developed the CFA Institute motion graphics, and the Warner Bros. Discovery animation is credited to the client 9 22 23.
  • The case studies checked name no project team, and the site publishes no awards list, process steps or team size 1 2.
  • One studio, in New York; no other office is listed 5 2.

Alternatives to Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv

Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv: common questions

How much does Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv charge?

The firm publishes no prices, day rates or minimum budget. Work inquiries go to [email protected] or 212.532.4595 at its New York studio 5.

Does Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv do naming and brand strategy?

Yes, on some projects. It developed the Royal Caribbean Group name 19 and gave Practo positioning, communications strategy and brand architecture 18. The Prosper Global and Radius Recycling names came out of work done in partnership with Brand Federation 6 7, whose founder Kelly O'Keefe is listed on the firm's leadership page 21.

Does Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv work with start-ups?

Yes. Its portfolio includes Impossible Aerospace, which it describes as a start-up in Sunnyvale, California, Optimism Brewing, founded by a husband-and-wife team, and Heart of Tea, created by a New York entrepreneur 22. It publishes no minimum budget 5.

Sources

  1. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  2. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. About. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  3. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Chase Bank. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  4. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. National Broadcasting Company. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  5. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Contact. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  6. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Prosper Global. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  7. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Radius Recycling. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  8. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Corus International. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  9. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Association of Tennis Professionals. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  10. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. 2014 National Design Award Winners. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  11. New York Department of State, Division of Corporations. Entity information: CHERMAYEFF & GEISMAR & HAVIV LLC (DOS ID 3199776). Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  12. AIGA. AIGA Medal. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  13. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Mobil Oil Corporation. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  14. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Warner Bros. Family of Brands. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  15. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. America250. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  16. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Tom Geismar. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  17. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Sagi Haviv. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  18. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Practo. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  19. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Royal Caribbean Group. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  20. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Logos. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  21. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Kelly O'Keefe. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  22. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. New. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  23. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Warner Bros. Discovery. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  24. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. TCS New York City Marathon. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  25. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. TNT Sports. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  26. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Graphics. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  27. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Art In Architecture. Checked 9 Nov 2026.