Best Brand Design Agency

Pentagram vs COLLINS

Two of the most-cited names in branding. On this site's rubric COLLINS ranks #1 and Pentagram #2.

Updated By the Best Brand Design Agency deskHow we scoreDisclosure

This guide is free, and no agency pays to be listed, ranked or linked. How the site is funded.

Short answer

COLLINS ranks #1 at 8.2 and Pentagram #2 at 8.2. Positions follow the unrounded average, where COLLINS's lead on strategy depth (9.0 against 7.0) outweighs Pentagram's lead on body of work and recognition. Pentagram has the stronger 2026 awards record, with its New York office 2nd in D&AD's design agency ranking 9; COLLINS runs programs from Brand Creation to Reposition and Architecture Restructure 21.

Pick Pentagram if
the identity is the main job and you want one of the firm's partners designing it 6.
Pick COLLINS if
the business needs repositioning, naming or a new brand architecture as much as a new look 21.
Pentagram and COLLINS compared
PentagramCOLLINS
Our score8.28.2
Based inNew York, London, Austin and Berlin1New York and San Francisco2
Founded1972320072
OwnershipOwned and run by its partners, by its own account4Independent, per D&AD's 2023 Independent Agency table5
Team23 partners, all practicing designers644 people named on its team page7
D&AD design agency rankingNew York 2nd and London 7th in 2026 891st in 2021, 28th in 2023, 100th in 2025; no 2024 or 2026 entry5
Latest top honors2026 D&AD Yellow Pencil for INQUE and Graphite Pencil for MoN Takanawa 1011Ad Age Business Transformation Agency of the Year 2026; Design & Branding Agency of the Year 2024 and 2025 12 1314
Notable workMastercard, Pfizer 15, Guggenheim 16, Reddit 1718Spotify, Twitch, Mailchimp, Dropbox19
Published minimum budgetNot published; new business by email to one of four offices1Not published; new business by email to [email protected]20

Scores by criterion

Pentagram

Score breakdown for Pentagram
Body of work 30%9.5
Recognition 20%9.5
Strategy depth 15%7.0
Access and fit 15%5.5
Range of delivery 10%9.0
Transparency 10%6.5

COLLINS

Score breakdown for COLLINS
Body of work 30%9.0
Recognition 20%9.0
Strategy depth 15%9.0
Access and fit 15%5.5
Range of delivery 10%8.5
Transparency 10%7.0

Visit Pentagram (opens the Pentagram website)Visit COLLINS (opens the COLLINS website)

Questions people ask

Is Pentagram better than COLLINS?

On this site's rubric COLLINS ranks #1 at 8.2 and Pentagram #2 at 8.2. Pentagram scores higher on body of work, recognition and range of delivery, COLLINS on strategy depth and transparency. Pick by the job: identity first, Pentagram; repositioning first, COLLINS.

Do Pentagram and COLLINS publish prices?

Neither publishes a price or minimum budget. Pentagram takes new business by email to each of its four offices, and COLLINS by email to [email protected] 1 20.

Sources

  1. Pentagram. Contact. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  2. COLLINS (company page on LinkedIn). COLLINS | LinkedIn. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  3. Pentagram. Colin Forbes on the Structure of Pentagram. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  4. Pentagram. Pentagram: The world’s largest independent design consultancy. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  5. D&AD. Collins: D&AD company profile and rankings. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  6. Pentagram. About. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  7. COLLINS. Team | COLLINS. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  8. D&AD. Pentagram London. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  9. D&AD. Pentagram New York. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  10. D&AD. MoN Takanawa (D&AD Awards archive). Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  11. D&AD. INQUE (D&AD Awards archive). Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  12. Ad Age. Best Agencies: 2024 A-List Awards. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  13. Ad Age. Best Agencies: 2025 A-List Awards. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  14. Ad Age. How Collins transformed its own business, bringing value to brands from Nike to NASA (Collins: A-List 2026). Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  15. Pentagram. Pfizer. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  16. Pentagram. Guggenheim. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  17. Pentagram. Reddit. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  18. Pentagram. Mastercard. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  19. COLLINS. Case Studies | COLLINS. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  20. COLLINS. COLLINS. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  21. COLLINS. Programs | COLLINS. Checked 9 Nov 2026.