Best for: Forward-thinking startups and mid-market enterprises that need brand identity, digital product design, or motion work from a senior-led, fully remote studio — particularly companies that value a principled, adaptive design process over the output-factory model of large agencies.
RocketAir has built something genuinely unusual: a small, remote-first studio that regularly punches above its weight class on client calibre. Coursera, BP, Qlik, Commvault — these aren't accounts that land at studios this size by accident. The Orbital Design methodology gives the team a consistent way to explain their process to clients, which matters more than it might seem. The honest caveat is that RocketAir is a lean operation — around a dozen people across time zones — and that shapes what they can take on and when.
Reviewed by Chelsea Greene
The Full Read
RocketAir was founded in 2018 by Taylor Rosenbauer in New York, with a clear thesis: that a lean, strategically led design studio could outperform bloated agencies by staying close to the problem and iterating in tight cycles. The studio operates fully remote — "remote from day one" in their own words — with a global team spanning North America, Europe, and South America. Current headcount sits in the low teens, though the 11–50 LinkedIn bracket reflects the range.
The methodology they've built around is called Orbital Design. The name is deliberately evocative: the idea is that the studio orbits its clients, adapting its process to the specific problem rather than imposing a fixed service structure. In practice, it means discovery and strategy come before any visual work, user and audience insights shape creative decisions throughout, and design is tested against real audiences rather than handed off as a finished artefact. Whether you find this compelling or generic will depend partly on whether the work backs it up — and for the most part it does. The portfolio spans fintech (Wayflyer, Oatfi, BlockFi), edtech (Coursera, Noodle), enterprise tech (Commvault, Software AG, Qlik), biotech (Cambrian Biopharma, Oviva Therapeutics), and e-commerce (Stryx, Inaru) — a range that signals genuine versatility rather than a narrow niche.
The studio has attracted external recognition beyond its client list. Adweek named RocketAir one of its Fastest Growing Agencies in 2023, and the studio appeared on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private US companies. CEO Taylor Rosenbauer has written for Fast Company and Business Insider on the four-day workweek the agency adopted in 2023 — a structural choice that shapes hiring, culture, and how the studio presents itself to clients. The billing model is built around creative output rather than hours, which is worth understanding before engaging: this is not a studio that charges by the hour in the traditional sense.
Where RocketAir has natural limits is straightforwardly a function of size. A lean global team produces different risk profiles than a 50-person studio — capacity windows, coverage, and bandwidth during complex concurrent projects all require honest conversation upfront. The studio is also not a web development shop; their motion practice produces compelling animation, but they are not a full-stack production house.
What RocketAir Does
Brand
Brand strategy, visual identity, messaging, design systems, and brand assets. Research and insights-grounded, with a process that uncovers brand DNA before any visual decisions.
Brand Strategy · Visual Identity · Messaging · Design Systems · Brand Assets
Product
Digital product design including UX, UI, user research, prototyping, and product strategy. Built around understanding how people actually interact with complex products rather than how businesses wish they would.
UX Design · UI Design · User Research · Prototyping · Product Strategy
Motion
Animation and motion design for brand and product contexts. Used for product explainers, brand campaigns, enterprise storytelling, and digital experiences.
Motion Design · Animation · Brand Film · Product Explainers
Selected Work
A snapshot of recent named projects. Full case studies on the agency's site.
Wayflyer
Brand
Full brand identity for the Dublin-based revenue-based financing platform — positioning it for rapid growth in the fintech space.
NewLimit
Brand
Brand identity for the Jeff Bezos-backed longevity biotech startup — a high-stakes brief for a company operating at the edge of science and public credibility. ·
Oatfi
Brand
Brand infrastructure for the embedded B2B lending platform — translating complex fintech infrastructure into clear brand expression.
Commvault
Brand · Motion
Campaign and motion work for the enterprise data protection company — making B2B technology harder to ignore
Aumni
Product · Brand
Brand and product design for the investment analytics platform for venture capital.
Stryx
Brand
E-commerce brand redesign for the men's grooming and cosmetics brand.
Cambrian Biopharma
Brand
Visual identity for the longevity-focused biotech, balancing scientific credibility with human warmth.
Surf Internet
Brand
Legacy telecom brand modernisation for the regional internet provider.
Hire RocketAir If You Need…
- A design and strategy studio that leads with thinking before visual output — the Orbital Design approach is genuinely embedded, not just a slide in a pitch deck.
- Brand, product, or motion work from a senior team that can flex across verticals — fintech, biotech, edtech, enterprise tech, and e-commerce all appear in the portfolio with conviction.
- A remote-first partner comfortable operating across geographies and time zones. The studio has been globally distributed from the beginning and has built its workflows accordingly.
- A studio that bills on output and value rather than hourly rates — and understands how to scope creative work accordingly.
Skip RocketAir If…
- Your project requires large concurrent teams or complex enterprise governance structures. At a dozen people, RocketAir is a studio, not an agency group.
- You need full-stack web development alongside design. Their Motion practice handles animation, but they are not a development shop.
- You need immediate availability for a large-scope project. A lean team with a four-day workweek has fixed capacity, and project timing conversations matter more here than at a larger agency.
Independent Verification
Awards & Recognition
Adweek — Fastest Growing Agencies 2023 · RocketAir named to Adweek's annual list of top 100 fastest-growing agencies, recognised for consistent annual revenue growth.
Inc. 5000 — Fastest-Growing Private US Companies, 2023 · Ranked #1,733 · 322% three-year revenue growth, independently verified by Inc. Magazine against certified revenue figures.
If RocketAir Isn't the Right Fit
Mekanism
An independent creative agency with strong brand and digital campaign work, particularly for consumer and tech brands that need brand identity alongside content and activation.
Anagrama
A Monterrey and New York brand and packaging studio with a distinctive visual identity practice across consumer, hospitality, and tech clients.
Further
A brand strategy and identity studio with a focused practice in purpose-led brand positioning and visual systems for ambitious companies.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is RocketAir's proprietary design methodology. The core idea is that the studio adapts its process to the client's specific problem rather than imposing a fixed service structure — orbiting the client rather than working from a fixed template. Discovery and strategy precede creative execution, design decisions are grounded in audience insights, and work is tested and iterated in cycles rather than delivered in a single handoff.
Yes. The portfolio spans early-stage startups (Oatfi, Oviva Therapeutics, Inaru) through to established enterprises (Commvault, Qlik, BP, Software AG). The common thread is that clients are "forward-thinking" — willing to invest in design as a strategic asset rather than a production cost.
The studio adopted a permanent four-day workweek in 2023 and restructured its billing model around creative output rather than hours. In practice, it means project timelines and scope discussions are grounded in what the team can deliver at sustained quality within their working model. Clients who require five-day-a-week availability or large-capacity surge capacity should raise this in an initial conversation.
Yes. The team has been remote from day one, with people across North America, Europe, and South America. There is no single physical office to visit or co-locate with.
The portfolio spans B2B, B2C, Biotech, E-commerce, Education, Financial Services, Industrial Supplies, and SaaS. Their verticals page at rocketair.com/verticals documents this range with associated work.
Ready to see if RocketAir fits your project?
Visit the agency's site to view their full portfolio, or compare them against the rest of our top picks.