An Independent Editorial Ranking

The Top Design Studios

Top Design Studios

By Noah Bergström, Design Editor

Last updated September 2, 2026

04 of 7 in the rankingPortland, United States

Instrument

Instrument ranks fourth of seven in our editorial ranking at 81 out of 100: a 250 to 999 person design studio in Portland, United States, with no Clutch reviews yet, a $250,000 minimum.

Instrument: Portland's large digital studio with $250K minimums and no startup clients

Visit Instrument ↗Clutch.co profile ↗Read the ranked review
Screenshot of the Instrument website homepage

Key facts

Clutch rating
No rating
no reviews yet
Minimum project
$250,000+
Hourly band
$200 to $300/hr
Team size
250 to 999
Clutch band
Founded
2002
Offices
1
Portland, OR

Instrument as a studio

Instrument is a 250 to 999 person studio in Portland, Oregon, founded in 2002. Its mix is UX/UI design 30 percent, digital strategy 20 percent, web development 20 percent and video production 10 percent, a 50 percent design share. Industries split evenly across media and entertainment, B2B services, software and retail at 20 percent each, and clients are exactly half enterprise, half mid-market, with no startups at all. The minimum project is $250,000+ at $200 to $300 per hour. There is no Clutch rating or review on record.

Who it fits

Hire Instrument when a large brand or software company wants a big, design-led West Coast studio to run interface, strategy and video together at campaign scale and can fund a $250,000+ engagement. Startups are not in its book. Branding and graphic design are not listed lines, so identity work is not what it sells on paper.

Strengths

  • UX/UI is the largest line at 30 percent, with video production in-house for launch content
  • Scale of 250 to 999 people with a single Portland base, unusual for a studio of this size

Watch-outs

  • $250,000+ minimum and no startup clients at all
  • No Clutch rating or reviews on record

Evidence

  • Services: UX/UI design 30 percent, digital strategy 20 percent, web development 20 percent, video production 10 percent; design share 50 percent
  • Clients: enterprise 50 percent, mid-market 50 percent; industries media, B2B, software and retail at 20 percent each
  • Minimum $250,000+ at $200 - $300 / hr; team 250 to 999; founded 2002; no clutch rating or reviews on record

Editorial score: 4 of 7

Instrument operates as a full-service studio inside the Stagwell network, and its case studies for Nike, Netflix and ServiceNow read as integrated brand-plus-product overhauls rather than narrowly scoped UX engagements. It is the most expensive entry point here by a wide margin: Clutch lists a $250,000 minimum project size at $200 to $300 an hour, exactly five times the minimum at Clay and Ramotion and the top of the rate band in this ranking. That price buys the largest verified bench on the list, 350-plus people across Portland, New York and Los Angeles, which is why Instrument ties MetaLab at 13 out of 15 for team depth. What it does not buy is public accountability: the Clutch profile sits at 0.0 on zero client reviews, so at this budget the diligence has to happen in reference calls rather than on a review site. Its 12 out of 20 on specialization is the lowest in the top five, a direct read of how much campaign and marketing work sits in the mix.

81/100

Design Taste
34/40
Craft & Portfolio
22/25
Specialization
12/20
Team Depth
13/15

Best for: Big-tech and consumer brands that need brand plus product plus campaign in one engagement

What Instrument reports it does

Self-reported shares from the studio’s Clutch profile. Design disciplines are 50% of the service mix; identity work (branding and graphic design) is 0% and interface work (UX/UI and product design) is 30%.

Service mix

UX/UI Design30%
Digital Strategy20%
Web Development20%
Video Production10%

Industry mix

Media & Entertainment20%
B2B & Business Services20%
Software & IT20%
Retail20%

Client mix

Enterprise50%
Mid-Market50%

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Instrument charge?

The listed minimum project is $250,000+ with hourly rates of $200 to $300. It works only with enterprise and mid-market clients on the record.

Does Instrument do branding?

Branding is not a listed service. Its mix is UX/UI, digital strategy, web development and video production.

Similar studios

Studios that lead with the same service as Instrument, editorial rank first, then review count.

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  • Clay

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    A San Francisco brand and interface studio for enterprise, with Facebook and Google named

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  • Fantasy

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    Fantasy: 250-plus person San Francisco firm, 30 percent design share, no reviews

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  • Ramotion

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    A San Francisco studio where identity is 30 percent of the work and illustration is real

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    Minimum
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    Team
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Facts per Clutch profile, retrieved August 24, 2026: https://clutch.co/profile/instrument. Editorially independent. No studio paid to be included or ranked.