How we build a page
Every page on this site — the homepage or a category page — starts from the same question: which studios have real, verifiable Web3 design work, and is that work still current? We identify candidates from search, industry listicles, partner directories where relevant, and studio self-reporting, then check every claim independently before it appears here.
How we verify the work
Every named client, result, and case study on this site is checked against the studio's own site or another independently verifiable source — never a directory profile or self-submitted bio alone. Where a detail couldn't be confirmed, we either dropped it or left it out rather than publish an unverified claim. We also check that a studio's own website is live and functioning; a broken or “coming soon” site gets a studio removed from this site until that changes, regardless of how strong its past work looked.
What we specifically filter out
Web3 design attracts several categories of listing that look like design studios but aren't, and we screen for all of them:
- Generic development shops. Firms that self-describe as a “software development company” or “game development company” and list design as one service among many, rather than leading with brand, UX, or product strategy.
- Community management agencies. Firms that run Discord moderation, Telegram engagement, and ambassador programs are doing real and valuable work, but it's operations, not design — we don't list them as design studios.
- Stale hype-cycle pages. Several categories, especially metaverse-related work, are full of agency pages still trading on 2022-era positioning with no current, verifiable client work behind them.
- Templated production shops. Particularly common in NFT and gaming design, where high-volume generative art factories market themselves as strategic design partners.
What earns a spot in a ranking
- Genuine, named client work, not a portfolio of logos with no case studies attached.
- Design-led positioning. We favor studios whose core identity is brand, UX, or product design — not development or marketing shops that mention design as a secondary service.
- A clear fit signal. Every listing states plainly who a studio is a poor fit for, not just who it's right for.
- Current activity. We prioritize recent, verifiable work over legacy reputation, especially in fast-moving or post-hype categories.
When a category page is short
Some categories on this site — metaverse studios, social and community platform studios — list fewer studios than others. That's a deliberate choice, not an oversight. We'd rather show two or three studios we've genuinely verified than pad a page with names that wouldn't survive a second look. Where a page is short, we say so directly and explain why.
Corrections
Studio websites change, go offline, or get acquired. If you spot something out of date or inaccurate — including a broken link — we want to fix it. See the Contact page.