For decades, the global design industry revolved around a familiar geography — London, New York, Amsterdam, and a small circle of established creative hubs. Yet recent international rankings suggest a gradual redistribution of influence, as independent studios from smaller markets increasingly appear alongside long-dominant global players.
In the latest global creative rankings compiled from major award systems, the Vilnius-based studio andstudio entered the world’s Top 10 design studios, appearing alongside names such as Pentagram and Studio Dumbar. Rather than signalling a single breakout moment, the result reflects sustained performance across multiple international competitions — and points toward a broader structural shift within contemporary design culture.
ADCE as an indicator of a wider shiftandstudio team: co-founders and partners Domas Mikšys, Augustinas Paukštė, and CEO Diana Abramavičiūtė
One of the clearest signals comes from the ADC Europe (Art Directors Club of Europe) Awards, widely regarded as one of the continent’s most selective creative benchmarks, where only nationally awarded work is eligible to compete at the European level.
In the 2025 ADCE Design Firm rankings, andstudio placed first among European design studios based solely on results within the competition. At the same time, Lithuania ranked third overall in the ADCE country rankings for design — positioned alongside significantly larger creative markets such as Austria and Spain.
The results were reinforced by continued international recognition for fellow Vilnius studio Sons & Daughters ID, whose work was nominated for this year’s ADCE Grand Prix. Taken together, these outcomes suggest momentum not around a single studio, but around a developing creative ecosystem.
What becomes notable is not simply who wins, but where the work is emerging from.
A generation that grew up with brands
Part of this shift may be generational. Many designers now leading independent studios across Europe belong to the first generation that did not learn branding retrospectively through textbooks or Western references, but instead grew up immersed in global brands from childhood.
For designers in their late twenties and thirties today, brands were not distant case studies — they were native cultural environments. The same products, platforms, and visual languages were experienced simultaneously across countries, dissolving the historical gap between creative centers and peripheral markets.
As a result, creative perspectives emerging from smaller countries are no longer adaptations of dominant trends, but parallel contributions shaped by different cultural contexts.
In places like Lithuania, where the contemporary branding industry itself is relatively young, this has produced an unusual condition: studios building brand culture at the same time as they are participating in it globally.
Small markets, international thinking
Operating within smaller economies also creates structural advantages. Limited domestic scale forces studios to think internationally from the outset, encouraging clarity of positioning and adaptability across industries and audiences.
Tighter creative communities further accelerate development. Designers move fluidly between studios, disciplines, and collaborations, creating dense knowledge exchange rarely possible in larger, more segmented markets.
Combined with independent studio structures — where strategy, research, and execution often sit within the same team — this produces work that feels cohesive rather than departmentalized.
A new geography of creative influence
The latest rankings illustrate a broader rebalancing of the creative landscape. Independent studios are increasingly appearing alongside global agency networks, while cities previously absent from the industry narrative are entering conversations traditionally dominated by a few metropolitan centers.
Rather than replacing established hubs, emerging scenes are expanding the geography of design itself. Influence is becoming less tied to location and more connected to perspective, cultural awareness, and intellectual clarity.
If the previous era of design was defined by centralized authority, the next may belong to a distributed network of creative cultures — shaping global visual language from many places at once.
About andstudio
andstudio is a brand and packaging design agency that combines creativity with research, brand analytics, and strategic insights. Specializing in brand design, art direction, and brand activation, andstudio’s team of creatives works across a wide range of industries, from sustainable energy to fashion.
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