# Top Creative Agencies in Ireland (Updated August 2026)

> Explore the Top 10 Creative Agencies known for their creative strategy and design expertise. Compare their team size and rates to find the right fit.

- Category: Design & Creative
- Author: Brandfire Team
- Companies listed: 10

## Key takeaways

- Team sizes on this list run from two people to more than 250, which is the single biggest practical difference between these agencies.
- Published hourly rates span under €25 to €135, and the spread tracks agency model rather than quality of work.
- Most Irish creative agencies carry no verified reviews on the directories, so ask for references rather than relying on a star rating.
- Almost every agency here sells advertising alongside something else, so check which discipline is the core business and which is a bolt-on.

A creative agency sells the idea, then the assets that carry it: a brand
platform, a campaign concept, and the advertising built on top. Almost nobody
here both invents the campaign and shoots it, so the concept and the production
arrive as two invoices. Minimums run from 900 to 9,000 euro, a spread that
covers both a two-person studio and a network agency of several hundred staff.

## Two people or two hundred: which problem do you have?

Ratings will not help you here. Seven of the ten agencies below carry no
verified reviews at all, so the useful signals are structural.

- **Team size against your scope.** A two-person studio and a 250-person agency are both on this list. They solve different problems.
- **Which discipline is the core business.** Almost every agency sells advertising. Look at what sits beside it, because that is usually where the team's real experience is.
- **Project minimum over hourly rate.** The minimum tells you what size of engagement an agency is set up to run. The hourly rate mostly tells you how they staff it.
- **Whether they can build what they design.** Several agencies here stop at concept and hand over. If your campaign needs a working site or app behind it, confirm that early.
- **Who shoots it.** The idea and the shoot are usually two invoices, and the second goes to the [video production companies](https://brandfire.ie/agencies-in-ireland/video-production-companies) on this list.

> Ask any agency on this shortlist who will actually do the work. On a small team that is the person in the room. On a large one it very often is not.

## Built for your kind of project, not just talented

The Irish market runs two-person studios and network agencies side by side,
and the real choice is rarely about talent, it is about which one is built
for your kind of project. A network shop like McCann or a large integrated
agency like Chemistry can staff several workstreams across markets and
channels at once. A small studio like Jacknife or Motherland puts you
directly in front of the people doing the work, but cannot run five things
in parallel. Neither wins on quality alone.

- **Concept versus delivery.** Several agencies here design a campaign and hand off the build. If you need a working site or app at the end, confirm who builds it before you sign.
- **Core discipline versus bolt-on.** Almost every firm sells advertising. What sits beside it, whether that is branding, video or web development, usually shows where the deepest expertise actually is.
- **Minimum project size against your budget.** McCann's €9,000+ floor and a €900+ studio floor are not interchangeable starting points for the same brief.
- **References over ratings.** Seven of the ten agencies here carry no verified review, so ask for a client to call rather than trusting a star score.

## The idea comes first, the channel comes second

A creative agency develops the idea behind how a brand looks, sounds and
campaigns: brand platforms, campaign concepts, advertising, branding and the
design work that carries them across channels. Several firms on this list
extend into web design, video production or search, but the starting point
is always the concept rather than a single channel. What typically sits
outside scope is the technical build behind a website or app, and ongoing
media buying at scale, unless the agency states it explicitly as part of
its service. Campaign work also sits on top of a brand platform it rarely builds, which is what the [branding agencies](https://brandfire.ie/agencies-in-ireland/branding-agencies) do, and an idea has to be bought before anyone sees it, which is the appointment the [media agencies](https://brandfire.ie/agencies-in-ireland/media-agencies) take. Businesses usually bring a creative agency in for a defined
campaign, a rebrand, or a new market launch, rather than for continuous
day-to-day output.

One thing to settle at concept stage: if the idea includes a mechanic, such as a prize draw, a code on pack or a reward for signing up, the entry and redemption side is usually built by [the platform behind a promotional campaign](https://brandfire.ie/insights/promotions-platform-partner-agency) rather than by the agency that sold the idea.

## From under €25 an hour to a €9,000 minimum

Published hourly rates in this file run from under €25 at Ireland lanyards
to €90-€135 at McCann Dublin and Chemistry, with RaftLabs at €25-€45 in
between. Project minimums show the same spread: €900+ at Stacks Creative,
Vsdirect and Ireland lanyards, €4,500+ at Chemistry, and €9,000+ at McCann
Dublin, the highest figure in this file. Five agencies list no minimum at
all. The pattern tracks agency model rather than quality: network agencies
and large integrated shops sit at the top of both bands, small independent
studios at the bottom. Treat any published figure here as a starting point
for a scoping conversation, not a quote for your specific brief.

## The list

### 1. Chemistry

- Location: Dublin, Ireland
- Minimum project: €4,500+
- Hourly rate: €90 - €135
- Team size: 250 - 999
- Best for: large integrated campaigns
- Services: Advertising, Campaign Strategy, Brand Strategy, Video Production
- Industries: Retail, Food and Drink, Non-profit, Public Sector

Chemistry closed at the end of 2019 after a difficult trading period, and cannot take
new briefs. It appears here because its profile is still carried by agency directories
worldwide, complete with historical figures: a 4,500 euro project minimum, 90 to 135
euro hourly rates and a 250 to 999 team band.

For two decades it ran integrated campaigns from Leeson Park in Dublin for Dunnes
Stores, Bord na Móna, Danone, Center Parcs, Applegreen and the Irish Cancer Society. Its
"Falling Fern" film for the Irish Examiner drew international attention.

The entry stays on this list as a warning about directory data rather than a
recommendation. If you are comparing agencies from a directory listing, confirm the
agency is still trading before you build a shortlist around it.

### 2. CMS Marketing

- Website: https://www.cmsmarketing.com/
- Location: Dublin, Ireland
- Minimum project: Undisclosed
- Team size: 10 - 49
- Best for: campaigns with an event component
- Services: Event Management, Brand Experiences, Advertising, Brand Strategy, Video and Content Production, Sponsorship
- Industries: Retail, Food and Drink, Sport, Consumer Goods

CMS Marketing has operated from Calmount Office Park in Dublin 12 since 1996, with a
team of 10 to 49. It handles event delivery, brand experiences, advertising, brand
strategy, video and sponsorship.

The combination is the point. Concept and logistics sit in the same building, so a
product launch, a promotional roadshow, a corporate conference or an in-store activation
can be both devised and physically run by one supplier. Few Irish agencies hold both
sides.

Sectors are retail, food and drink, sport and consumer goods, where sampling and
physical presence drive sales. The project minimum is undisclosed. It suits a brand
whose marketing has to happen in front of people rather than on a screen.

### 3. Ireland lanyards

- Website: https://www.irelandlanyards.ie/
- Location: Malahide, Ireland
- Minimum project: €900+
- Hourly rate: < €25
- Team size: 10 - 49
- Best for: low-cost branded print
- Services: Branded Lanyards and Passes, ID Cards and Badge Holders, Wristbands and Ribbons, Artwork and Design
- Industries: Education, Healthcare, Events, Corporate Services

Ireland Lanyards supplies branded lanyards, ID cards, badge holders, wristbands and
ribbons from Malahide, with a team of 10 to 49 and delivery across Dublin, Cork, Galway,
Limerick and Belfast.

It is a print supplier rather than a creative agency, and it is on this list because the
directory files it here. Artwork and design services exist to support the products, not
as a standalone offer.

Rates are under 25 euro an hour with projects from 900 euro, both the lowest on this
page. Sectors are education, healthcare, events and corporate services. It suits an
organisation that needs branded identification produced and delivered. For a campaign
idea or a brand platform, every other entry here is the relevant one.

### 4. Jacknife

- Website: https://www.jacknife.ie/
- Location: Dublin, Ireland
- Minimum project: Undisclosed
- Team size: 2 - 9
- Best for: identity and design-led work
- Services: Brand Identity, Logo Design, Advertising, Website Design, Graphic Design, Digital Marketing
- Industries: Hospitality, Retail, Professional Services, Consumer Goods

Jacknife is a two-person studio run by creative directors Jack Healy and David Cowzer,
working across Dublin and County Clare.

Both founders have award records in Irish advertising, with recognition from ICAD, the
One Show, Epica and the Shark Awards. That is the whole proposition: the people who won
those awards are the people who do the work, with no account management layer in
between.

Services are brand identity, logo design, advertising, website design and graphic
design. Sectors are hospitality, retail, professional services and consumer goods. The
project minimum is undisclosed. It suits a client who wants senior creative attention on
a single piece of work, and two people cannot run several workstreams at once.

### 5. KICK Dublin

- Website: https://kickdublin.ie/
- Location: Dublin 4, Ireland
- Minimum project: Undisclosed
- Team size: 10 - 49
- Best for: strategy plus search
- Services: Advertising, Brand Strategy, Website Design, Search Engine Optimisation, Video Production, Social Media Marketing
- Industries: Food and Drink, Automotive, Public Sector, Telecommunications

KICK is an independent creative consultancy on Pembroke Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4,
with a team of 10 to 49. It pairs campaign and brand strategy with digital execution:
website design, SEO, social and video production.

The client list is specific and checkable: drinks brands including Bulmers, Corona,
Budweiser and San Miguel; food brands Ballymaloe and Marks and Spencer; Peugeot and DS
in automotive; and public bodies ComReg and Safefood.

Sectors are food and drink, automotive, public sector and telecommunications. The
project minimum is undisclosed. It suits an advertiser that wants a campaign idea and
the digital performance work behind it from the same team, which is a narrower field
than the service lists on this page suggest.

### 6. McCann Dublin

- Location: Dublin 2, Ireland
- Minimum project: €9,000+
- Hourly rate: €90 - €135
- Team size: 10 - 49
- Best for: network-scale brand work
- Services: Advertising, Brand Identity, Website Design, Social Media Marketing, Campaign Strategy
- Industries: Retail, Financial Services, Food and Drink, Public Sector

McCann Dublin is the Irish arm of the McCann network, based in the Liberties in Dublin 2
with a team of 10 to 49. Following a merger with the digital agency Blue Cube it has
often traded as McCann Blue.

Network membership is what it sells: a single message deployed across television, out-
of-home, national press and digital at once, supported by McCann Worldgroup planning
methodology.

The project minimum is 9,000 euro, the highest on this page, with rates of 90 to 135
euro an hour. Sectors are retail, financial services, food and drink, and public sector.
One caveat from the listing: recent directory entries show inconsistency in its web
addresses, so confirm current status through the central McCann network before starting
a major project.

### 7. Motherland

- Website: https://motherland.ie/
- Location: Dublin, Ireland
- Minimum project: Undisclosed
- Team size: 2 - 9
- Best for: video-led social campaigns
- Services: Video Production, Television Commercials, Brand Films, Documentary Production, Music Videos
- Industries: Media and Entertainment, Non-profit, Consumer Goods, Public Sector

Motherland is a film and content production company on Hill Street in Dublin 1, led by
founder Ross Killeen, with a team of two to nine.

It is a production company rather than a marketing agency, and the documentary work is
the evidence: official selections at Sundance, Tribeca and Sheffield Doc/Fest. Services
are brand films, television commercials, documentary and music videos.

No project minimum is published, which is normal for film, where cost turns on location,
talent, shoot days and post-production. Expect to discuss an outline budget on first
contact. Sectors are media and entertainment, non-profits, consumer goods and public
sector. It suits a brand whose campaign is carried by film rather than by a concept
applied across channels.

### 8. RaftLabs

- Website: https://www.raftlabs.com/
- Location: Dublin, Ireland
- Rating: 4.9 (50 verified reviews)
- Hourly rate: €25 - €45
- Team size: 10 - 49
- Founded: 2015
- Best for: AI-first product builds
- Services: Website Design, Mobile Apps, Custom Software, Artificial Intelligence Tools, Growth Marketing
- Industries: Hospitality, Technology, Retail, Professional Services, Healthcare

RaftLabs is a software development and growth marketing company in Dublin, founded in
2015, with a team of 10 to 49. It sits on this list as the technology end of creative:
product engineering rather than advertising.

The work is website and app builds, custom software, AI and voice features, and growth
marketing. Two specific use cases recur: internal tools replacing spreadsheet processes,
and minimum viable products for startups testing an assumption before committing budget.

Rates are 25 to 45 euro an hour, and it holds 50 verified reviews at 4.9 — the strongest
review evidence on a page where seven of ten agencies have none. It suits a company
whose digital product is the brand experience. For a campaign concept, the agencies
above are the brief.

### 9. Stacks Creative

- Website: https://www.stacks.ie/
- Location: Dublin, Ireland
- Minimum project: €900+
- Team size: 2 - 9
- Best for: performance and ecommerce campaigns
- Services: Paid Advertising, Creator and Video Content, Online Shop Growth, Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimisation
- Industries: Retail, Health and Wellness, Food and Drink, Fashion

Stacks Creative works from Adelaide Road in Dublin with a team of two to nine, aimed
entirely at performance marketing and measurable acquisition rather than brand
awareness.

Named clients include Chimac and Inside Nutrition. The studio draws on a network of
content creators across Ireland and the UK, which it says turns around new video assets
in as little as fourteen days, and it holds partner status with Meta, Shopify, Google
Ads and Klaviyo.

Services also cover email, social and conversion work. Projects start from 900 euro.
Sectors are retail, health and wellness, food and drink, and fashion. It suits an online
shop that needs creative and media run together against a sales number.

### 10. Vsdirect

- Website: https://www.vsd.ie/
- Location: Clondalkin, Ireland
- Minimum project: €900+
- Team size: 10 - 49
- Best for: print and branded collateral
- Services: Print Management, Graphic Design, Digital Screens and Signage, Brand Identity, Website Design, Warehousing and Distribution
- Industries: Retail, Hospitality, Consumer Goods, Manufacturing

VSDirect was established in 2016 and operates from Elmfield on the Ninth Lock Road in
Clondalkin, Dublin 22, with nearby logistics units and a team of 10 to 49.

It is a retail execution business: campaign artwork designed, printed, warehoused,
shipped and installed across many store locations at once, from a single supplier. It
also offers in-store footfall and shopper measurement, which ties printed material to
what happened on the shop floor.

The listing records Business All-Star Integrated Marketing Services Company of the Year
in 2024. Projects start from 900 euro. Sectors are retail, hospitality, consumer goods
and manufacturing. It suits a brand running physical campaigns across dozens or hundreds
of sites.

A strong creative campaign gets attention and gives a brand a distinct voice, the kind of work that gets talked about. What it doesn't do is bring the same customer back once the campaign wraps. Getting noticed and staying chosen are separate problems. Brandfire designs and builds loyalty and rewards programmes for brands across Ireland, the kind of thing that keeps a customer engaged after the campaign has finished running.

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