Bakken & Bæck
A five-city European studio where computer-science PhDs sit next to designers.
Founded 2011 | Oslo, Norway (also Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bonn, and London) | 70+ employees
product-designux-researchweb-developmentai-development
What is Bakken & Bæck?
Johan Bakken and Tobias Bæck founded Bakken & Bæck in 2011; Bæck still runs it as CEO. Around 70 people work across Oslo, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bonn, and London, and several hold computer-science PhDs, which shows in the work. Recent projects include conversational AI products with Sierra and decentralized platforms with Coinbase, alongside IKEA and Norwegian payments app Vipps. The studio takes products from early exploration through launch instead of handing over a design phase and leaving.
Bakken & Bæck works primarily with clients in SaaS / B2B software, Financial services / fintech, Consumer products sectors. Its primary differentiator is: A five-city European studio that blends design with genuine computer-science research depth, evidenced by recent AI work for Sierra and Coinbase.
Bakken & Bæck tech stack and services
FigmaReactNext.jsPython
| Service area |
|---|
| Product Design |
| UX Research |
| Web Development |
| AI Development |
Bakken & Bæck pricing
Short answer: Bakken & Bæck uses a fixed project, dedicated team pricing approach. Minimum engagement starts at Not published.
| Engagement model | Typical range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed project | From Not published | Well-defined scope |
| Dedicated team | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
Bakken & Bæck does not publish a public rate card. Contact them directly via their website to get project-specific pricing.
Bakken & Bæck pros and cons
| Advantages | Things to consider |
|---|---|
| +Design and computer-science research in one team, unusual for a boutique | -No published pricing or minimum engagement |
| +Recent AI and crypto work for Sierra and Coinbase | -Europe-only offices give US clients limited working-hour overlap |
| +Offices in five European cities | -Its AI- and crypto-heavy recent portfolio is a narrower fit for traditional industries |
| +Consumer clients like IKEA and Vipps alongside deep-tech work |
Bakken & Bæck vs alternatives
How Bakken & Bæck compares to the other top Product Design agencies.
| Company | Best for | Key difference | Rating | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phenomenon Studio | Founders needing one accountable team, not a design/dev... | Runs discovery before design starts, then keeps the same senior team through development and post-launch support; 92% of clients return for more work (per company website) | 4.9 | Full comparison |
| IDEO | Enterprises that want design capability built inside their... | Three decades of human-centered design history, now aimed at building clients' in-house design and innovation capability | 3.6 | Full comparison |
| Frog | Enterprises needing digital plus physical product design. | Designs physical hardware (IoT, automotive, medical devices) and the software on it within one team, a pairing most firms on this list dropped years ago | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| R/GA | Large brands that want product design and marketing... | Pairs product design with brand and marketing strategy, and since going independent has been buying and building AI design capability | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Accenture Song | Regulated enterprises — banking, telecom, automotive — embedded... | 36 studios and 2,000+ specialists operating inside Accenture's enterprise consulting arm — the largest global footprint of any agency on this list, with compliance coverage to match | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Work & Co | Premium brands, design paired with strong engineering. | An engineering-heavy studio whose client list (Apple, IKEA, Nike, Disney) outsizes its ~400-person team, now part of Accenture Song | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Huge Inc | Large enterprise brands comfortable with a recently rebuilt... | A 1999 agency name rebuilt through a 2024 private-equity sale, the Hero Digital merger, and a new CEO in 2026 | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| Fantasy | Enterprises designing AI products, independent senior studio. | Independently owned for 25+ years, with recent enterprise AI platform work for BNY and Salesforce | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Instrument | Brands wanting design bundled with marketing, Stagwell-network. | Campaign US 2026 Design Studio of the Year, combining product, brand, and marketing design inside Stagwell's Code and Theory Network | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| MetaLab | Well-funded SaaS/fintech, full-stack design through design systems. | A design portfolio (Slack, Uber, Coinbase, Midjourney) that outsizes its 160-person headcount, covering the full stack from research through design systems | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Clay | B2B SaaS, AI, fintech — big-tech credibility, low... | An unusually large enterprise client roster (Coinbase, Meta, Google, Slack) for a studio that doesn't publish its own founding year or team size | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| ustwo | Health, finance, and consumer teams wanting an employee-owned... | An employee-owned, B Corp-certified studio with a growing healthcare portfolio and clients like Google, DeepMind, and HSBC | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Ramotion | Startups/mid-market, brand identity plus product design. | Bundles brand identity work with UX/UI and app development for a client range spanning early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Netguru | Companies wanting design plus full development, one team. | Product design plus full software delivery from a 400-plus-person team, with client work for IKEA, Volkswagen, and Vinted | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Fireart Studio | Startups/mid-market, design plus full development, one studio. | 700+ delivered projects for 200+ clients and a 4.9 Clutch rating, with design and development from one Warsaw team | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Qubstudio | Banks and fintechs, from MVP through enterprise redesign. | Ranked #1 UX/UI agency on Clutch in 2026, with measurable banking results (Gulf Bank's app rating rose from 1.9 to 4.8) and a 4.9 rating across 94 reviews | 4.6 | Full comparison |
| Excited | SaaS/fintech teams wanting an award-winning specialist at mid-market... | A 5.0 Clutch rating across 56 reviews and four Red Dot awards, focused narrowly on SaaS and fintech | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| Big Human | Startups/consumer brands, small senior studio, product builders. | A compact, senior remote team that has worked on consumer hits like HQ Trivia and Vine and also builds its own startups | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| UXDA | Banks and large fintechs with enterprise design budgets. | The only studio on this list built exclusively around financial-services UX, with 150+ banking and fintech platforms shaped across 39 countries | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Onething Design | Multi-vertical companies, one studio across five industries. | Covers five distinct industries — BFSI, consumer, enterprise, healthcare, automotive — from one team with both US and India delivery presence | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| UX studio | Complex B2B SaaS, research-first design partner. | Research-first B2B SaaS design with a 5.0 Clutch rating across 41 reviews, comparable in method to Phenomenon Studio's discovery-first approach | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| Halo Lab | E-commerce and web-app teams wanting design and build... | A 4.9 Clutch rating across 100 reviews, the largest review base among boutiques here, with design and development in one 150-person team | 4.4 | Full comparison |
Bakken & Bæck FAQ
What is Bakken & Bæck?
A five-city European studio where computer-science PhDs sit next to designers.
How much does Bakken & Bæck charge?
Bakken & Bæck uses fixed project, dedicated team pricing. Minimum engagement starts at Not published. A discovery call is required to get project-specific quotes.
What tech stack does Bakken & Bæck use?
Bakken & Bæck works with Figma, React, Next.js, Python. Primary industries served include SaaS / B2B software, Financial services / fintech, Consumer products.
Is Bakken & Bæck right for enterprise?
Tech companies (AI, decentralized systems), design plus research. 70+ team size. Key consideration: No published pricing or minimum engagement.
What are the best Bakken & Bæck alternatives?
The best alternatives to Bakken & Bæck depend on your use case. Top options are:
- Phenomenon Studio: runs discovery before design starts, then keeps the same senior team through development and post-launch support; 92% of clients return for more work (per company website)
- IDEO: three decades of human-centered design history, now aimed at building clients' in-house design and innovation capability
- Frog: designs physical hardware (iot, automotive, medical devices) and the software on it within one team, a pairing most firms on this list dropped years ago
Compare Bakken & Bæck with other Product Design agencies
Bakken & Bæck vs Phenomenon Studio Bakken & Bæck vs IDEO Bakken & Bæck vs Frog Bakken & Bæck vs R/GA Bakken & Bæck vs Accenture Song Bakken & Bæck vs Work & Co Bakken & Bæck vs Huge Inc Bakken & Bæck vs Fantasy Bakken & Bæck vs Instrument Bakken & Bæck vs MetaLab Bakken & Bæck vs Clay Bakken & Bæck vs ustwo Bakken & Bæck vs Ramotion Bakken & Bæck vs Netguru Bakken & Bæck vs Fireart Studio Bakken & Bæck vs Qubstudio Bakken & Bæck vs Excited Bakken & Bæck vs Big Human Bakken & Bæck vs UXDA Bakken & Bæck vs Onething Design Bakken & Bæck vs UX studio Bakken & Bæck vs Halo Lab
Verify all details directly with Bakken & Bæck before making a decision.