Ueno

Premium boutique creative agency serving top-tier tech companies, known for bold design aesthetics and high-quality digital product work

Ueno was a full-service creative agency founded by Haraldur Ragnar Haraldsson (known as 'Halli') that built a strong reputation for delivering visually striking branding, product design, and digital experiences for some of the most recognized names in tech. With offices in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Reykjavik, the agency cultivated a distinctive aesthetic and culture that attracted high-profile clients including Airbnb, Google, Lyft, and Dropbox. Ueno was widely regarded as one of the most creatively ambitious agencies in Silicon Valley, known not only for its design output but also for its transparent company culture and thought leadership. In March 2021, Twitter announced the acquisition of Ueno, bringing the agency's team and creative talent in-house to strengthen Twitter's own design and product experience functions. The acquisition was widely interpreted as a 'talent acquisition' or 'acqui-hire,' with Halli joining Twitter as a VP of Design. Following the acquisition, Ueno ceased operating as an independent agency, and its client-facing work and brand were wound down. Ueno's legacy in the design and creative industry remains significant. The agency demonstrated that a design-first, culture-forward approach could compete at the highest levels of the tech industry, and its work continues to be cited as a benchmark for brand identity and digital product design. The acquisition by Twitter marked the end of Ueno as a distinct commercial entity, with its talent absorbed into Twitter's internal design organization.