SMAL
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2011
- Employees
- 51-200
- Offices
- 3
About SMAL
SMAL is an international design, visualization and digital development studio headquartered in Munich, with a presence in Amsterdam and San José. It creates physical products, brands and digital ecosystems for technology and premium brands. Its approach to Branded Product Experiences (BX) connects industrial design with digital interfaces, brand identity and the experiences surrounding a product.
Founded in 2011 as Ziba Munich GmbH, the European design arm of Ziba Design, the business rebranded to SMAL in 2016. Digital Experiences Group acquired a majority stake in 2022. The studio continues to operate under its own brand, bringing together designers, engineers, 3D artists and strategists across its international network.
From research to implementation
SMAL organizes its work around four connected areas: strategy, design, visualization and development. Strategy services include user and market research, customer journey mapping, technology research, opportunity mapping and product roadmaps. These activities support decisions about products, portfolios and customer experiences.
Its design work spans industrial products, UI/UX, interaction design, branding, packaging and spatial environments. Hardware concepting, prototyping and hardware–software integration connect physical product development with digital experiences. The studio also designs websites, mobile applications and interfaces for connected devices.
Visualization capabilities include photorealistic CGI, motion, illustrative content, augmented reality applications and interactive 3D configurators. Its development offering covers front-end and back-end engineering, custom websites and native applications for iOS and Android. Together, these services support work extending from early product concepts to launch content and digital implementation.
Products and digital experiences
The studio's portfolio includes consumer electronics, gaming and content creation equipment, telecommunications, robotics, clean energy, mobility and healthcare devices. Supported projects range from Elgato product launch assets and configurators to Vodafone routers and digital interfaces, ASUS web experiences and Enphase product and digital work. This mix reflects a practice encompassing the design of products themselves, the software used with them and the visual material that introduces them to customers.
More about SMAL
Founders and leadership
- SMAL was founded by Sahar Azghandi-Daoutis, Oliver Lang and Andreas Daoutis.
- As of November 2026, its managing directors are Andreas Schwarz and Oliver Lang. Sahar Azghandi-Daoutis stepped down from the managing director role in December 2024.
Complementary group expertise
The 2022 investment brought together SMAL's consumer-focused brand and industrial design expertise with sister company Ergosign's emphasis on enterprise UX and industrial software systems. The acquisition announcement stated that SMAL's founders remained shareholders.
Design recognition
The studio's work has received multiple iF Design Awards and Red Dot Awards.
Notable credits
32 creditsOffices
Where SMAL is based
- Zielstattstraße 34, 81379 München, GermanyMunich, Bavaria, Germany
Munich office
HeadquartersGlobal headquarters operated by SMAL GmbH.
- Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands
Amsterdam office
European design and digital experience studio hub supporting Benelux and European enterprise clients.
- San Jose, California, United States
San Jose office
North American studio branch operated by SMAL LLC, serving Silicon Valley technology clients.
Open roles
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