Tested product in 5 days. Why teams choose Humbleteam over BASIC/DEPT®
BASIC/DEPT® is a branding and digital agency inside the DEPT group, known for brand-led ecommerce. We’re a 49-person product design studio that gets a tested prototype in front of users in days and goes deep in fintech and AI products.
Facts about BASIC/DEPT® from their own site and LinkedIn · October 7, 2026
How each company describes itself
BASIC/DEPT®
BASIC/DEPT® calls itself “a global branding and digital design agency” building products, services, and eCommerce experiences. Its capabilities run from brand positioning, naming, and campaign development to experience design, design systems, and full-stack development.
The site dates the agency to 2010, counts 120+ people, and places it inside DEPT, which it describes as 28 offices and 1,500+ people. Its offices include San Diego, New York, the Bay Area, Amsterdam, London, and Berlin. Featured work includes Google Store, KFC, Wilson, and Patagonia. LinkedIn lists 51–200 employees in the United States.
Humbleteam
Our record on speed is specific: a B2B banking MVP with ING Amsterdam went from zero to a tested product in 5 days, and a small-business banking prototype for ING was designed and user-tested in 23 days. On an average brief, the first clickable prototype is ready 2 weeks after signing.
Behind that pace sit 56 fintechs and 30+ major banks, 200+ projects since 2017, and 49 people in Prague and Dubai working European and Gulf hours. We also install AI agents inside client design teams, where they stay after we leave.
Three reasons teams pick us over BASIC/DEPT®
Each reason is a fact you can check on a first call.
A tested product inside a week
Our fastest record is ING Amsterdam: a B2B banking MVP, zero to tested, in 5 days. For Logitech, a desk-booking app, its website, and a design system reached production inside 4 weeks. A retail or fintech brief sent to us gets an answer within 24 hours, and work can begin next week. Our designers’ AI skills cut app and web design time by 20–40%.
Money products are our home ground
Our money-product record: 56 fintechs, 30+ major banks, and 5 YC-backed fintechs that count our designers as part of their own team. KYC, card states, limits, and dispute flows are screens we’ve drawn many times. A banking or payments product starts with that pattern library already in our heads.
Senior people from call to handoff
The people on the first call are the people who do the work, with 9 years of experience on average. Since 2017 we’ve shipped 200+ projects, won 80+ design awards, and kept a 4.9 rating on Clutch across 35 reviews. 70% of the clients we work with return for another project.
Humbleteam vs BASIC/DEPT®, side by side
Every BASIC/DEPT® fact here is from their own site or LinkedIn page. Where they publish nothing, the row says so.
| Compared on | Humbleteam | BASIC/DEPT® |
|---|---|---|
| Time to a tested prototype | 5 days from zero to a tested B2B banking MVP with ING Amsterdam | Not published on their site |
| Brief to first clickable prototype | 2 weeks on average | Not published on their site |
| How fast you can start | A reply within 24 hours; a project can start next week | Not published on their site |
| Fintech and regulated depth | 56 fintechs and 30+ major banks | Featured work centers on retail, ecommerce, telecom, and food brands |
| AI in delivery | AI agents installed in your design team, plus app and web work 20–40% faster | No AI service listed among the capabilities on their about page |
| Who does the work | The senior designers on the first call, 9 years of experience on average | 120+ people inside DEPT’s 1,500+; project staffing not published on their site |
| How pricing works | Fixed-price audit, scoped implementation, or monthly retainer; the estimate comes on the first call | Not published on their site |
When BASIC/DEPT® is the better call
Two cases where their setup fits better.
A retail flagship with the build included
Their capabilities include full-stack development and CMS implementation, and their featured work includes Google Store and Patagonia. If one agency must design and code a large ecommerce flagship, that combination fits.
A brand campaign with in-house production
Their site lists campaign development, go-to-market strategy, and asset production across video, 3D, photography, and motion. A launch that needs a campaign shot and edited under one roof sits closer to their offer.
What we bring to the table
Three numbers behind a fast, senior engagement.
5 days
zero to tested product
B2B banking MVP with ING Amsterdam
56
fintechs shipped
plus 30+ major banks
70%
of clients come back
for a second project
Work you can check
Three projects where speed and regulated detail mattered.
Put us on the shortlist.
Send your product and the decision you are trying to make. We reply with the cases closest to it, a timeline and an estimate — and we will say so if the other option is the better fit.
Questions?
Is Humbleteam a good alternative to BASIC/DEPT®?
Yes, when the job is a digital product that has to reach users fast. We took an ING banking MVP from zero to a tested product in 5 days and average 2 weeks from brief to clickable prototype. BASIC/DEPT® describes itself as a global branding and digital design agency with 120+ people, featuring retail and ecommerce work for brands such as Google Store and KFC.
Humbleteam or BASIC/DEPT®: who delivers faster?
We publish our timelines, and BASIC/DEPT® does not publish theirs. Our record: a tested banking MVP in 5 days, a user-tested ING prototype in 23 days, and Logitech’s desk-booking app, website, and design system in production in 4 weeks. We answer an enquiry within 24 hours, a project can start next week, and Our designers’ AI skills cut app and web design time by 20–40%.
Which agency is stronger for a fintech or banking product?
We are, by published track record: 56 fintechs and 30+ major banks, and 5 YC-backed fintechs keep our designers in their in-house teams. Our cases include One Bank, Afternoon, and Zavopay. The featured work on the BASIC/DEPT® site centers on retail, ecommerce, telecom, and food brands, and no bank appears among the engagements featured on their home page.
How big is each team, and who does the work?
BASIC/DEPT® is the larger company; we put senior people on every project. Our 49 people work from Prague and Dubai, and the designers who join your first call carry the project, averaging 9 years of experience. BASIC/DEPT® states 120+ people and sits inside DEPT, which its site describes as 28 offices and 1,500+ people. LinkedIn lists 51–200 employees in the United States.
How much does each cost, and how soon can we start?
BASIC/DEPT® and Humbleteam both keep prices off their sites, so each estimate comes from a conversation. Ours arrives on the first call and fits one of three shapes: a fixed-price audit, a scoped implementation, or a monthly retainer. Teams that write to us after reading this page get an answer within 24 hours, and work can begin next week. The BASIC/DEPT® site lists a business email for new work but no pricing or start times.
Other comparisons
Same structure, same sourcing rules, one page per shortlist we keep meeting.
What we checked, and when
Everything stated about BASIC/DEPT® on this page comes from their own public pages, read onOctober 7, 2026. We describe what they are strong at, not what they are bad at. If something here is out of date or wrong, write to hi@humbleteam.com and we will fix the page.
- basicagency.com — home, about, and services · read October 7, 2026
- LinkedIn — BASIC/DEPT® company page · read October 7, 2026
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