Substrakt

What they do

Substrakt partners with arts and cultural organisations to design and build digital experiences. Their client list includes Theatre Royal Plymouth, Dulwich Picture Gallery, the Vancouver International Film Festival and The Naples Players — a spread that runs from UK regional theatres to North American film festivals and community playhouses.

The work covers the full digital stack for a cultural venue: public-facing websites, online ticketing journeys, live and on-demand streaming, and donation tools. They built a new website for Dulwich Picture Gallery using Wagtail CMS, and they have developed their own suite of products rather than relying entirely on bespoke builds for every client.

Their in-house product, Viadukt, is an online booking path designed specifically for cultural organisations. It integrates with existing ticketing systems — the site mentions a first integration with Preevue for Theatre Royal Plymouth — and is built to be flexible and accessible. Alongside Viadukt, they offer Showcase, a branded streaming platform for distributing and monetising digital content, and Quick Donate, a single-step donation tool.

The team describes itself as designers, developers, strategists and digital specialists. They are distributed across Europe and North America. Their 2025 Benchmark Report, which analyses the performance of 87 cultural sector websites, is an example of the original research they publish alongside client work.

What sets them apart

Substrakt operates in a narrow vertical. Most digital agencies will take work from any sector; Substrakt has committed entirely to arts and culture. That focus means their products and research are built around the specific problems cultural organisations face — variable ticket demand, accessibility requirements, the tension between earned income and mission.

The B Corp certification, awarded in November 2022, is a formal signal of that orientation. B Corp status requires companies to meet verified standards on social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. For cultural clients who are themselves charities or publicly funded bodies, working with a B Corp supplier can matter.

Their five stated values — curious, collaborative, smart, playful, inclusive — are fairly standard agency fare, but their commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is tied to a practical argument: arts and culture should be accessible to everyone, and the digital products that serve those organisations should reflect that. They have also publicly committed to the Show the Salary standard in recruitment, as noted in a December 2024 post by Kathryn Mason.

The Benchmark Report is worth noting as a differentiator. Comparative analysis of 87 cultural sector websites is a substantive piece of research that positions Substrakt as a sector specialist with data, not just a service provider. Agencies that publish credible sector research tend to attract clients who want a partner rather than a contractor.

What they offer

• Viadukt — a flexible online booking path for cultural organisations, designed to help sell more tickets; integrates with ticketing systems including Preevue.
• Showcase — a custom-branded platform for live and on-demand streaming, allowing organisations to distribute and monetise digital content.
• Quick Donate — a single-step donation tool built to support fundraising campaigns and digital initiatives.
• Consultancy — strategic and digital consultancy services listed as a distinct offering alongside the product suite.
• Benchmark Report — annual comparative research on cultural sector website performance; the 2025 edition covers 87 websites.