Design Boutique
A design boutique (also known as a design firm, design house) is similar to an ad agency in that it provides commercial communication services. Unlike an ad agency that serve to provide a complete array of services to a client, a design boutique will offer a limited more specialized offering.
Services they provide tend to depend entirely on what expertise they have to offer in their core team. There is a trend for design boutiques to provide branding, collateral, brochures, and other printed materials.
Portland Design Boutiques
eROI - Specializes in email marketing and banner ads.
Opus Creative - Specializes in interactive media
Stepchange - Specializes in social media
Xplane - Specializes in illustration & information design