ASK US FOR IDEAS

Brands ask us for agency recommendation for a huge number of things, ranging from websites and app design to PR, social and marketing campaigns or full-scale rebrands. And often, that creative work is in service of a pretty major ambition. This was the case with Folc, who got in touch wanting to do no less than become THE go-to English rosé worldwide. To get there, they needed an agency to help them rethink their branding and bottle design. We made introductions and they brought Regular Practice onboard. Folc’s new look (and label-free bottle) is “ready to rival if not exceed the best of Provence”, according to the agency. You can see all the work here: https://lnkd.in/dbAmCGV6

Has the golden age of D2C sailed by? Not if you ask Emmett Shine – Gin Lane and Pattern Brands co-founder, and a creative force behind some of the most celebrated D2C brands of all time. Not only is the idea of direct-to-consumer far older than we might think, but there’s plenty of life left in it yet. According to Emmett Shine, an ongoing cultural and tech shift is blurring the lines between media, storytelling and commerce. Read our Insights piece HERE: https://lnkd.in/dMutFnrh

“We were looking for a branding agency, we got a group of friends.” Words we love to hear when we pair up a brand and an agency. Fluz were looking for a partner to develop their visual presence, strategy and messaging, and asked us to recommend agencies that understood the US consumer market, and could help them build a new narrative and identity, and then implement it. We made our intros, and Fluz chose Koto, who designed a surreal, ‘gamified’ brand experience. “I tell people it was like a dream come true. I couldn’t have dreamt of a better relationship, or a more fun and exciting thing to do.” – Maurice Harary https://lnkd.in/d3kxCZDn

THIS MONTH, we’re making agency introductions, recommendations, and shortlists for… 🎨 A GLOBAL CREATIVE TECH PROVIDER that needs help refreshing a digital product 🥎 An INTERNATIONAL SPORTS CHARITY looking to overhaul their branding 👑 And an ICONIC LUXURY HOLDING COMPANY developing a major new event for a premium wine brand

For anyone that missed our June newsletter…. We interviewed Frank J. Guzzone about how Thrive Capital is using design as a strategic tool We shared three new projects all made possible by AUFI – including Fluz’s new branding and a social media campaign for Halfday Iced Tea And we rounded up all the big bits of news from our network, spanning everything from COOLTURA’s latest TikTok report to Day One Agency’s run-down of influential queer-owned companies and Jones Knowles Ritchie’s new sonic identity for Leffe. Get the full read every month by subscribing here: https://bit.ly/4bkc86W

Next Legacy Partners needed: a name, a brand identity and a website that would speak to their community of philanthropists, athletes, cultural luminaries, venture capitalists and founders. And they were looking for a top tier agency that could get to work straight away. We made introductions to agencies and they chose Play SF, who used the symbol of the trophy to build Next Legacy's brand language, and visualise their mission to achieve positive change via their work. More HERE: https://lnkd.in/eUiuF97R

Choosing a new agency can be a leap of faith. And, as Iona Carter says, it usually involves “a lot of hand-wringing, especially when the project has eyes on it internally”. Wise were on the brink of that leap when they got in touch and asked us what agencies we’d recommend for an ad campaign that could transform their brand. They needed a team that could position them as the go-to choice for spending and sending money in other currencies, and do so with a healthy dose of “virality, memorability and talkability”. We made some agency introductions, and they chose BigSmall who came up with Your Money Anywhere – which rolled out across TV, digital, social and OOH earlier this year. https://lnkd.in/giV8b_Ta

“Barriers to entry have come down, which has led to a more saturated market in a lot of industries. And I think one way to differentiate yourself is through design, whether that’s brand or product design.” – Frank J. Guzzone We were lucky enough to sit down with Thrive Capital’s first ever Head of Design Frank J. Guzzone, and discuss the many ways design, creativity and brand can be used to test the market, build a company and take people on the journey with you - through the bad times and the good. He shared thoughts on: 👉Embedding creativity early 👉The fight between brand and product 👉Why originality isn't always the answer 👉VC firms’ new love affair with design 👉And getting in the mindset to work with a new agency Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/d9QKXhq6

Some brands spend £100k to license one weight of a 300-year-old typeface. Others go a step further and create their own from scratch. As Studio DRAMA’s William Richardson says: “Custom type isn’t a luxury; it’s a strategic necessity.” Having made bespoke typefaces for brands including Coca-Cola, Shiseido, Costa Coffee and Ocado, it felt like time to ask Studio DRAMA why so many brands are (or should be) commissioning their own type. “If you can own the words in which you speak, they why wouldn’t you do that?” says Chris Nott. https://lnkd.in/dp9XbqZV

Natural remedy brand DIOME came to us looking for recommendations of agencies that could build a complete visual world ready for their launch. But more than that, they needed a team that understood social media and e-commerce, could translate their existing brand, and would establish a collaborative and respectful working partnership. We made our introductions, and they chose The FUTURE They PROMISED , who kicked things off with a trip to the fields of Provence. https://lnkd.in/dXex7pWZ