TOP 10 DESIGN AGENCIES
In case you needed to be reminded that Addias make a pair of trainers that will boost your performance, Porsche make extremely stylish, fast cars that are great for steaming through picturesque highways with no traffic, and Paul Pogba is the best footballer when he wears a particular bit of clothing, then these are the agencies to do just that. Some brands may want ads, events or installations with big impact, others might be looking for zany, off-the-wall ideas that will give an audience that wow-factor. Whatever they’re looking for, it’s very likely that they’ll have one of these agencies in mind when developing a brand’s latest campaigns.
1. Winkreative - Luxury, international hospitality, finance
This most cosmopolitan and inquisitive of agencies prides itself on its “can-do” attitude and diverse client list with a distinctly international flavour. This is also reflected in the people that it employs, who hail from Switzerland, Greece, Azerbaijan and Japan. As such, this global outlook is reflected in its work for a plethora of international clients such as Lufthansa, UBS, Corriere della Sera, the BBC and Hermès. Its reach is truly impressive and, as the publisher of upmarket publications such as MONOCLE and Konfect magazines, it has built a brand that redefines what a design agency can achieve in the 21st century.
2. Show - Luxury and fashion
Few agencies are more aligned with the world of luxury than Show. Founded by two former Esquire employees, this full service creative agency has repeatedly shown how storytelling can be interwoven into, and prove to be a complementary part of, the design process. This is mainly down to having a deep network of art directors, photographers, stylists as well as talented writers and editors to call upon, who can all help shape its polished and engaging output.
Balancing standalone magazine products for discerning City readers (Brummell), it also brings its creative talents to bear on a gamut of discerning brands, with everyone from Aquascutum and Armani to Vertu and Zenith receiving the benefits of its services.
3. Northstar - Automotive
Creating a stable of regular, high-profile clients is an agency’s dream – maintaining that level of professionalism, creativity and drive to retain them is even more difficult, but Northstar have achieved it consistently. Founded 18 years ago, it has repeatedly created engaging, full service content for Audi, Bentley, Goodwood and Porsche, as well as Watches of Switzerland, Mappin & Webb and The Children’s Society. With a skill for making the most glamorous and fastest of cars look, well, even more glamorous and faster, their reputation precedes them as one of the most in-demand and forward-thinking of agencies out there.
4. We Are Social - Sports, Entertainment and FMCG
Many companies employ agencies to either make their products look good, or create a stir around the actual brand. As the name suggests, We Are Social embraces the power and reach of today’s multi-channel platforms to broadcast the message of its clients in the most engaging way possible. From must-see social posts, compelling long-form and short-form videos and impactful stories, this agency leverages the 950-strong roster of employees it has around the world to drive socially led conversations for its clients. Working with some big names in sports and entertainment, it is often able to put a face to the content it produces. Whether that’s Paul Pogba or Roger Federer, it has the capacity to generate original and captivating content that unifies audiences and drives conversation with measurable results.
5. Twelfth Man - Sports
From the Billie Jean King Cup, the Champions League Journal and the Premier League, Twelfth Man give everything to the brands and clients it works with across a whole range of disciplines from editorial, print digital, advertising, brand strategy and even ecommerce. In a similar fashion to the sports it comes into contact with, there’s a tangible feeling of excitement and flair that is prevalent throughout the content it creates. Combining the experiential with the professional, Twelfth Man are a committed and dedicated team who are willing to think outside the box to stand out in a crowded sector, whichever medium it is working with.
6. McCann Health - Healthcare and Pharma
Trying to create the compelling out of what first appears to be a relatively unexciting industry means injecting this sector with some kind of vivacity and colour. Make no mistake, McCann Health is a behemoth of an advertising agency that regularly wins awards for its output and insight. It has done so by engaging with the humanity behind the clients and brands it represents. One only has to look at the humorous babblings of toddlers in Nestlé’s milk campaign, the gritty realism showing lives of polio vaccine health workers in Pakistan and the emotive End The Cover Up campaign for those suffering from Rosacea.
7. U Studio - Various
When you’re dealing with some of the biggest brands in the world (Unilever, Google, Microsoft, Nike) you need to be able to harness that special something, and produce an outcome that’s wholly original and new, and yet simple and utterly captivating. Oliver is especially adept at doing this, having created a dedicated in-house creative team, U Studio. Widely recognised as one of THE creative agencies to work for, it is constantly reevaluating and iterating its position as the boundary-pushing interlocutor between demanding brands and discerning customers.
8. Ogilvy & Mather - Various
It’s impossible to go into how many clients Ogilvy & Mather have created outstanding designs for, and how many awards it has won. Well I could do, but you haven’t got the time, and I don’t want to be hammering at the keyboard like a mid-encore Elton John during a particularly “pumped” 70s performance. Suffice to say that Rolls-Royce, HM Government, Post Office and er, TK Maxx all rely on its creative might. It really has a knack for putting the brand and an audience at the centre of its storytelling. Stand out campaigns recently have been Trebor’s “Give Me Strength” ad campaign and its simple yet effective “Courage is beautiful” campaign by Dove.
9. Phable - Tech
The Phable team encapsulates the new Caas-type agencies that have been springing up recently, and bills itself as producing “content marketing at scale for ambitious technology”. Dynamic, flexible, agile, yet super small (the team only has six people onboard), it has consistently proved itself to generate captivating long-form and short-form multichannel content for a range of global clients across the tech sphere, which include Next DC, American Battery, Microsoft and GitHub. In the progressive and ever-changing world of tech, this is one design agency that can offer innovative solutions in a timeless fashion.
10. Kerve - various
This fast-rising agency, based in Bath, was born out of the ashes of former agency Wildcard, and specialises in brave and off-the-wall ideas and solutions to really stand out and be noticed today. From its ‘Hole in the Wall” Krispy Kreme x Nutella concept, to the extreme fun of its “Holy Broadband Batman'' concept for Sky, which consisted of Batman and Joker Lego figures, these campaigns encapsulate the spirit of its ethos, which consist of on-screen and interactive experiences with humour and enthusiasm. With other clients such as Agent Provocateur, Meantime Brewing and Universal Music, let’s just say we’re all eyes, ears and tastebuds for whatever sensation-tingling project it has coming up next.