brandopus

From the Beginning

BrandOpus was founded from a tiny room with a big idea: To create and build a new generation design agency. Founded as a true partnership, Nir, Paul, Avril, Tina, Lou and John launched the agency with a combined sixty-five years plus of previous experience within leading design and advertising agencies. 

It was clearly time for a shake up in the way brand design is commissioned, created and delivered, with rapid expansion and an impressive client list early on. By the end of year one the success of our different approach to design was reflected in a client list that included brands such as Sharwood's, Fox's, Belvedere, Cauldron, Yell, Northern Foods and Scholl

Moving up!

Growing at a fast pace, at the end of our first year our twenty-one strong staff were bursting out of the studio, necessitated a move to the 'penthouse suite' of our office block. Everyone greatly enjoyed the luxury of space, a meeting room, private kitchen and two whole colour copiers! 

Through a tough economic climate we bucked the trend, our individual approach to brand design pulled the company along, winning some exciting new clients across brands such as CountryLife, Twinings, Bizzy Bee, Choc on Choc and Brothers. The year was highlighted by the win of our first Design Effectiveness Award for the Fox's redesign.

Bursting at the seams

As the company grew, so did our list of clients and number of staff. By the end of our third year the studio, so luxuriously spacious only 12 months prior, suddenly felt very small.

Our work began to pick up more accolades, including two Design Effectiveness awards, a Mobius and a Grocer award.  We celebrated as an agency with a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon for a literary adventure. 

Expanding out

At three and a half years in, with thirty people and growing, business space was once again the talking point. After six months of looking and three months of architects, builders and interior designers, we moved into our beautiful new studio on Gresse Street. Previously an art gallery, it provided us with the perfect blank canvas to create a studio that reflected our personality.

Client wise we were expanding rapidly. Beyond long term partnerships with existing clients, we were also appointed to work across McCormick EMEA, McCain, Travis Perkins, Plum Baby, Mills & Boon and winning a pitch for Hall & Woodhouse nicely rounded off a very exciting year. We were definitely not a little agency anymore. We celebrated by all heading to Edinburgh together for a weekend of bonding over whisky tasting and history.

Settling in

Initial worries about rattling around in the Charlotte Building studio have disappeared through 2011. We're closing the year with a forty-three strong team, but we've grown in more ways than just staff numbers, with new business wins such as MasterCard, Brakes, Piper's Crisps, PizzaExpress and Willie's Cacao.

The trophy shelf is expanding too... In February we were honoured with two more Design Effectiveness Awards including a gold for Choc on Choc. We're closing the year having just been crowned Packaging Agency of the Year by The Grocer for the second year running - an eventful year indeed, and we celebrated by heading to Lisbon on a voyage of discovery!

Onwards and upwards

The year has certainly got underway with a bang - we were thrilled to hear on the first day back in the studio after the winter break that we had been awarded The Drum's London Design Agency of the Year in the magazine's New Year Honours list. In mid-February we picked up three more Design Effectiveness Awards, making us officially among the five most financially effective design agencies in the UK.

The studio is bustling, and bubbling over with exciting projects that will be hitting the shelves throughout 2012. During the first few months of the year we have met a number of exciting new clients who have come to us with a variety of challenging briefs across many sectors. We're really looking forward to seeing how the year unfolds and bringing these new projects into fruition.

New territories

Following two years of phenomenal growth, unbelievably the last twelve months have seen an even larger period of expansion.

We've opened our first studio outside the UK, in Melbourne, Australia. The Melbourne studio serves our clients across the Asia Pacific region. All the exciting new projects we're working on has also necessitated the move into a second London studio on Rathbone Place in addition to the Charlotte Building, while we await wonderful new custom-designed premises on nearby Stephen Street, due to complete later in the year. 

And it's not just the team that has expanded. The broad variety of challenging briefs we've received over the last twelve months has moved us into new realms of brand design, and expanded our capabilities and portfolio extensively. 2013 promises to be an exciting year at BrandOpus!