The UK’s best design studios revealed

Earlier this year, the Computer Arts team polled almost 80 top designers, creative directors and studio founders from all across the UK to discover which industry peers they most revere, respect and in some cases envy, to produce the third-annual UK Studio Rankings.  

As per last year, this is all about peer reputation – regardless of number of staff, operating budget or awards won. In short, the 30 world-class studios that made the list are there because their fellow designers think they should be. Starting in reverse order, here are the studios that secured positions 30-21.

30. SomeOne

• Founded: 2005
• Location: Shoreditch, London
• Number of staff: 45

SomeOne has had a busy year. The studio was voted No. 1 Agency in the UK by its clients for the Drum Design Census; bagged a Brand Impact Award for its work on Debbie Thomas skincare; and has helped Cancer Research UK over-deliver on its targets.  

Simon Manchipp, co-founder of SomeOne, believes there’s a reason behind this success. “We’re a dysfunctional family where great work, great fun and fair fees ensure a rewarding balance for all involved,” he says.  

The studio is very welcoming to interns, and many of the current team started out that way. “We love interns,” says Manchipp, “they are the sparks to the flames.”  

To those looking to break into the sector, Manchipp has some words of advice. “Good luck,” he smiles. “Design has got to be one of the most competitive, relentless and unforgiving sectors because everyone thinks they can do it. But if you choose your clients wisely, over-deliver and enjoy the ride, it’ll show in the work.”

29. Horse

• Founded: 2012
• Location: Angel, North London
• Number of staff: 4

Having picked up design agency of the year at the FAB awards, as well as three other awards, Horse went on to win two D&AD pencils for its work on projects for Tapped [pictured] and Nongfu Spring. “The D&AD Awards were the icing on the cake,” says creative partner Sarah Pidgeon. 

Pidgeon describes Horse’s team of four as “small but mighty,” adding that they break the traditional agency structure. “We pick the best experts for the brief,” she explains, “which means we’re able to stretch budgets further without compromising on the talent applied to each project.”

Pidgeon also believes that positioning yourself from the outset as the kind of agency you want to be is vital. “It’s key to focus on really nice briefs to get some great designs under your belt,” she says. “Good work will attract new business.” 

A small studio such as Horse is an enriching environment for interns, and the studio has six internship opportunities per year.

28. Turner Duckworth

• Founded: 1992
• Location: Chiswick, London; plus worldwide
• Number of staff: 82 (36 UK-based)

Turner Duckworth has a long list of big-name clients and accolades within the design community, but when asked about how they feel about being in the UK’s Studio Rankings, co-founder Bruce Duckworth still states that the team is “flattered that anyone thinks we’re any good.”  

This year saw the opening of its New York studio, which had been in the pipeline for a few years. This new addition shares the same ethos as the other branches, and work is shared between studios.  

The studio has picked up some new clients in 2016, including Tick Tock Tea, Samsung and Kelloggs, and finds its biggest challenge is finding talent that suits the studio and its way of working. “We keep looking, interviewing and hoping,” says Duckworth.  

Looking to next year, Duckworth feels optimistic: “We have some great work in the pipeline for some big clients you wouldn’t normally expect to see good work from. I’m hoping it sees the light of day next year,” he says.

27. Studio Makgill

• Founded: 2007
• Location: Brighton, East Sussex
• Number of staff: 6 (5 UK-based)

A new entry for 2016, Studio Makgill does not take part in awards nor seek out accolades, so founder and creative director Hamish Makgill was extremely flattered to have been included in the list: “This recognition is a reminder that we must be doing something right,” he says. This year, the studio has taken the slow step into working with physical products, allowing the team to experiment in new ways and opening doors to a range of new opportunities.

In an industry that Makgill describes as “healthy, with “freelancers either busy or getting offers for permanent posts,” Makgill feels positive about the studio’s future. “I’d like to grow the team by one or two,” he says. There are also plans to take on another mid-sized client to join  a list that includes Purple PR and H Furniture, and launch sister company The Good Modern; but Makgill says the most important thing is to “continue working with good people on work we enjoy.”

26. Jones Knowles Ritchie

• Founded: 1990
• Location: Camden Town, London; plus worldwide
• Number of staff: 204 (124 UK-based)

“Our door is always open. We’re continually looking for new talent to join the jkr team globally,” says James Nixon, managing director of Jones Knowles Ritchie. “Next year, we want to attract more great talent so we can continue to produce the game-changing work that drives brand growth.”  In 2016, that work has included the launch of projects such as the global rebrand of Budweiser [pictured], the redesign of Domino’s and the launch of global challenger brand Hippeas.  

These projects have not only allowed us to demonstrate the value of design to our clients,” says Nixon, “but they have also resulted in fantastic recognition from the creative community. It’s been great to finally share this work with the world and show how we are working with our clients across multiple touch points to deliver results.”

Nixon encourages other agencies to know what makes them unique, and deliver on this promise to help their clients.

25. Six

• Founded: 2007
• Location: Enderby, Leicestershire
• Number of staff: 11

New entry Six may be based in a small village in Leicestershire, but judging by its client list – which includes Kirschner in São Paolo [pictured], What To Cook in Sydney and Pomme Chan  in Thailand – distance from its clients hasn’t held it back.  Six’s managing director, Darren Jessop, describes the studio as having “equal strength and capability across brand, digital and print,” and says that for him, this year’s highlight has been creating an in-house technology team to develop the sites the studio works on. “This ensures the build quality is as detailed as the design. The collaborative effect of tech and design working together adds real value to the digital work we produce,” he explains.  

A few of the agencies on the UK Studio Rankings list were the inspiration and benchmarks for Six when it began, and Jessop describes appearing alongside them as “a wonderful and very humbling honor.” 

24. Here Design

• Founded: 2005
• Location: Hackney, East London
• Number of staff: 30

“We are extremely proud to have created our own book, Herbarium [pictured] for Thames and Hudson,” reflects Kate Marlow, creative partner of Here Design. “It is always rewarding to see an idea move from sketch pad to bookshelf in a short space of time.”  

While some of the studio’s best work has come from self-initated projects such as Herbarium and another food-inspired book, The Geometry of Pasta, Here Design’s new clients for 2016 have also included big names such as Glenfiddich, The Bowes Museum and Faber & Faber.  

“We would like to think the UK design industry is very healthy at the moment,” continues Marlow. “We are continually inspired and delighted by the quality of design work produced in the UK.”  The studio aims to foster a democratic creative culture that allows everyone in the studio to learn, research and express ideas freely, and tries to run a rolling programme of paid internship opportunities throughout the year.

23. GBH

• Founded: 2000
• Location: Chiswick, West London
• Number of staff: 19

This year has seen the release of GBH’s book: a collection of 16 years’ worth of work named Charm, Belligerence & Perversity: The Incomplete Works of GBH. Creating this book has been a personal highlight for founder Mark Bonner. Other high points include work for high-profile clients such as the Americas  Cup [pictured] and Eurostar, as well as “a very interesting collaboration” with Starck.

We are good at working in a space between the traditional disciplines, and that makes us attractive to clients who want dexterous creative partners,” says Bonner, talking about GBH’s biggest strengths.  

When it comes to challenges, Bonner says that Brexit has caused the studio a “philosophical challenge” and that “identifying and retaining talented design  staff ” is also key. He continues to say that being part of the top 30 in the UK Studio Rankings is “one of the nicest accolades around”.

22. Animade

• Founded: 2010
• Location: Hoxton, East London
• Number of staff: 17

Animade has worked on a broad mix of deliverables this year: the studio has been called on to think about how its characterful animations can work on everything from spot animations on a website to a full TV campaign. The studio has also launched Boords, a web app which helps make storyboarding simple. 

“To see it helping other creatives has been amazing,” says James Chambers, co-founder of Animade. “As a self-funded venture and our first commercial digital product, it’s something we’re tremendously proud of.”  

Animade has worked hard to develop a studio culture focused on nurturing experimentation with a healthy work/life balance, and Tom Judd, Animade’s other co-founder says the team were “absolutely blown away” to hear they had made it onto this year’s Studio Rankings list. “We have always placed a lot of focus on creating meaningful relationships within our industry, so to hear this is music to our ears,” he says.

21. johnson banks

• Founded: 1992
• Location: Clapham, South London
• Number of staff: 9

It’s been a stellar year for johnson banks. Its philanthropic campaign for the University of Cambridge helped raise vast sums (winning Best of Show at CA’s Brand Impact Awards), and the studio was appointed from a longlist of 60 to rebrand Mozilla [pictured].  

Carrying out the Mozilla project “in the open” was very challenging, admits founder Michael Johnson, who says the studio’s biggest strength is doing branding and design that makes a genuine difference to the world.

“Brexit has spooked quite a lot of people, and stalled several projects,” he says, when asked about the UK design industry. “Come the autumn, we’ll find out what’s really coming next, but we have to assume things are going to flatline for a while.”

Nevertheless, 2017 looks bright for the studio, with Johnson’s new book Branding, In Five and a Half Steps out soon. “We’re hoping the Mozilla project will snowball into more work outside the UK,” Johnson adds.

Stay tuned for the next five top UK studios who made the list, coming soon…

Want more? Discover the full Top 30 in Computer Arts issue 259

If you can’t wait any longer to find out the other studios that made the cut, discover the rest of the Top 30 in the UK Studio Rankings 2016 – including useful stats, insights, and opportunities to work for them yourself – in issue 259 of Computer Arts, with exclusive scratch-off cover by top studio Sawdust. The issue is on sale now – get your copy here! 

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