Design: Design agency leagues - Marketing league table

Significantly, it illustrates the passion for and involvement with a

piece of graphic communication people can feel, and shows that an
emotional connection lies at the heart of design's power to influence.
The level of both criticism and defence that the Wolff Olins-designed
motif drew shows that people instinctively relate, one way or another,
to the creative ideas it presents, despite it being 'only a logo'.

Consumer reaction to design can have a profound influence on the
fortunes of the business behind the product, even if designers have
often found the extent hard to quantify. This is one of the major
challenges facing the industry.

The response to the 2012 logo also highlights a problem that has long
beset the branding industry in particular - the emphasis placed on a
logo or corporate identity, to the virtual exclusion of any other work
the design agency may have carried out for a client. However, whatever
the design discipline - retail, product or packaging - the most
successful executions are much more deeply rooted in the brand's
values.

Focusing on the physical manifestation of design work can sometimes
belittle this depth, leading to it becoming a commodity purchase, which
is another obstacle for design agencies to overcome. 'The value of
design and design thinking tends to get lost or overshadowed when people
view it as a commodity, which is something that even some within the
industry do,' says Jim Northover, chairman of branding and design
consultancy Lloyd Northover, whose clients include Lexus and Royal
Mail.

The 2012 logo also demonstrates the relative longevity of designs, in
this case it will be used for at least five years. Although design may
provide some of the materials used for marketing, it seldom forms a
campaign in itself; typically, then, design lasts much longer than ads
or direct creative.

The importance of good, well-managed design over the longer-term is
therefore high, yet many agency-client relationships continue to be
short-term. Conversely, advertising accounts often remain in the same
agency for years.

The design industry is also different from other marketing services in
its culture and structure. To many, its micro-business set-up is that of
a cottage industry, populated by independently-minded 'creatives' whose
lifestyle proclivities and ambitions often eschew huge growth or
empire-building. There has been nowhere near the levels of agency
consolidation experienced in advertising and, according to Design
Council research, about 60% of UK design agencies employ five people or
fewer.

'It is an industry that has traditionally focused on excellence of
product, rather than profits,' says Tony Walford, a senior consultant at
Results International, a consulting and finance business specialising in
the marketing industry. 'There are many small agencies run by designers
who are passionate about their product, rather than the commercial
aspects.' While ad agencies do not necessarily place profits above
creative quality, it seems that design shops often find it more of a
struggle to balance the two.

Business value

As the importance of design continues to grow, there seems to be one
cardinal challenge; it must communicate and demonstrate the real depth
of value it brings to business. To do this, it must strike up long-term
relationships at boardroom level, breaking free from project-based,
commodity-bought work and forging deeper partnerships with clients. As
Scottish & Newcastle chief executive John Dunsmore notes, continually
running with project-based work means that design agencies 'have to roll
sixes every year' to survive.

'Design is the least profitable of all the marketing services sectors,
because we are treated as a talent commodity,' says Andrew Knowles,
chief executive of Jones Knowles Ritchie.

Doug James, a partner at multi-disciplinary agency Honey, which works
with Tesco and Harrods, echoes this. 'These big clients usually see you
as a service provider with a specialist skill-set, so we have to
demonstrate the business effectiveness of our services and show that we
understand the commercial requirements of a company. They must start to
realise that we can think for them to some extent,' he says.

The next step is to charge accordingly. 'Consultancies don't bill
appropriately in terms of the impact their work has on a business.
However, this impact does have to be demonstrated,' says Interbrand
chief executive Rune Gustafson.

According to Paul Castledine, chief creative officer of consultancy
Boxer, once a business impact is demonstrated, agencies have a tangible
selling point. 'Design must be driven by insight and should be measured
in terms of its effectiveness. In essence, we are talking about turning
an intangible sell into a tangible benefit,' he says.

Some clients are already asking for proof of design's effectiveness. 'We
have seen big changes in clients' demands. They want their design to
demonstrate real effectiveness and request a clear way to demonstrate
the value and impact design has had on their brand,' says The Brand
Union managing director Simon Bailey, whose clients include Vodafone and
SABMiller.

For agencies able to do this, profits await. 'Clients are asking tougher
questions from their design groups during the pitch process, but are
willing to pay for it,' says Jonathan Ford, creative partner at branding
and packaging design agency Pearlfisher. 'They are starting to realise
they can get a good return on design investment and are making sure they
get it right, so it can be a long-term investment.'

Building partnerships

Long-term, partnership-style relationships between client and
consultancy are also becoming more important. Since its inception, seven
years ago, UK financial-protection firm Bright Grey has worked with
design group Navyblue.

'They are very much a partner in our business,' explains Susan Sneddon,
communications director at Bright Grey. 'We share the same level of
information with them as we would our own marketing team, which allows
them to be a true extension of that team. We have the view that we will
get more value from our external suppliers if we invest time and money
in developing a relationship with them.'

High levels of consolidation in big business, and a lack in the design
sector, means that more agencies are chasing fewer clients. In the
current climate, then, long-term partnerships are even more
important.

'Over the past year we have been working a lot more with ad agencies. I
think this is partly because clients are looking for longer-term
relationships with their designers,' says Barry Seal, managing director
of strategic branding agency Anthem Worldwide. 'Ideally, designers have
stopped being suppliers and are starting to become partners with a
business. It is about having a real relationship with your clients, not
just a supplier relationship. I can't stress this enough.'

Knowles agrees. 'If clients give us more lock-in at the senior level we
will work with them to deliver effective design,' he says. 'But it is
the project nature of the industry that terrifies agencies, because if
the client doesn't like your face or something in your portfolio, or
they have a friend they used to work worth, you're out.'

For all the challenges in proving effectiveness, however, as well as
winning boardroom buy-in and improving agency margins, the picture for
design agencies is not bleak. There's little doubt that the strategic -
and financial - value of design is being recognised at a higher level
among businesses. It is a process that has been helped by the Design
Business Association's Design Effectiveness Awards and the Design
Council's Designing Demand programme.

'I don't sense there's any boardroom doubt about the value of good
design,' adds Knowles. 'The uncertainty is more about how they acquire
it and manage it. There are therefore huge opportunities for design
consultancies to show how design can be of benefit to the business.'

Economic uncertainty

As the economy wobbles, design agencies will have to compete even harder
to prove their strategic value to business. As Walford notes, design can
be one of the first marketing services to be cut in a tight economic
climate and the last to be reinstated when things pick up. Indeed,
network-owned branding giants Interbrand (Omnicom) and The Brand Union
(WPP) have both cited 'uncertainty' as a reason for senior redundancies
this year.

Nonetheless, where agencies demonstrate their strategic understanding of
consumer behaviour, along with the power of design to influence that
behaviour, corporate chiefs are more likely to keep them in the fold.
This is true not only of branding consultancies, but also of product,
digital, retail and packaging design disciplines.

Another trend set to change fundamentally the way design agencies work
is what Seymourpowell director Richard Seymour describes as a
'paroxysmal change' in the relationship between products, communications
and marketing, as a result of the transition from 'push media' - where
the marketing activity pushes messages about products and services
toward consumers - to a web 2.0-style of communication where consumers
are sharing, re-appropriating and commenting on promotional messages at
unprecedented levels, because it is so easy to do so.

Seymour says things are changing so rapidly, that most parties,
including design agencies, are finding it a challenge to work out what
exactly is going on. 'It is like going back to the Middle Ages. If the
blacksmith in the village is rubbish, everybody knows about it,' says
Seymour.

'If you promise something great and the product isn't up to it, there
will be an onslaught. So, we are starting to see a re-emancipation of
the object or the product as the truth. In this new order you see a
fresh way of communication developing. If you say something in the old
way - "we think this" - then there is a massive negative reaction. This
is a huge relief; it is honest trading again. We can't just take some
stuff and advertise the pants off it.'

If this is the case, it affects not just design, but the way consumers
receive all products, services and marketing communications. 'It is a
fantastic time to be in the creative industries because we are
witnessing a new dawn,' Seymour adds. 'And it's not about the
technology, it's about the emergent behaviour that arises from the tools
we now have.'

The power of good design is clear and is vital for successful brands and
products. Through building strong relationships with clients and
ensuring they can prove their financial worth to business, design
agencies should be well-placed to flourish, despite an uncertain
economic climate.

TOP DESIGN AGENCIES: 1-53



Rank Agency Fee income Fee income %

'08 '07 2007 (pounds) 2006 (pounds) chng



1 1 Imagination 30,030,000 31,248,000 -4

2 4 Loewy 21,124,000 7,932,000 166

n/a The Brand Union* n/a 13,865,196 n/a

3 2 Checkland Kindleysides 11,092,000 9,320,000 19

n/a Interbrand* n/a 10,283,000 n/a

n/a Jack Morton WW* n/a 10,095,000 n/a

4 3 Radley Yeldar 9,800,000 8,800,000 11

5 6 Design Bridge 9,215,000 7,784,000 18

6 8 Blue Marlin Brand Design 9,200,000 7,561,000 22

7 5 Jones Knowles Ritchie 7,909,000 7,926,000 0

n/a FutureBrand* n/a 7,463,000 n/a

8 7 Start Creative 7,096,023 4,441,155 60

9 10 Elmwood 6,200,000 5,200,000 19

10 11 Rufus Leonard 5,805,000 5,012,000 15

11 12 Vibrandt Distillery 5,444,211 4,967,111 10

12 20 Dalziel & Pow Design 5,387,474 3,840,078 40

13 n/a Sheridan & Co 5,148,000 4,484,000 15

14 n/a Lloyd Northover 4,643,520 2,049,600 127

15 19 Dragon 4,642,000 3,853,000 20

16 17 Springetts 4,609,211 3,914,582 18

17 n/a Linney Design 4,287,985 3,856,150 11

n/a Coley Porter Bell* n/a 4,087,546 n/a

18 n/a Tynan d'Arcy 3,680,000 3,520,000 5

19 23 Wardour 3,669,163 3,165,900 16

n/a Lambie-Nairn* n/a 3,656,931 n/a

20 37 Boxer 3,603,000 2,306,000 56

21 n/a Redhouse Lane 3,564,615 3,449,062 3

22 n/a Navyblue n/a 3,467,508 n/a

23 n/a LFH 3,449,000 3,353,896 3

24 26 Live & Breathe 3,161,960 2,979,899 6

25 24 Pearlfisher 3,058,000 3,224,000 -5

26 n/a P & W Design 2,900,000 2,080,000 39

27 25 Oakwood 2,811,420 2,494,693 13

28 30 Stocks Taylor Benson 2,620,000 2,645,000 -1

29 38 Turquoise Brand 2,611,249 2,182,000 20

30 28 BR&Me 2,501,500 2,894,600 -14

31 33 Parker Williams Design 2,200,000 2,600,000 -15

32 n/a Precedent 2,189,910 2,273,823 -4

33 n/a Lewis Moberly 2,164,742 1,946,750 11

34 n/a JHP 2,024,000 1,560,000 30

35 n/a Creative Lynx 1,856,000 1,454,000 28

36 47 Chaos Design 1,646,702 1,474,554 12

37 46 LMC Design 1,564,390 1,511,925 3

38 n/a Brandopus 1,489,565 n/a n/a

39 n/a Storm Brand Design 1,438,524 1,606,171 -10

40 56 Dew Gibbons 1,361,254 942,000 45

41 49 Wyatt International 1,152,950 1,140,750 1

42 n/a Reach 970,059 860,592 13

43 51 Ziggurat Brand Consultants 945,449 991,100 -5

44 52 WPA Pinfold 944,795 799,918 18

45 54 Robson Dowry Associates 937,000 869,000 8

46 n/a Underscore 918,792 593,177 55

47 58 Pierrot 908,441 795,521 14

48 57 Independent Marketing 840,000 842,000 0

49 60 hey Moscow 815,419 778,577 5

50 n/a Arthaus 814,801 610,753 33

51 n/a Honey 704,054 113,036 523

52 n/a The Foundry Communications 537,622 673,945 -20

53 n/a The Liquid Way 502,436 385,764 30



Rank Agency Turnover Turnover %

'08 '07 2007 (pounds) 2006 (pounds) chng



1 1 Imagination 95,921,000 103,096,000 -7

2 4 Loewy 37,472,000 17,985,000 108

n/a The Brand Union* n/a 17,573,913 n/a

3 2 Checkland Kindleysides 15,741,403 14,000,000 12

n/a Interbrand* n/a 11,698,000 n/a

n/a Jack Morton WW* n/a 36,844,000 n/a

4 3 Radley Yeldar 14,100,000 13,200,000 7

5 6 Design Bridge 12,250,000 10,870,000 13

6 8 Blue Marlin Brand Design 10,758,000 8,489,000 27

7 5 Jones Knowles Ritchie 8,250,000 8,614,000 -4

n/a FutureBrand* n/a 9,441,000 n/a

8 7 Start Creative 8,792,895 5,334,512 65

9 10 Elmwood 7,200,000 6,100,000 18

10 11 Rufus Leonard 6,966,954 6,016,042 16

11 12 Vibrandt Distillery 6,076,476 6,160,927 -1

12 20 Dalziel & Pow Design 5,796,565 4,266,940 36

13 n/a Sheridan & Co 10,311,000 8,311,000 24

14 n/a Lloyd Northover 6,323,000 3,051,000 107

15 19 Dragon 5,593,000 4,741,000 18

16 17 Springetts 4,924,423 4,321,751 14

17 n/a Linney Design 7,441,351 7,495,997 -1

n/a Coley Porter Bell* n/a 5,139,072 n/a

18 n/a Tynan d'Arcy 4,440,000 4,220,000 5

19 23 Wardour 4,892,217 4,221,290 16

n/a Lambie-Nairn* n/a 4,923,560 n/a

20 37 Boxer 4,725,000 3,530,000 34

21 n/a Redhouse Lane 4,765,601 4,651,042 2

22 n/a Navyblue n/a 7,195,207 n/a

23 n/a LFH 3,920,000 3,685,600 6

24 26 Live & Breathe 8,624,518 8,070,521 7

25 24 Pearlfisher 4,237,000 4,275,000 -1

26 n/a P & W Design 3,441,577 2,307,185 49

27 25 Oakwood 3,514,078 2,661,904 32

28 30 Stocks Taylor Benson 2,939,528 3,476,000 -15

29 38 Turquoise Brand 3,887,658 3,373,000 15

30 28 BR&Me 2,795,000 3,177,500 -12

31 33 Parker Williams Design 2,400,000 3,000,000 -20

32 n/a Precedent 2,576,365 2,675,086 -4

33 n/a Lewis Moberly 3,020,016 2,590,655 17

34 n/a JHP 2,250,000 1,700,000 32

35 n/a Creative Lynx 3,423,000 3,284,000 4

36 47 Chaos Design 2,114,554 1,843,193 15

37 46 LMC Design 2,158,000 2,155,000 0

38 n/a Brandopus 1,797,594 n/a n/a

39 n/a Storm Brand Design 1,478,701 1,680,845 -12

40 56 Dew Gibbons 1,519,113 1,066,000 43

41 49 Wyatt International 4,776,064 4,759,548 0

42 n/a Reach 1,119,249 1,010,722 11

43 51 Ziggurat Brand Consultants 1,157,811 1,177,350 -2

44 52 WPA Pinfold 1,897,815 1,289,513 47

45 54 Robson Dowry Associates 1,255,000 1,128,000 11

46 n/a Underscore 1,924,996 1,305,539 47

47 58 Pierrot 1,566,278 1,371,588 14

48 57 Independent Marketing 940,000 1,010,000 -7

49 60 hey Moscow 1,361,449 1,221,837 11

50 n/a Arthaus 1,021,531 819,957 25

51 n/a Honey 801,419 116,284 589

52 n/a The Foundry Communications 1,744,189 1,948,667 -10

53 n/a The Liquid Way 2,233,052 1,714,507 30



Rank Agency Int'l Staff

'08 '07 work(%)



1 1 Imagination 43 381

2 4 Loewy 0 382

n/a The Brand Union* n/a n/a

3 2 Checkland Kindleysides 10 88

n/a Interbrand* n/a 120

n/a Jack Morton WW* n/a 90

4 3 Radley Yeldar 4 120

5 6 Design Bridge 54 100

6 8 Blue Marlin Brand Design 20 107

7 5 Jones Knowles Ritchie 5 81

n/a FutureBrand* 66 75

8 7 Start Creative 7 64

9 10 Elmwood 6 92

10 11 Rufus Leonard 4 80

11 12 Vibrandt Distillery 40 58

12 20 Dalziel & Pow Design 0 86

13 n/a Sheridan & Co 27 98

14 n/a Lloyd Northover 30 62

15 19 Dragon 46 43

16 17 Springetts 4 45

17 n/a Linney Design 28 55

n/a Coley Porter Bell* n/a 42

18 n/a Tynan d'Arcy 20 36

19 23 Wardour 10 50

n/a Lambie-Nairn* 36 n/a

20 37 Boxer 60 34

21 n/a Redhouse Lane 1 69

22 n/a Navyblue 4 58

23 n/a LFH 60 55

24 26 Live & Breathe 0 41

25 24 Pearlfisher 60 45

26 n/a P & W Design 41 20

27 25 Oakwood 1 40

28 30 Stocks Taylor Benson 5 28

29 38 Turquoise Brand 90 29

30 28 BR&Me n/a 23

31 33 Parker Williams Design 7 25

32 n/a Precedent 0 50

33 n/a Lewis Moberly 32 26

34 n/a JHP 60 30

35 n/a Creative Lynx 3 40

36 47 Chaos Design 42 18

37 46 LMC Design 15 26

38 n/a Brandopus 10 22

39 n/a Storm Brand Design 0 25

40 56 Dew Gibbons 70 15

41 49 Wyatt International 2 29

42 n/a Reach 0 15

43 51 Ziggurat Brand Consultants 25 14

44 52 WPA Pinfold 10 16

45 54 Robson Dowry Associates 5 14

46 n/a Underscore 8 14

47 58 Pierrot 5 14

48 57 Independent Marketing 25 10

49 60 hey Moscow 0 15

50 n/a Arthaus 5 8

51 n/a Honey 0 16

52 n/a The Foundry Communications 25 21

53 n/a The Liquid Way 0 12



Rank Agency

'08 '07



1 1 Imagination

Founded 1978. Privately owned. Chairman John Banks, chief

executive Gary Withers. No specialisms disclosed. Clients

include Ford Motor Company, Shell International, Sony. Member

DBA. www.imagination.com

2 4 Loewy

Founded 1929. Privately owned. Chairman Mark Adams, chief

executive Charlie Hoult. 33% packaging, 15% corporate identity,

18% corporate literature, 23% product, 1% exhibitions and

events, 9% internet/web. Clients include Unilever, Fujitsu,

Tesco. www.loewygroup.com

n/a The Brand Union*

Founded 1977. Subsidiary WPP. Chairman UK Dave Brown, managing

director UK Simon Bailey. No specialisms disclosed. No clients

disclosed. Member DBA. www.thebrandunion.com

3 2 Checkland Kindleysides

Founded 1979. Privately owned. Managing director Claire

Callaway. No specialisms disclosed. No clients disclosed.

www.checklandkindleysides.com

n/a Interbrand*

Founded 1974. Subsidiary Omnicom. Chairman Rita Clifton, chief

executive Rune Gustafson. 6% packaging, 94% corporate identity.

Clients include Godrej, RSA, Thomson Reuters. Member DBA.

www.interbrand.com

n/a Jack Morton WW*

Founded 1976. Subsidiary Interpublic Group. Chairman Josh

McCall, managing director Julian Pullan. No specialisms

disclosed. Clients include Nokia, IBM, Toyota. Member DBA.

www.jackmorton.co.uk

4 3 Radley Yeldar

Founded 1986. Privately owned. Chairman Carl Radley, managing

director Andrew Gibbs, creative director Andrew Gorman. 68%

corporate literature, 15% internet/web design, 10% corporate

identity, 7% strategic work. Clients include Pearson, Capita,

ITV. www.ry.com

5 6 Design Bridge

Founded 1986. Privately owned. Chairman Sir William Goodenough

Bt, managing director John Morris. 90% packaging, 10% corporate

identity. Clients include Unilever, KFC, TNT.

www.designbridge.com

6 8 Blue Marlin Brand Design

Founded 1993. Privately owned. Joint owners Andrew Eyles and

Dave Hodgson. 75% packaging, 15% corporate identity, 5%

internet/web, 5% innovation. Clients include Unilever, GSK,

Shell. Member DBA. www.bluemarlinbd.com

7 5 Jones Knowles Ritchie

Founded 1990. Privately owned. Chief executive Andy Knowles.

100% packaging. Clients include Unilever, Diageo, Mars. Member

DBA. www.jkr.co.uk

n/a FutureBrand*

Founded 1999. Subsidiary Interpublic Group. Chairman Jean Louis

Dumeu, chief executive Patrick Smith. No specialisms disclosed.

Clients include Nokia Nseries, Unilever Ice Cream, Cadbury.

www.futurebrand.com

8 7 Start Creative

Founded 1996. Subsidiary Start. Chairman Michael Curtis. 1%

retail/interiors, 14% packaging, 33% corporate identity, 9%

corporate literature, 1% product, 1% exhibitions and events,

41% internet/web. Clients include Virgin Media, Adidas, Virgin

Mobile. Member DBA. www.startcreative.co.uk

9 10 Elmwood

Founded 1989. Privately owned. Chairman Jonathan Sands. 63%

packaging, 8% corporate identity, 26% corporate literature, 4%

internet/web. Clients include Asda, SSL, HBOS. Member DBA.

www.elmwood.co.uk

10 11 Rufus Leonard

Founded 1989. Privately owned. Chairman Neil Svensen, managing

director Will Rowe. 30% corporate identity, 20% corporate

literature, 50% internet/web. Clients include Lloyds TSB,

Telefonica O2, QinetiQ. Member DBA. www.rufusleonard.com

11 12 Vibrandt Distillery

Founded 1993. Privately owned. Chairman Ray Armes, managing

director John Sandom. 100% packaging/consultancy. Clients

include Unilever, Premier, Nestle. Member DBA. www.1hq.co.uk

12 20 Dalziel & Pow Design

Founded 1983. Privately owned. Managing director Ros Scott. 88%

retail/interiors, 12% corporate identity. Clients include Next,

The John David Group, Gap. Member DBA. www.dalziel&pow.co.uk

13 n/a Sheridan & Co

Founded 1983. Privately owned. Managing director Michael

Sheridan. 100% retail/interiors. Clients include Procter &

Gamble, Clarins, Laura Mercier. www.sheridanandco.com

14 n/a Lloyd Northover

Founded 1975. Subsidiary Media Square. Chairman Jim Northover,

chief executive Mike Taylor. 20% retail/interiors, 25%

corporate identity, 15% corporate literature, 5% internet/web,

35% other. Clients include NS&I, Lexus Europe, Belfast City

Council. Member DBA. www.lloydnorthover.com

15 19 Dragon

Founded 1991. Privately owned. Chairman Dorothy MacKenzie,

managing director Ian Farnfield. 54% packaging, 46% corporate

identity. No clients disclosed. www.dragonbrands.com

16 17 Springetts

Founded 1976. Privately owned. Managing director Andy Black.

91% packaging, 9% corporate identity. Clients include Young's

Seafood, Twinings, Yoplait. Member DBA. www.springetts.co.uk

17 n/a Linney Design

Founded 1984. Privately owned. Managing director Michael

Fisher. 15% packaging, 6% corporate identity, 49% corporate

literature, 2% exhibitions and events, 28% internet/web.

Clients include Yamaha Motors, Coors, Mars UK. Member DBA.

www.linney.com

n/a Coley Porter Bell*

Founded 1978. Subsidiary WPP. Chief executive Vicky Bullen. 60%

packaging, 40% corporate identity. Clients include Unilever,

Pernod Ricard, Coca-Cola. Member DBA. www.cpb.co.uk

18 n/a Tynan d'Arcy

Founded 1991. Privately owned. Chairman Ian d'Arcy, managing

director Alistair Eglinton. 80% packaging, 10% corporate

literature, 10% internet/web. Clients include Bayer Consumer

Health, InterContinental Hotels Group, Burtons Foods.

www.tynan-darcy.com

19 23 Wardour

Founded 1996. Privately owned. Chief executive Martin

MacConnol. 5% corporate identity, 75% corporate literature, 20%

internet/web. Clients include ITV, Camelot, Unilever. Member

DBA. www.wardour.co.uk

n/a Lambie-Nairn*

Founded 1976. Subsidiary WPP. Chief Executive Christian

Schroeder. 10% packaging, 60% corporate identity, 15%

internet/web, 15% broadcast/TV. Clients include O2,

Sainsbury's, BBC. Member DBA. www.lambie-nairn.com

20 37 Boxer

Founded 1989. Division The Marketing Store Worldwide. Managing

director Paul Castledine. 15% retail/interiors, 60% packaging,

10% corporate identity, 10% corporate literature, 5%

internet/web. Clients include McDonald's, Tesco, Unilever.

Member DBA. www.boxerthinkbeyond.co.uk

21 n/a Redhouse Lane

Founded 1988. Privately owned. Managing director Jeremy

Redhouse. 10% corporate identity, 20% corporate literature, 15%

internet/web, 40% magazine publishing, 5% film, 10%

copywriting. Clients include Royal Bank of Scotland, Department

for Children, Schools and Families, EDF. www.redhouselane.com

22 n/a Navyblue

Founded 1994. Privately owned. Joint managing directors Doug

Alexander and Geoff Nicol. 10% packaging, 40% corporate

identity, 25% corporate literature, 25% internet/web. Clients

include Boots, London 2012, BDO Stoy Hayward. Member DBA.

www.navyblue.com

23 n/a LFH

Founded 1993. Privately owned. Joint managing directors Graham

Hawkins and Mano Manoharan. 100% packaging. Clients include

Unilever, Coca-Cola, Carlsberg. Member DBA.

www.illuminatingbrands.com

24 26 Live & Breathe

Founded 1989. Privately owned. Chairman Adrian Watts. 5%

packaging, 15% corporate identity, 25% corporate literature,

10% internet/web, 45% POS/Direct. Clients include Peacocks

Stores Group, Zavvi Retail, Bluewater. www.liveandbreathe.co.uk

25 24 Pearlfisher

Founded 1992. Privately owned. Managing partner Mike Branson.

75% packaging, 5% corporate identity, 5% corporate literature,

3% internet/web, 12% brand strategy and planning. Clients

include Cadbury. Edrington Group, Unilever. Member DBA.

www.pearlfisher.com

26 n/a P & W Design

Founded 1987. Privately owned. Joint partners Simon Pemberton

and Adrian Whitefoord. 100% packaging. Clients include Tesco,

Ferrero, Starbucks. Member DBA. www.p-and-w.com

27 25 Oakwood

Founded 1995. Privately owned. Managing director Tony Marwick.

1% retail/interiors, 2% packaging, 18% corporate identity, 60%

corporate literature, 4% exhibitions and events, 15%

internet/web. Clients include Mattel, BP, Comet. Member DBA.

www.oakwood-mg.com

28 30 Stocks Taylor Benson

Founded 1988. Privately owned. Managing director Joe Bakowski.

29% packaging, 31% corporate literature, 40% POS. Clients

include Sainsbury's, Tesco, Next. Member DBA.

www.stbdesign.co.uk

29 38 Turquoise Brand

Founded 2003. Privately owned. Chief executive Sharon Wheeler,

managing director Linda Garcia. 80% corporate identity, 20%

motion graphics. Clients include Saudi Telecom, Nakheel, Pipex.

www.turquoisebranding.com

30 28 BR&Me

Founded 1992. Privately owned. Managing director George

Riddiford. 97% packaging, 2% corporate identity, 1% corporate

literature. Clients include Scottish & Newcastle, Sainsbury's,

Accantia. Member DBA. www.brandme.co.uk

31 33 Parker Williams Design

Founded 1990. Subsidiary Sun Chemical. Managing director Kate

Bradford. 98% packaging, 2% corporate literature. Clients

include Sainsbury's, Greencore, Co-op Trading. Member DBA.

www.parkerwilliamsdesign.co.uk

32 n/a Precedent

Founded 1992. Privately owned. Managing director Paul Hoskins.

20% corporate identity, 10% corporate literature, 70%

internet/web. Clients include University of Southampton, RSPCA,

British Heart Foundation. www.precedent.co.uk

33 n/a Lewis Moberly

Founded 1984. Privately owned. Managing director Robert

Moberly. 70% packaging, 30% corporate identity. Clients include

LVMH, Tefal, Waitrose. Member DBA. www.lewismoberly.com

34 n/a JHP

Founded 1979. Privately owned. Joint managing directors Raj

Wilkinson and Steve Collis. 60% retail/interiors, 10%

packaging, 20% corporate identity, 5% corporate literature, 5%

exhibitions and events. Clients include World Duty Free,

Hyundai, Cadbury. Member DBA. www.jhp-design.com

35 n/a Creative Lynx

Founded 1986. Privately owned. Chairman Stuart Wilson, managing

director Neil Martin. 10% corporate identity, 40% corporate

literature, 5% exhibitions and events, 40% internet/web.

Clients include Astra Zeneca, North Northants Development

Company, Janssen-Cilag. www.creativelynx.co.uk

36 47 Chaos Design

Founded 1971. Privately owned. Managing director Peter

Campbell. 27% corporate identity, 56% corporate literature, 17%

internet/web. Clients include Canon, Sony, Christie & Co.

Member DBA. www.chaosdesign.com

37 46 LMC Design

Founded 1985. Privately owned. Chairman Max Cohen, managing

director Andrew Cole. 2% retail/interiors, 20% packaging, 10%

corporate identity, 60% corporate literature, 3% exhibitions

and events, 5% internet/web. Clients include Merlin

Entertainments, Nestle, Carlsberg UK. www.lmcesign.co.uk

38 n/a Brandopus

Founded 2006. Privately owned. Chairman Paul Loach, managing

director Nir Wegrzyn. 97% packaging, 3% corporate identity.

Clients include Northern Foods, Nestle, Yell/Yellow pages.

Member DBA. www.brandopus.co.uk

39 n/a Storm Brand Design

Founded 1994. Privately owned. Managing director Bruce

Drinkwater. No specialisms disclosed. No Clients disclosed.

www.stormbranddesign.com

40 56 Dew Gibbons

Founded 1997. Privately owned. Managing director Steve Gibbons.

90% packaging, 10% corporate identity. Clients include Procter

& Gamble, Boehringer Ingelheim, Coty. Member DBA.

www.dewgibbons.com

41 49 Wyatt International

Founded 1952. Privately owned. Chairman Brian Barrett, managing

director Karen-Anne Bernie. 5% retail/interiors, 30% corporate

identity, 40% corporate literature, 5% exhibitions and events,

10% internet/web 10% other. Clients include RoSPA, Saint Gobain

Pipleines, Brammer. www.wyattinternational.com

42 n/a Reach

Founded 1998. Privately owned. Managing director Caroline

Hagen. 90% packaging, 10% corporate identity. Clients include

Reckitt Benckiser, General Mills, Daniels. Member DBA.

www.reachdesign.co.uk

43 51 Ziggurat Brand Consultants

Founded 1984. Privately owned. Managing director Kellie

Chapple. 75% packaging, 15% corporate identity, 7% corporate

literature, 3% exhibitions and events. Clients include PepsiCo,

Imperial Tobacco, Bottlegreen. Member DBA.

www.zigguratbrands.com

44 52 WPA Pinfold

Founded 1978. Privately owned. Managing director Myles Pinfold.

5% retail/interiors, 20% packaging, 25% corporate identity, 25%

corporate literature, 5% product, 5% exhibitions and events,

15% internet/web. Clients include RWE Npower, T & R Theakston,

Bourne Leisure Group. Member DBA. www.wpa-pinfold.co.uk

45 54 Robson Dowry Associates

Founded 1976. Privately owned. Joint managing directors Ian

Robson and Andy Sanders. 20% packaging, 30% corporate identity,

30% corporate literature, 5% exhibitions and events, 15%

internet/web. Clients include Bank of England,

Constellation/Matthew Clark, Environmental Agency. Member DBA.

www.robsondowry.co.uk

46 n/a Underscore

Founded 1999. Privately owned. Managing director Neil Stanhope.

30% corporate identity, 40% corporate literature, 10%

exhibitions and events, 20% internet/web. Clients include The

Millennium Stadium, Warner Estate, Elemis. www.underscore.co.uk

47 58 Pierrot

Founded 1992. Privately owned. Managing director Andrew

Campbell. 5% packaging, 10% corporate identity, 55% corporate

literature, 10% exhibitions and events, 20% internet/web.

Clients include SJ Berwin. Compass Group, The National Trust.

www.pierrot-uk.com

48 57 Independent Marketing

Founded 1999. Privately owned. Joint managing directors

Caroline Beecher and Arnold Woodhouse. 25% corporate identity,

25% corporate literature, 5% exhibitions and events, 25%

internet/web, 20% strategic consultancy. Clients include

InterContinental Hotels Group, Ethiad Airways, Compass Group.

www.independentmarketing.co.uk

49 60 hey Moscow

Founded 2001. Privately owned. Managing director Liz Wakefield.

12% corporate identity, 36% corporate literature, 7%

exhibitions and events, 11% internet/web, 4% consultancy, 24%

advertising, 6% DM. Clients include Asthma UK, Learning &

Skills Council, Northgate IS. www.heymoscow.com

50 n/a Arthaus

Founded 1991. Privately owned. Managing director Mark Luckett.

25% corporate identity, 25% corporate literature, 50%

internet/web. Clients include Diageo, International Hotel

Group, Standard Chartered Bank. www.arthaus.co.uk

51 n/a Honey

Founded 2006. Privately owned. Chairman Richard Pollard,

managing director Doug James. 10% retail/interiors, 50%

packaging, 20% corporate identity, 10% corporate literature, 2%

product, 3% exhibitions and events, 5% internet/web. Clients

include Harrods, Tesco, Graduates Yorkshire. Member DBA.

www.honey-creative.co.uk

52 n/a The Foundry Communications

Founded 1998. Privately owned. Managing director Kevin Murphy.

10% packaging, 10% corporate identity, 40% corporate

literature, 5% exhibitions and events, 20% internet/web, 15%

advertising. Clients include SSL International, Molnlycke

Group, Dechra. www.foundrycomms.co.uk

53 n/a The Liquid Way

Founded 2003. Privately owned. Managing director Anton Jerges.

20% corporate identity, 35% corporate literature, 30%

exhibitions and events, 15% internet/web. Clients include

Bentley, Land Securities, American Airlines. Member DBA.

www.theliquidway.com



Source: Marketing design survey 2008.

*Companies House data provided by Willott Kingston Smith for companies

affected by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

CASE STUDY - NUDE

Fresh & Wild co-founder Bryan Meehan launched the Nude skincare
collection last summer, under the premise that what we put on our skin
is as important as what we put in our mouths.

Meehan worked with design consultancy Pearlfisher to generate the
product's brand identity, design and packaging from scratch.

Nude claims to be the first completely natural, 'ethical' and
environmentally friendly premium skincare range. However, rather than
trade on its 'worthy' positioning, as most other 100% natural products
do, Pearlfisher creative partner Jonathan Ford aimed to create a design
to move Nude into a more stylish domain.

Crucially, the design consultancy took an early role in the development
of the company's overall marketing strategy. 'Pearlfisher was involved
right at the beginning, before we even had a product, and design remains
at the heart of product development,' explains Nude marketing manager
Annmarie Harris. 'All our imagery is based on the packaging, as is our
in-store presence, where, for example, shop fittings reflect the
structure and shape of the bottles.'

Although sales data is not yet available, Harris claims that Nude has
exceeded its sales targets and is establishing a fresh sector in the
beauty market for premium natural skincare.

DATA FILE - TOP AGENCIES FOR GROWTH



TOP FIVE BIG AGENCIES

Rank Agency Fee income 2007 Fee income 2006 % change

(pounds) (pounds)



1 Loewy 21,124,000 7,932,000 166

2 Lloyd Northover 4,643,520 2,049,600 127

3 Start Creative 7,096,023 4,441,155 60

4 Boxer 3,603,000 2,306,000 56

5 Dalziel & Pow 5,387,474 3,840,078 40

Note: Fee income over £3m. Does not include Sarbanes-Oxley

affected agencies.



TOP FIVE SMALL AGENCIES

Rank Agency Fee income 2007 Fee income 2006 % change

(pounds) (pounds)



1 Honey 704,054 113,036 523

2 Underscore 918,792 593,177 55

3 Dew Gibbons 1,361,254 942,000 45

4 P & W Design 2,900,000 2,080,000 39

5 Arthaus Visual 814,801 610,753 33

Communication



Note: fee income under £3m. Does not include Sarbanes-Oxley

affected agencies

CASE STUDY - STRONGBOW

When Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) launched an overhauled version of its
Strongbow cider brand in 2005, rival Magners was very much in the
ascendancy.

To combat this, and to capitalise on a renaissance in cider drinking,
packaging design consultancy Jones Knowles Ritchie was tasked with
producing a 'revolutionary' shift in the Strongbow pack
presentation.

The resulting design uses a redrawn version of the brand's archer motif,
while a curving graphic is intended to broaden the drink's appeal by
making it less masculine.

According to John Dunsmore, former chief executive of S&N, the redesign
'softened and modernised Strongbow, attracting additional drinkers,
including women, to the brand, without alienating its existing drinker
base'.

Over the past three years, Strongbow has continued to grow its share of
the market, according to Jones Knowles Ritchie chief executive Andrew
Knowles.

SPOTLIGHT ON ... DIGITAL DESIGN

Digital has, without doubt, become mainstream. Now, according to The
Brand Union managing director Simon Bailey, 'it is more often than not
the starting point of a brand's identity'.

As a result, digital design skills, which are subsuming those in motion
graphics, interaction design and information design, must be integrated
with all other aspects of a client's design and communications
programmes.

'The fresh generation of marketers is extremely savvy. This means we get
asked some hardcore questions in pitches about exactly how things work,'
says Rick Lippiett, creative director at digital consultancy Glass. 'But
people still come from a marketing stable and often like to see pretty
pictures and mock-ups. It is crucial from pitch onward that you make it
clear you're not showing final designs - that is a stupid mistake, even
though some clients may want that.'

From a creative point of view, Lippiett believes that the shiny, bold
colours and white backgrounds of the web 2.0-style are starting to give
way to richer colours, bigger, more complex background images and
higher-quality photography.

'Everybody expected TV to become more like the web, but, in reality, the
web has become much more like TV, which makes sense when you consider
the way people want to consume media - they don't like being told when
to watch things,' says Lippiett. In this way, he adds, computers are
becoming a nexus for all kinds of content that digital designers are
best-placed to interpret and deliver.

SPOTLIGHT ON ... PACKAGING

The FMCG sector is undergoing a continued shift toward more premium
products - a trend that has created a great deal of packaging design
work.

According to Honey partner Doug James, design agencies can achieve even
greater success and growth by supporting client businesses in areas such
as new product development and strategy.

There are also many smaller-scale challenger brands, such as Filthy Food
Co, which works with Elmwood, and Salty Dog crisps, designed by Haines
McGregor, which are quick to recognise the role designers can play,
using packs as advertising 'real-estate'.

According to Pearlfisher creative partner Jonathan Ford, a higher number
of owner-managed brands are willing to put a significant proportion of
their budget into design. 'They are showing the big boys how to do it by
using design to stand out and disrupt a market sector,' he says.

The other issue and opportunity for design agencies is environmental
sustainability, says B&Q packaging design and guidelines manager
Jonathan Couper. 'In structural design there are massive opportunities
in delivering both environmental and commercial benefits by considering
materials, efficient use of space and product and packaging designed for
reuse or recycling,' he says.

'There are similar opportunities in graphics. There is a desperate need
for green icons that customers can really understand and act on. The
industry could do more to get hold of this.'

SPOTLIGHT ON ... BRANDING AND CORPORATE IDENTITY

Despite recent redundancies, at The Brand Union and Interbrand,
strategic branding agencies tend to fare better in leaner economic times
than other design sectors, says Results International senior consultant
Tony Walford. Nonetheless, the watchword is 'uncertainty', with some
industry areas performing strongly, and others dipping.

A number of corporate-branding-focused agencies have begun to
restructure, partly to weather poorer conditions in Western markets, but
also to capitalise on growing opportunities overseas, especially in
Russia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Design group Navyblue, for
example, has set up a joint venture in Budapest.

According to Linda Garcia, managing director of design firm Turquoise,
branding consultancies are more adaptable to working in any location. 'A
London client wouldn't retain an ad agency anywhere but London, because
the agency wouldn't be able to service the client with all the
production work,' she says. 'But in branding - and because of the
project nature of the business - you can set up temporary teams or go to
locations and service your clients during the project, wherever they
are.'

SPOTLIGHT ON ... RETAIL INTERIORS

A major challenge facing retail designers is luring shoppers away from
the web and onto the high street. As digital designers make use of
faster internet connections to render online retail experiences more
immersive, flexible and easy to use, 3-D designers must capitalise on
the tangible nature of a real store.

Online fashion brand Oli, for example, recently launched a virtual
changing-room, designed by Conchango, which allows shoppers to put
together combinations of clothes.

It is still not the same as the real thing, though. 'The retail space is
not just about efficiency and density, but about emotional connections,'
says David Dalziel, director of Dalziel & Pow, the agency behind Primark
and HMV stores.

Brand environment agency Household's clients include Oasis and Coast and
its director, Sarah Page, says that marketing teams are starting to turn
to designers for a greater steer on the strategic direction of their
business. 'Being at the table with marketing has brought real value
because they now see the value that design brings to their business,'
she adds.

CASE STUDY - VIRGIN MEDIA

When cable company NTL Telewest merged with Virgin Mobile in 2006, the
resulting business, Virgin Media, was left with a legacy of disparate
brands, workplace environments and the cultural idiosyncrasies of three
'parent' businesses.

To bring some much-needed consistency to the offices of the combined
business, as well as to boost employee morale, Virgin Media brought in
brand environment design specialists Household to redesign and refurbish
about 900 buildings across the country, instilling them with a Virgin
culture.

Household created a concept called 'Our Neighbourhood', which was
intended to give a sense of ownership, empowerment and pride back to
Virgin Media staff. The centrepiece of this revitalisation programme is
a call centre in Wythenshawe, Manchester.

The workplace has been overhauled with fresh features including bespoke
wallpapers, chalk walls and a branded 'impact wall' in the reception
area that transforms what was previously a transition point into a place
to spend time.

Virgin Media creative director Adrian Spooner claims that the redesign
has provided a much-needed morale boost. 'Wythenshawe had quite dreary
canteens in the past, for example, but now people are pleased to be
there,' he says.

METHODOLOGY

Information was collated by Marketing by sending a survey to each agency
directly. The respondents have been ranked according to their 2007 fee
income. For agencies affected by the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which
restricts the amount of information firms are allowed to make public, we
have used Companies House data provided by Willott Kingston Smith. Gross
profit for the latest available financial year is used to approximate
fee income. These agencies have been placed in the table as a guide to
their size, but not ranked. Where no fee income data was supplied,
positions were determined by the supplied gross profit.