A brief rundown of some of the most influential and revered studios that formed in the English capital, and still work there today.
Formed: 1972 by Alan Fletcher, Theo Crosby, Colin Forbes, Kenneth Grange, and Mervyn Kurlansky in Needham Road, West London
Based: Notting Hill
Key Projects: Victoria and Albert Museum identity, Tiffany & Co identity, interiors for Alexander McQueen stores
Formed: 1999 by Jason Gregory, Mark Bonner, and Peter Hale
Based: Chiswick, west London
Key Projects: Yotel branding; Eurostar rebrand and interiors; Virgin Galactic branding, interiors, and livery design
Formed: 1992 by Michael Johnson
Based: Clapham, south London
Key Projects: Science Museum rebrand, Virgin Atlantic rebrand, Save the Children positioning
Formed: 2000 by Paul Austin and Ben Parker
Based: Rathbone Place, central London
Key Projects: Branding projects for Adidas, Yves Saint Laurent, Harrods, Nike; G . F Smith rebrand
Formed: The Partners was founded in 1983 in London by a group of five designers: Aziz Cami, Keren House, David Stuart, Malcolm Swatridge and Nick Wurr, who named the business ‘The Partners’ to celebrate their creative collaboration. Now part of the WPP agency merger Superunion, which saw it join with Brand Union, Lambie-Nairn, Addison Group, and VBAT.
Based: Clerkenwell
Key Projects: National Gallery rebrand, Vodafone identity update, Kantar branding
Formed: 1965 by designer Michael Wolff and ad exec Wally Olins
Based: Bayswater, west London
Key Projects: Identities for Apple Records, London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, New York City; Skype rebrand
Formed: 2004, by Matt Miller and John Sinclair (Mills and Sinx)
Based: Shoreditch, east London
Key Projects: Creation of Monument Valley, Dice, Granimator
Formed: 2004
Based: Clerkenwell
Key Projects: Design Council guidelines; Speirs + Major branding and website; installation graphics for The British Council’s UK Shanghai Expo pavilion (designed by Thomas Heatherwick); graphics for Design Museum’s Dieter Rams exhibition
Formed: 1993, by Morag Myerscough
Based: Hoxton, east London
Key Projects: Barbican Art Centre wayfinding, Tate Modern New Extension wayfinding, Southbank Festival of Love installation, The Deptford Project
Formed: 1992 by Tony Brook and Patricia Finegan
Based: Kennington, south London
Key Projects: More4 identity, Whitechapel Gallery identity, AGI Open identity; founded Unit Editions
Formed: 2003, by Kirsty Carter and Emma Thomas
Based: Bethnal Green, east London
Key Projects: Architects’ Journal identity and redesign; exhibition graphics for Postmodernism: Style and Subversion at the V&A; WallpaperSTORE* identity
Formed: 1990; jointly owned and led by directors Huw Morgan, Paul Neale and Andrew Stevens
Based: Clerkenwell
Key projects: Identity for interiors store brand Habitat; retail interiors for M&S Foodhalls; exhibition design for Kenneth Grange: Making Britain Modern 2011 at Design Museum; identities for Design Museum and Frieze Art Fair.
Formed: 1995, by Sean Perkins
Based: Clerkenwell, central/east London
Key Projects: Barbican identity, St Pancras Hotel branding, The Photographers’ Gallery identity, Hakkasan restaurant branding
