given that their scale, organisational and
stakeholder set up is less complex.
CM: McKinsey & Company is one brand
that really stands out for me. It’s a nearly
100-year-old management consulting
company that’s rapidly changing. Our
relationship with them is a good example
of the type of job I love: answering tough
business questions through design. Wolff
Olins at its best is a little bit like McKinsey
with colouring pencils.What’s been your proudest moment
to date?
CM: Many years ago when we launched the
new Virgin Media logo, somebody wrote
a letter to Design Week saying it looked
like something a five-year-old could draw.
I could have kissed the guy who said that,
because it was exactly the point. It was a pure
stripped-back identity at a time when the
telco industry norm was drowning in bevels,
embosses and mess. But it was the bravery of
our client Ade that I’m most proud of;
he pushed us to do something different,
and when we did he stood behind us and
pushed it through with us. That’s the best
you can ask for.
SA: I’ll always be proud of our involvement in
the 2012 Olympics. We brought something
to the work that no one else would have and
possibly ever will again. We completely broke
the archetype, giving the Paralympics equal
status, putting a great idea at the heart of
it – “Everyone’s Olympics” – and making it
visually unique in a way that had never been
achieved before.
I’m even more proud of how we
responded when the inevitable negative
backlash hit, because it was so different to
anything seen before. Internally we had so
much conviction and heart for the work that
it really immunised us against some pretty
nasty – and often very funny – commentary.
We made history; the work will always
feel unique, and it’s a credit to the entire
organising committee as well as all the
partners involved.How do you recruit the best talent?
CM: The talent challenge is a huge one. Our
business entirely relies on people. Without
the people, we’re just computers and acarpet. There’s huge pressure due to the tech
industry snapping up the brightest talent,
and lots of designers in particular are being
drawn toward client-side roles. The share
options look good and there might be a ball
pit and free booze in the café. However,
I suspect eventually there’ll be a swing
back toward the rich and varied creative
diet an agency can offer. The ideal is
somewhere in-between.Your annual thought leadership report is
very influential within the industry. What
can we expect from this year’s report?
CM: This one is all about designing brands
for the next 10 years. A new decade demands
a new wave of brands with new ideas.
Brands that stir our emotions and appeal
to our better nature. Brands that are more
responsive and more responsible. We’re
calling this idea the Conscious Brand.
It’s different to previous reports, because
instead of looking back on brands and
business, we’re looking ahead and creating
some concept brands to bring the thinking to
life. We’re working on it internally, with both
designers and strategists teaming together
and getting really creative. It’s a truly Wolff
Olins point of view, and we’ll be launching
it in a couple of months. It’s really agenda-
setting stuff and I’m pretty excited about it.What’s the most important thing people
don’t know about Wolff Olins?
CM: That ultimately we’re just a bunch of
smart, odd, but kind people. It’s perhaps easy
to label an organisation with our heritage
and client list as big and faceless, but the
truth is the opposite. Our reputation has
been built around creating work that’s
distinctive and even downright weird. You
can only do that if you have people who
themselves are distinctive and weird. And
you can only do it consistently for over
50 years if you are kind to each other and
supportive of your clients.STUDIO PROFILE
TOP
Logo and branding for
Virgin Media.
ABOVE
The London 2012 logo
divided opinion, but
Wolff Olins has never
shied away from
controversy through its
55-year history.