/Interview/ Graphico
04/12/2006 | Filed under Design > Interview
Discreetly tucked away at a mansion house in Berkshire, Graphico is one of the UK’s leading design agencies currently carving out a niche in mobile design. We chat to Creative Director Andy Holden about how it got started and why mobile web is the way forward
.net: How did Graphico get started and how did the company get to where it is now?
AH: Mark Bennett, our Managing Partner, founded the company in 1990. We evolved from producing artists’ websites for the music industry into providing global extranets and websites for the likes of Pepsi. We continuously experiment with new technology as it evolves, but always place creativity at the heart of everything we do. We don’t just use something for the sake of it. This is the case with mobile – it’s a natural progression to be able to deliver what’s on the web to people on the move.
.net: What sort of stuff do you specialise in?
AH: First and foremost we’re creative digital strategists. If something is to work within the larger offering, then it has to integrate seamlessly with everything else. That’s the crux of our expertise – you don’t see the joins. We’re producing web and WAP sites, global intra and extranets, CMS, viral and email campaigns, digital advertising campaigns and lead brandmarketing programmes.
.net: What new technologies are all the rage in the Graphico office?
AH: Fl ash Media Server is very cool! We used it to deliver the BBC’s Interactive TV service for Spooks, Shakespeare and Dr Who and it enabled us to do some pretty cool things, such as switching between camera feeds and weaving questions and outcomes into the streams. The video quality is awesome and the ability to add this into a Fl ash interface gave us so much more freedom.
.net: What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of operating outside of London?
AH: Some people may see us as out in the sticks, but we’re producing some of the best work in the UK – up there with the London agencies without having to do the stressful London commute. When we feel like a break, we can be on our mountain bikes and in the thick of the Berkshire countryside in three minutes.
.net: What cool stuff are you working on now?
AH: We’re developing interactive games for CBBC. We’re also really excited by what we’re doing for PepsiCo UK, Bacardi and FGW for 06/07, which include online and mobile marketing campaigns.
.net: What makes Graphico different from other agencies of a similar size?
AH: For an agency of our size, we have a fantastic range of exciting clients. We work with them on local, national and global levels, so it’s important that we build good relationships with them. In many cases, this spills over from work into social time. While we continue to grow in terms of numbers, the core of the company is made up of guys who’ve been here six to eight years or more. We do find that we keep our staff. Turnover levels are a lot lower here than in the rest of the industry. And when we’re looking to add to the expertise/talent we have onboard, whoever we take on has to be passionate about what they do, however good they are.
.net: Do you mainly go to see clients or do they come to you?
AH: It’s a two-way road. Many of us spend time visiting our clients wherever they’re based, whether that’s London or elsewhere in the country. Equally, there are times when it’s more sensible for the client to come to us. An agency has a buzz about it, and clients feed off the creative surroundings.
.net: Is mobile design an area you see yourself getting into more?
AH: We’ve been driving the mobile arena forwards in the UK and globally for two years and were recently placed eighth in the Top 100 Mobile Agencies by NMA. In January this year, we set up a dedicated Mobile Division within Graphico with its own sales and developer teams.
.net: Many of your clients are huge companies. Do you miss the quirky little projects?
AH: It’s true we do have some major players as clients, but that doesn’t stop us doing quirky things for them while still fitting into part of a wider campaign. For example, we were responsible for delivering Pepsi’s My Da Da Da campaign, and you can’t get much more quirky than that!
.net: Where do you want Graphico to be in five years?
AH: I’d like us to be driving the creative at the forefront of marketing campaigns, which are still predominantly driven by traditional above the line ad agencies. Digital needs to be at the heart of any marketing campaign, tying together all the creative activity and creating a two-way communication with the consumers.
.net: What team-building craziness do you get up to?
AH: A bonus of being outside of London is that our offices come with a garden, so we regularly meet for summertime Fridays for a nice BBQ. Then, of course we have to take to our bikes to work off the excesses! We snowboard in Milton Keynes and the USA, mountain bike in our lunch hour and, oh yes, there’s Topless Tuesdays!
