We are NB, a branding agency
specialising in strategic creativity
We’re an award-winning team of experts who design brands, packaging and communications. We believe in defying convention to create change. And we’re here to help our clients anticipate and visualise the future. Our ambition is to do world-famous work together.
Introducing Ballantine’s & Cola – the brand’s first RTD
NB Studio has partnered with Pernod Ricard brands for over 16 years — shaping Brandworlds, refreshing packaging and creating standout limited editions. Now, we’re proud to reveal our latest: Ballantine’s & Cola, the brand’s first RTD. We crafted the pack design, respecting the iconic Ballantine’s identity while evolving it to flex for the RTD space—bold, modern, and built for convenience.
[News]
Well, it’s been fun
The NB team had the pleasure of unveiling the brand identity we've been working on for the past few months for our brilliant Love to visit client at their offices last week. Exciting things to come, watch this space!
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We’re beyond thrilled to have won a gold Transform Award for The Kraken Rum: The Legendary Survivor Series!
“I LOVE IT. I love the storytelling. I love the style. I love that the packaging tells a story and isn’t just a nice picture. It creates a sense of anticipation. I want to know what next year’s story will be. The lone survivor narrative is haunting and exciting with a beautiful illustration“ said one judge.
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Would you send your client recordings of your internal meetings? We have. And it’s been… an experience.
As part of our ongoing project with Streamtime, together we've been rethinking how they feel and how we work together as agency and client. The other week, some of the NB Studio team joined Streamtime for 'Balance & Beyond', an afternoon of genuinely open, thought-provoking talks about building successful creative business while keeping your people happy. Our co-founder and creative director, Nick Finney, kicked things off with Streamtime CEO Andy Wright on healthy agency-client relationships.
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Persistence & Pubs
NB Studio senior designer Reuben Alghali sat down with GB&I senior lecturer Harriet Beesley to talk about finding his way in the industry, pester power, proud moments, self-initiated projects and the importance of great ideas.
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London studio NB rethinks spiced rum packaging … with help from a mythical monster
Alice Rea talks with Pulp about NB's partnership with The Kraken Rum, disrupting the spirits category and commitment to sustainability through recycled materials.
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Tom Lynham: How Design Educators Are Preparing Students for an Uncertain Future
THE most important thing that every organisation must do is to communicate strategically, imaginatively and effectively by fusing language, design, image, video and audio to create visceral experiences. Unfortunately, most organisations communicate dismally, superficially and generically, playing safe and copycatting what their competitors are doing. In this podcast Tom Lynham talks about helping students and clients to transform information into storytelling, and his collaboration with NB Studio writing and editing Michael Wolff’s biography Leap before you look.
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NB Studio’s acid yellow rebrand of agritech platform Mergdata
Nick Finney talks with Creative Review about our branding project for Mergdata Intelligence, a multi-continental agritech ecosystem of apps that enables smallholder farmers to grow food sustainably by providing growers, buyers and sellers with real-time information about the supply chain.
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All Eyes on Michael Wolff
We're delighted to see our book 'Michael Wolff, Leap before you look - The Zen of branding' featured in the latest issue of Eye Magazine.
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Cracking Open #3 — Gotta catch ’em all
Welcome to the final part of our trilogy exploring trends and posing "What if?" scenarios for RTDs
[What if?] 3 Minute Read
Cracking Open #2 — Dress to impress
This is the second article in our series exploring trends and posing "What if?" scenarios for RTDs
[What if?] 3 Minute Read
Cracking Open #1 — It’s what’s inside
Ready-to-Drinks are thirsty for a twist. Even if they don’t know it yet. The category is ripe with real-time opportunities.
[What if?] 4 Minute Read
A Cloud of Familiarity: Michael Wolff on Branding By Lucy Davies
Last week, NB welcomed friends and clients for an unforgettable conversation between the legendary graphic designer Michael Wolff and Patrick Burgoyne, writer and host of the In-House Agency Leaders Club.
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Thank you ISTD, Brand Impact Awards and Shark Awards
We’re absolutely over the moon to have picked up a few awards recently for our work with Vineyard Theatre, Philharmonie Luxembourg and The Kraken Rum.
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He’s going to tell you anyway
On the 11th of September 2024, NB and Michael Wolff celebrated the launch of Michael Wolff’s book, Leap before you look, The heart and soul of branding. The book celebrates Michaels’s unorthodox journey through the swinging ’60s, as creative director of Wolff Olins and a roving freelance global consultant.
[Opinions][Insights]
No thanks necessary
I can't bear it any longer. I have been frequently and systematically congratulated for the design, production and publishing of Michael Wolff's magnificent book; "Leap before you look". I didn’t really have anything much to do with it. So I thought I should confess.
[Opinions][Insights]
This book will change the way you approach creative thinking
‘Opening this book is like unwrapping a present. It is a gift from one of the design gods. A masterclass from a master of identity, operating in his own universe.’ - Jeremy Myerson, Professor Emeritus Royal College of Art. Michael Wolff Leap before you look - The heart and soul of branding: Michael’s book is packed with stories and images from his 60-year career transforming brands into household names. It contains radical insights into the dynamics of negotiating with clients, the ups and downs of creative partnerships, and will encourage you to become more adventurous, disruptive and mischievous. Book launch at D&AD 11th September. We think it is the best branding book in the world, click on the image to buy your now, while stocks last.
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The Kraken Roast Coffee
Along the Maritime Spice Route, sailors were known to harness ancient and unorthodox methods to deter the Kraken, sometimes fusing smooth, rich spiced rum with the finest Arabica beans. But is anything truly strong enough to protect against the fury of the Beast? Working with Where Giants Roam and Thiago Pinho we created a teaser film to feed the frenzy of our new Kraken Roast Coffee packaging. Watch as stop-motion blends with CGI to bring the Kraken to life.
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The harder the brief the better
Last week Nick and I talked at the Typocircle about rules and how to bend, break and ignore them. It was also an excuse to share 27 years of our favourite work and the stories behind them. The next day I was sent this picture and it got me thinking…NB has always thrived creatively on tough briefs. The harder the brief the better.
Design Rules at TypoCircle
Last week our co-founders Alan Dye and Nick Finney talked rules and how to bend, break and ignore them at TypoCircle. A big thank you to everyone who came down.
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AdTech branding: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
AdTech’s innovation revolution has failed to translate into memorable AdTech branding. That’s embarrassing, especially given that these brands live in the world of media, advertising and publishing.
[Opinions][Insights]
Guidelines: I’m never going to give you up
Time to celebrate the beautifully imperfect guideline rollout.
[Opinions][Insights] 3 Minute Read
NB at Birmingham Design Festival
NB’s Becky and Alan were delighted to be invited to Birmingham Design Festival’s Gather where they had the opportunity to share insights into some of our recent projects, alongside a host of inspiring creatives. They talked about how NB put music at the heart of every design detail for Philharmonie Luxembourg and the 18 month process behind 8 small stamps for Royal Mail. Huge thanks for having us!
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The Joy of Collaboration
At the beginning of 2022 when we rebranded off-broadway theatre Vineyard Theatre we had high hopes of collaborating with the design community across the pond. Our strategic territory of ‘Fearlessly Made in New York’ lent itself to handing over part of the brand to New Yorkers - tying in perfectly with Vineyard’s ethos of heroing the makers and making of their performances and shining a light on their own creative community in New York. So why not hand over the logo? Great idea in principle, but in reality?
[Opinions]
Michael Wolff, Leap before you Look, The heart and soul of branding
Library Street in an independent publishing house founded by NB Studio to commission, design and produce beautiful books about creativity. Our first book 'Michael Wolff, Leap before you Look, The heart and soul of branding' is available soon to purchase. Michael’s book is packed with stories and images from his 60-year career transforming brands into household names, hear him talking about his work at Design Indaba in 2011.
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Matt Willey Designs Custom Typeface for Vineyard Theatre Identity
NB's senior designer Reuben Alghali recently worked with Pentagram's Matt Willey to create a bespoke typeface for Vineyard Theatre's latest performance - Russian Troll Farm.
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Turn Table: The Anatomy of a Pitch. A Play by NB Studio
6 Years ago, we were challenged by Indaba’s inspirational founder, Ravi Naidoo to go out of our comfort zone and not just show a portfolio of ‘And then we did this…’ So we decided to make a play. A play about all the emotions, nerves, adrenalin and a anxieties that make up that magical half hour of pitch presentation. Read the full article or watch it by clicking on the poster above. Alan.
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Philharmonie Luxembourg
A rhythmic identity that’s alive with music
[Branding] [Campaign] [Strategy] [Motion]
Alan Dye speaks to James Crawford about “The Future of Creative”
What sets NB apart from its competitors? Bloody great thoughtful design and a consistently curious and talented team – a team who love a challenges and believe in the power of good design – design is all around us – good designers are aware of this...
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Some brands easily stretch into new categories, others don’t. And I know why
The world’s most successful brands share one thing in common: they are all stretchy. Apple started life as a computer company. Now Mac sales are eclipsed by phones, services, home products and accessories. Lego was a carpentry workshop. Toyota used to make looms for weaving. And Wrigley’s sold soap long before it sold chewing gum...
[What if?] 2 Minute Read
Alan hosts Design Yatra festival in Goa
Our Co-founder and Creative Director Alan Dye has flown out to Goa to moderate and talk through some of his favourite NB projects at this year’s @designyatra
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‘My Life in Design’ podcast
NB founders Alan Dye & Nick Finney join host Claire Blythe for a trip down memory lane. Listen to the podcast here.
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NB book for Michael Wolff reaches Kickstarter target
NB has successfully achieved funding for Michael Wolff's book, Leap Before You Look. Designed by NB Studio in collaboration with writer Tom Lynham it chronicles Michael’s consultancies over 60 years and 300+ pages with brands such as Apple Records, VW, Audi, The Post Office, the University of Oxford and many more… Read more on It's Nice That.
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Is Virgin playing a dangerous branding game that’s become unsustainable?
The true value of the Virgin brand is at the centre of a high court battle. NB Studio argues that Richard Branson’s baby has lost its once boundary-breaking lustre.
[Opinions][Insights] 2 Minute Read
What if you could create your way out of a recession?
Everywhere is doom and gloom. Sterling is hovering at its weakest level in decades. Energy prices (and prices more generally) are spiralling out of control.
[What if?] 3 Minute Read
NB owners go over to the Darkside
Nick and Alan dared to feature in photographer David Stewart's latest project, Featherstone Street Darkside, which has received an honourable mention at the @iphotoawards
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Vineyard Theatre awarded $4.5m grant
Vineyard Theatre has been awarded a $4.5 million capital grant by the New York State Council on the Arts to support a major renovation of the space at 108 East 15th Street, in New York City’s Union Square neighbourhood.
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Chivas Brothers have hit a 10-year high with record sales
In FY23 net sales are up 25% for their strategic brand Chivas Regal, a long-standing NB client. Over the last two years we have been working with the team at Chivas Regal to further embed the new brandworld which is playing a part in the global growth of the brand.
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Refreshing the refresh
New work by NB for Mindshare and GR8 People illustrates our commitment to relationships and our belief in adaptive branding.
[What if?] 2 Minute Read
Elite doesn’t have to mean elitist
‘Art for arts sake’ is no longer an acceptable motivation for leading cultural institutions. Shifting expectations and increasing scrutiny are leading many cultural organisations to rethink both their approach to art and how they present themselves.
[Insights] 2 Minute Read
About 37 years too late, I think I’m turning Gen Z
A long time ago, I left university with a Philosophy degree and found myself virtually incapable of making a decision: “On the one hand yes but on the other hand no,” became my catchphrase.
[Insights] 3 Minute Read
Creative courage takes two
Audiences love to be astonished but it takes guts from both designer and client. Amazing things happen when informed passion meets visionary ambition.
[Opinions] 3 Minute Read
We don’t like cricket (we love it)
NB flips conventional cricket logic and considers redesigning a more tribal experience for non-traditional audiences.
[What if?] 3 Minute Read
Imagination beyond the brief
The best briefs open doors, says Michael Wolff, who praises those with the courage to let go of what they think they want.
[Opinions][Insights] 3 Minute Read
Follow your Desire Lines
Alan Dye asks, "Is there a connection between the natural paths that people take to make life easier for themselves and creativity?" Tom Lynham, a friend and associate of NB, gives a lyrical response...
[Insights] 3 Minute Read
What is timeless design?
Unfortunately, design classics don't just happen overnight. Effortless design requires effort, argues NB, and the true test of timelessness is time itself.
[Insights] 3 Minute Read
Put away the Pantone
Designers looking for the most impactful colour choice won’t find it in CMYK. In fact, the answer’s right here in Black & White.
[What if?] 1 Minute Read
What if bugs became food?
We’re heading towards a nutrition crisis. By 2050, we’ll have 9 billion mouths to feed.
[What if?] 1 Minute Read
Role reversal
Here’s what happened when NB decided to put on a play in South Africa. Suddenly, the tables were turned and NB experienced life as the client.
[What if?] 2 Minute Read
Petit Pli opens flagship store
Congratulations to Petit Pli who recently opened their flagship store in the newly refurbished Battersea Power Station. Back in 2018, we worked with Petit Pli to build their brand for launch, including a new visual identity and bespoke packaging solution. Five years on, its great to see how far they’ve come!
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Treasured symbols
Has the idea of a trusted brand run its course? We assess the value of branding, looking back from the year 2040 where deep fakes and disinformation have de-branded our world.
[Opinions] 2 Minute Read
Tech gets a British accent
Why does 'disruptive' have to look so boring? If only FinTech could embrace its inner Karl Pilkington, it could give us our own British game-changer argues NB.
[What if?] 2 Minute Read
What if age got a makeover?
There's a British road sign that features a silhouette of a stooping elderly couple with a walking stick. It's a patronising image. So, we challenged the design community to help us change the image of ageing.
[What if?] 1 Minute Read
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