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.
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?] 11 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
[News]
‘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.
[News]
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.
[News]
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
[News]
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.
[News]
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.
[News]
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!
[News]
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
+44 [0]20 7633 9046
mail@nbstudio.co.uk
NB Studio, 15 Glade Path
London, SE1 8EG
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