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Those who thought the design industry had turned a corner at the end of 2003 should be wary of getting too carried away. Business did improve for many design consultancies in 2004, but the market remains tough, with companies fighting for every piece of business, and prices being driven down as a result. Add to that the growing influence of procurement specialists in choosing design partners, and it is clear that there are some tricky times - and negotiations - ahead.

Top-line figures suggest the sector enjoyed a resurgence in 2004 - most companies in the league table grew their fee income. But, as Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) chief executive Andy Knowles points out, this was largely due to the slow market of 2003. 'The final quarter was one of the quietest for years in terms of enquiries and NPD,' he says. 'Then, at the turn of 2004, we saw this release of pent-up demand.'

The reason, claims Knowles, was the return of confidence among bigger clients. 'The terrorist attacks in September 2001 affected the design business badly,' he says. 'Many of the big FMCG players are multinationals with head offices in the US. If they stop flying across the Atlantic, business dips.'

The good news for JKR is that the upturn of 2004 has continued into 2005, an experience shared by Imagination, which tops this year's league table with a fee income of £28.4m. 'Budgets have not increased, but confidence has improved,' says managing director Paul MacKay. 'People are not frightened any more. The world has taken another turn and not fallen off a cliff.'

MacKay points out that Imagination is winning more new business in Asia and the US than in Europe, including work for Ford at the Beijing Auto Show and Shanghai Auto Show. 'We have had a tiny presence in Asia for a number of years but we decided to go for a more substantial push over the past 12 months,' he says. 'It is really driven by our multinational clients' desire to join up the world.'

Global activity

As with most agency disciplines, big contracts tend to go to the bigger agencies, but that is not always the case. Birmingham agency Boxer grew its fee income by 69% in 2004, although it concedes that most of the growth was a result of the global packaging contract for McDonald's that it won in 2003. With 30bn pieces of packaging produced annually to service 46m customers a day, that work has seen Boxer through a period that has been less than kind to other medium-sized agencies.

Since it won the account, Boxer has been working its way through refreshing the packaging for the entire McDonald's product range. However, managing director David Poole insists that it will not fall into the trap of becoming too reliant on one big client. 'We have increased our non-McDonald's business by more than 50%, and we are actively trying to raise our profile and win more new business to further reduce our reliance on McDonald's,' he says.

Three weeks working on a pitch is a lot of man-hours to invest to win a new account, particularly for a small agency, but for the modern design consultancy, investments of this size, and even bigger, are a fact of life. There is a feeling that such time needs to be invested if the agency is to present a pitch that marketing directors would be happy to relate to their board.

'One of the biggest challenges facing brand owners today is that those making design decisions do so in the knowledge that they are acting in line with the strategic purpose of the business decided on in the boardroom,' says Deborah Dawton, chief executive of the Design Business Association.

'Design has to go beyond appearance, proving it can enhance customer experience with a brand and deliver improved profitability.'

The number of hours and cost invested in each pitch is also driven by the knowledge that however much time is put in, other agencies are putting in just as much. 'The marketplace is hugely competitive,' says David Ritsema, director at creative communications agency Radley Yeldar. 'There are too many companies chasing every piece of work.'

The problem is exacerbated, he says, by the nature of some of these companies.

'We have been through a long period of uncertainty, so agencies got rid of people. They then started up their own companies with much lower overheads, so you have a lot of new shops coming into the market. Clients have every right to use them, but until they have proved that they can deliver good creative work, there will always be a risk involved.'

It is not unusual for practitioners in any industry to complain about downward pressure on fees, but Ritsema has support from at least one independent commentator. 'There is a danger that the consultancy world could face a commoditisation crisis,' says Jim Surguy, managing director of Results Business Consulting, which specialises in the marketing communications sector. 'Too frequently design has been bought by people who are too low down the client organisation and who do not truly understand the discipline. The problem is now acute, as client procurement departments have moved in to negotiate price. In the main, the people involved in purchasing simply do not understand design value - price seems to be all they are interested in. If price is the primary driver of being awarded work, then commoditisation follows. This is a classic symptom of a market where supply significantly exceeds demand.'

Procurement is certainly an issue, if not yet a dirty word, for many in the design business. But John Mathers, chief executive of branding agency Enterprise IG, argues that its introduction into the buying of design services is good for the industry. 'It is starting to introduce a degree of professionalism to the way we do business' he says. 'Some large, reputable organisations have taken the procurement process in the wrong direction with bidding systems and free pitching debates, but there are some good procurement teams that understand what they are doing and do a thorough job. The balance is swinging toward these more professional teams.'

Among the bigger design consultancies, there are different approaches taken to avoid getting caught in this spiral of downward fees. At integrated communications group Star Chamber, chief executive John Wringe is pushing hard to be paid on results. 'If a company wants growth, it should challenge the design agency to deliver it, then let it share the rewards,' he argues.

'Clients should measure agencies on the incremental growth they create and reward them on that basis.'

Wringe concedes that it can be difficult to work out which particular aspect of a marketing campaign has been responsible for how much of a brand's growth, but says that where a branding agency has been responsible for creating a brand from scratch, as Star Chamber has for ICI brands Smootheover and BaseCoat in recent years, then it should be possible for it to secure payment based on a percentage of sales. 'Very few clients will agree to it at the moment, but I think it is the only way that the industry will be able to maintain its margins,' he says.

Cultivating relationships

At strategic brand consulting and design company Landor Associates, Charlie Wrench, chief strategy officer and president of Landor, Europe and Middle-East, says that his focus is firmly fixed on existing clients. Wrench believes that far too many agencies miss out on additional work from their existing clients because they take a project approach to each task they are given.

'We have had £1.5m in fees over the past six years from BP and it is because we have never seen BP as a project-based client,' he says. 'Too many companies see each invitation to pitch as a project, so they deliver a proposal, and when the project is over, they consider it finished, put the client on their mailing list and send them a Christmas card. By then the marketing director has moved on and the relationship is lost.'

The key to Landor's success in securing work from existing clients, says Wrench, is not constantly to ask for more work. It stems from the fact that the company is in clients' offices even when there is no project in hand. 'The relationship is all about our strategic understanding of the brand,' he says. 'We operate on multiple fronts - retail, branding, packaging, brand management tools - so these are longer-term relationships.

So when the next project comes up, the client will say: "Landor is in on Thursday, let's talk to them about it."'

This more strategic involvement with brands is one that many in the design business lay claim to. Enterprise IG's Mathers says his company's clients are increasingly looking to their brand agencies as deliverers of integrated solutions, leading a range of different disciplines. 'It has been happening over a number of years, but it is accelerating rapidly,' he says. 'Brand and design agencies are coming to be seen to be on a par with ad agencies because clients understand that what is important is how all the stakeholders interface with the brand.'

For Start Creative, for example, print and corporate ID work dropped off significantly in the second half of the year, but growth has come from digital assignments. 'Digital is a strong area,' says managing director Mike Curtis. 'It helps that we have the branding expertise and a broader view of how it integrates with other disciplines. Clients want to exploit that, and as it is so accountable, they are diverting a lot of spend to it.'

The experience of Jeff Kindleysides, principal creative director of design consultancy Checkland Kindleysides, also backs up Mathers' assessment.

'We are getting involved in a lot of collaborative projects where we start from the strategic end, with our people doing strategic research and consumer insight work that then drives the brief out to collaborative partners,' says Kindleysides. 'If the client has good design management skills, as most do, you tend not to get any problems, as long as all parties are willing to collaborate.'

Smaller agencies such as brand design and communications shop Creative Leap, which increased its fee income by 90% to £1.6m in 2004, are also adopting a strategic approach, but claim to offer something different to big agencies. 'Clients want big agency thinking without the flab or fuss. Many have been stung by big agency groups offering eight months of consultancy before they can start work on a project,' says director and founder Trevor Bradford. 'Our clients want people who understand the brand but can get on and do the work. We charge a fair rate for what we do, but strive to get there as efficiently as possible.'

Bite is another agency growing quickly, having almost doubled its fee income from £760,000 in 2003 to £1.5m in 2004. Founding partner Jude Arnup says its expansion is based on a keen understanding of its clients' needs.

'It is no good just pitching yourself at them,' she says. 'You have to invest a lot of time in listening to their needs and getting a good handle on their business. We are seeing the planning function really come into the business. You have to invest in that level of intelligence to get the work.'

Also enjoying strong growth, particularly during the second half of 2004, was Fitch, which took the bold decision midway through the year to pull out of packaging, product design, annual reports and corporate communications to focus on its retail design, brand communications and strategy and future insight work, shedding 25% of its workforce in the process. Managing partner Lucy Unger says the pain was worth it. 'It had everything to do with getting back to what Fitch is known for,' she says. 'It took a while to have an impact, but by the third quarter we were back with a vengeance.'

In the current climate, winning new business is the focus for design practitioners. But with clients looking to get a greater return for a smaller outlay from all their marketing services partners, the challenge now is not just to win accounts, but also to make a decent margin on them.

TOP DESIGN AGENCIES 1-79

Agency Fee income Fee income Chng

2004 2003 %

(pounds) (pounds)

1 Imagination 28,400,000 28,000,000 1

Interbrand UK* n/a 8,476,000 n/a

2 Jones Knowles Ritchie 8,457,000 7,615,000 11

3 Corporate Edge 8,111,200 8,303,897 -2

Jack Morton Worldwide* n/a 7,007,000 n/a

4 Checkland Kindleysides 6,872,000 6,912,000 -1

5 Design Bridge 6,793,000 8,399,000 -19

6 Coutts Retail Communications 6,780,000 7,070,800 -4

7 Radley Yeldar 6,750,000 6,500,000 4

8 Blue Marlin 6,743,000 5,850,000 15

9 Vibrandt/Star Chamber 5,613,000 4,895,000 15

10 Gyro International 4,800,000 3,000,000 60

11 Start Creative 4,685,000 5,133,000 -9

Fitch Design Consultants* n/a 4,612,000 n/a

Coley Porter Bell* 4,382,172 4,717,053 -7

12 Rufus Leonard 4,230,000 4,883,000 -13

13 DCA Design International 4,196,031 3,286,523 28

14 The Design Group 3,942,000 3,626,000 9

Lambie-Nairn* 3,877,250 3,528,005 10

FBC (Futurebrand)* n/a 3,873,000 n/a

15 Tynan D'Arcy 3,850,000 3,200,000 20

16 Loewy Group 3,626,000 n/a n/a

17 Springetts 3,584,498 3,175,509 13

18 20/20 3,434,000 3,363,000 2

Conran Design Group* 3,425,000 3,562,000 -4

19 Elmwood Design 3,240,000 2,990,000 8

20 The Team Brand 3,136,000 2,429,000 29

Communication Consultants

21 Kugel 2,960,000 2,797,000 6

CGI BrandSense* n/a 2,895,541 n/a

22 Brewer Riddiford 2,891,363 2,693,877 7

23 Carnegie Orr 2,870,000 3,300,000 -13

24 SAS 2,804,170 2,250,445 25

25 Redhouse Lane 2,798,102 2,577,971 9

26 Oakwood Design 2,765,000 2,458,643 12

Consultants

27 Tayburn 2,721,000 2,526,000 8

28 Seymour Powell 2,681,000 3,361,000 -20

The Partners* 2,603,955 2,173,439 20

29 Pearlfisher 2,488,000 1,952,000 27

30 Bostock & Pollitt 2,428,621 1,743,607 39

31 Allen International 2,334,000 2,206,683 6

32 Bloom 2,319,000 2,038,000 14

33 The Chase 2,300,000 2,010,000 14

34 Din Associates 2,299,598 1,933,909 19

35 Nucleus 2,293,000 1,477,000 55

Innocence* n/a 2,128,000 n/a

36 Linney Design 2,016,273 1,990,077 1

37 Wardour Communications 1,959,349 1,598,510 23

38 Precedent Communications 1,900,000 1,850,000 3

39 Boxer 1,898,000 1,121,000 69

40 Uffindell West 1,894,000 1,226,000 54

41 Parker Williams Design 1,880,762 2,261,038 -17

42 Siebert Head 1,860,000 1,950,000 -5

43 Stocks Taylor Benson 1,853,000 1,387,000 34

44 Bell Design & 1,837,000 1,754,352 5

Communications

45 Fraser Design Associates 1,742,406 1,281,925 36

46 HMKM 1,600,000 1,500,000 7

47 Creative Leap 1,573,933 828,561 90

48 Bite 1,500,000 760,000 97

49 Pemberton & Whitefoord 1,470,000 1,430,000 3

50 Ratcliffe Fowler 1,400,000 1,300,000 8

51 Glazer 1,320,000 1,170,000 13

52 Shelton Fleming 1,308,786 1,141,222 15

53 LMC Design 1,215,000 1,566,000 -22

54 Milton Bayer 1,189,216 516,372 130

Communications

55 WPA Pinfold 1,168,361 873,211 34

56 The Brewery 1,056,000 n/a n/a

57 Dew Gibbons 1,047,626 1,072,000 -2

58 Creative Lynx 1,045,000 1,003,000 4

59 Reach Limited 982,755 636,789 54

60 Natural Associates 906,258 875,990 3

61 Mansfields 900,000 1,290,000 -30

62 Design UK 809,000 670,000 21

63 Paper White 772,342 616,165 25

64 Pierrot Print and Design 770,000 770,000 0

65 Point 6 748,903 632,197 18

66 Turnbull Ripley 734,381 950,196 -23

67 Brand Design Consultants 712,000 496,000 44

68 TGV Design & Marketing 664,000 626,000 6

69 Out-Think 655,374 n/a n/a

70 Spencer du Bois 615,985 n/a n/a

71 Warwicks UK 554,000 535,000 4

72 Purple Circle 524,638 641,580 -18

73 Arthaus Visual 523,587 497,316 5

Communications

74 Thompson 512,510 259,976 97

75 Independent Marketing 510,000 440,000 16

76 N1 Creative 496,228 187,663 164

77 Like A River 450,000 418,000 8

78 Bryt Limited 264,497 n/a n/a

79 View 165,000 55,000 200

 

Agency Turnover Turnover Chng Staff

2004 2003 %

(pounds) (pounds)

1 Imagination 93,000,000 79,000,000 18 352

Interbrand UK* n/a 11,905,000 n/a 96

2 Jones Knowles Ritchie 9,747,000 7,825,000 25 76

3 Corporate Edge 10,041,590 10,327,544 -3 100

Jack Morton Worldwide* n/a 21,105,000 n/a 75

4 Checkland Kindleysides 8,260,000 8,292,000 0 85

5 Design Bridge 8,969,000 12,262,000 -27 87

6 Coutts Retail Communications 33,900,000 35,354,000 -4 130

7 Radley Yeldar 11,000,000 10,500,000 5 75

8 Blue Marlin 6,781,000 5,882,000 15 75

9 Vibrandt/Star Chamber 7,100,208 5,878,000 21 62

10 Gyro International 7,800,000 5,900,000 32 70

11 Start Creative 5,234,457 5,648,109 -7 54

Fitch Design Consultants* n/a 5,310,000 n/a 68

Coley Porter Bell* 5,149,840 5,820,537 -12 41

12 Rufus Leonard 4,853,000 5,743,000 -15 55

13 DCA Design International 5,155,946 4,529,241 14 63

14 The Design Group 6,085,000 5,281,000 15 75

Lambie-Nairn* 5,427,331 5,666,127 -4 34

FBC (Futurebrand)* n/a 5,804,000 n/a 43

15 Tynan D'Arcy 4,840,000 4,200,000 15 38

16 Loewy Group 5,072,000 n/a n/a 75

17 Springetts 3,984,839 3,571,161 12 42

18 20/20 3,760,000 3,839,000 -2 39

Conran Design Group* 4,269,000 4,362,000 -2 48

19 Elmwood Design 4,170,000 3,490,000 19 46

20 The Team Brand 4,813,000 3,113,000 55 35

Communication Consultants

21 Kugel 3,294,000 3,084,000 7 33

CGI BrandSense* n/a 4,300,008 n/a 33

22 Brewer Riddiford 3,130,717 2,948,741 6 29

23 Carnegie Orr 4,400,000 4,500,000 -2 25

24 SAS 4,585,367 3,791,774 21 34

25 Redhouse Lane 3,693,079 3,753,774 -2 57

26 Oakwood Design 3,179,000 2,588,000 23 28

Consultants

27 Tayburn 4,600,000 4,558,000 1 55

28 Seymour Powell 3,408,000 3,663,000 -7 39

The Partners* 5,257,624 4,771,596 10 41

29 Pearlfisher 3,705,000 2,899,000 28 43

30 Bostock & Pollitt 3,673,984 2,614,576 41 32

31 Allen International 2,545,100 3,113,000 -18 25

32 Bloom 2,490,000 1,912,000 30 28

33 The Chase 5,680,000 5,390,000 5 43

34 Din Associates 2,424,375 2,012,951 20 24

35 Nucleus 2,356,000 1,540,000 53 23

Innocence* n/a 2,384,000 n/a 24

36 Linney Design 5,085,000 5,082,000 0 46

37 Wardour Communications 2,612,465 2,131,346 23 37

38 Precedent Communications 2,020,000 2,100,000 -4 35

39 Boxer 2,814,000 1,658,000 70 23

40 Uffindell West 2,483,000 1,474,110 68 18

41 Parker Williams Design 2,044,307 2,457,651 -17 28

42 Siebert Head 2,470,000 2,550,000 -3 28

43 Stocks Taylor Benson 2,776,000 2,181,000 27 25

44 Bell Design & 2,088,000 1,993,581 5 22

Communications

45 Fraser Design Associates 2,787,307 2,789,920 0 18

46 HMKM 2,100,000 1,900,000 11 22

47 Creative Leap 1,674,397 881,448 90 20

48 Bite 2,100,000 1,100,000 91 19

49 Pemberton & Whitefoord 1,520,000 1,520,000 0 13

50 Ratcliffe Fowler 2,218,885 2,009,740 10 16

51 Glazer 2,360,000 1,900,000 24 18

52 Shelton Fleming 2,927,484 2,588,205 13 16

53 LMC Design 1,694,000 2,347,000 -28 20

54 Milton Bayer 1,790,473 1,246,468 44 25

Communications

55 WPA Pinfold 1,176,361 881,211 33 14

56 The Brewery 1,200,000 n/a n/a 17

57 Dew Gibbons 1,294,083 1,425,359 -9 11

58 Creative Lynx 2,524,000 2,220,000 14 30

59 Reach Limited 1,132,221 803,711 41 13

60 Natural Associates 1,411,500 1,242,960 14 12

61 Mansfields 3,700,000 4,300,000 -14 16

62 Design UK 830,651 694,803 20 16

63 Paper White 1,695,761 1,158,383 46 18

64 Pierrot Print and Design 1,400,000 1,400,000 0 11

65 Point 6 868,131 764,777 14 18

66 Turnbull Ripley 989,170 1,244,128 -20 12

67 Brand Design Consultants 1,550,000 1,460,000 6 10

68 TGV Design & Marketing 1,021,000 1,047,000 -2 11

69 Out-Think 796,475 n/a n/a 14

70 Spencer du Bois 765,491 397,981 92 7

71 Warwicks UK 2,700,000 3,000,000 -10 22

72 Purple Circle 1,303,788 1,480,541 -12 13

73 Arthaus Visual 717,486 648,684 11 7

Communications

74 Thompson 1,103,854 563,666 96 11

75 Independent Marketing 680,000 588,000 16 10

76 N1 Creative 627,664 279,478 125 18

77 Like A River 1,033,000 1,060,000 -3 8

78 Bryt Limited 373,150 n/a n/a 10

79 View 1,605,882 1,137,772 41 22

 

Agency

1 Imagination

Founded 1978. Privately owned. Chairman Gary Withers. No specialisms

given. Clients include Ford, American Express, Ericsson. Member DBA.

www.imagination.com

Interbrand UK*

Founded 1974. Subsidiary Omnicom Group. Chief executive Jez

Frampton.No specialisms given. Clients include Abbey, BUPA, British

Gas. www.interbrand.com

2 Jones Knowles Ritchie

Founded 1990. Privately owned. CEO Andy Knowles. Packaging (100%).

Clients include Heinz, Britvic, Masterfoods. www.jkr.co.uk

3 Corporate Edge

Founded 1972. Subsidiary Lorica Group. Chairman Chris Wood.

Retail/interiors (9%), corp ID (33%), corp lit (36%), product (1%),

web (12%), research (9%). Clients include Shell, Diageo, M&S. Member

DBA. www.corporateedge.com

Jack Morton Worldwide*

Founded 1976. Subsidiary Interpublic Group. Joint managing directors

Jeremy Garbett, Julian Pulla. Corp lit (5%), exhibitions (90%), web

(5%). Clients include Vauxhall, Toyota, Volvo. www.jackmorton.co.uk

4 Checkland Kindleysides

Founded 1979. Privately owned. Joint managing directors David

Checkland, Jeff Kindleysides. Retail/interiors (62%), packaging

(2%), corp ID (2%), corp lit (31%), exhibitions (2%), web (1%).

Clients not disclosed. www.checkind.com

5 Design Bridge

Founded 1986. Privately owned. MD Jill Marshall. Packaging (90%),

corp ID (10%). Clients include Unilever, Kraft, Friesland Coberco.

www.designbridge.com

6 Coutts Retail Communications

Founded 1978. Subsidiary Coutts Holdings. Chairman Robert Essex.

Retail/interiors (85%), packaging (4%), corp ID (4%), corp lit (3%),

exhibitions (2%), web (2%). Clients include Johnson & Johnson, 3.

www.crc-uk.com

7 Radley Yeldar

Founded 1986. Privately owned. Chairman Carl Radley. Packaging

(7.5%), corp ID (2%), corp lit (83%), web (7.5%). Clients include

Rolls-Royce, Pearson, Aviva. www.ry.com

8 Blue Marlin

Founded 1993. Subsidiary Barracuda Holdings. Chairman Andrew Eyles.

Packaging (90%), corp ID (3%), product (7%). Clients include Shell,

Bernard Matthews, Cussons. Member DBA. www.bluemarlinbd.com

9 Vibrandt/Star Chamber

Founded 1993. Subsidiary Sandom Group. Chairman Ray Armes.

Packaging/branding (100%). Clients include Unilever, PepsiCo,

Nestle. www.thestarchamber.co.uk

10 Gyro International

Founded 1991. Privately owned. Chairman Mike Shinya. Corp ID (35%),

corp lit (30%), product (5%), exhibitions (15%), web (15%). Clients

include Sun Microsystems, Avaya, Sony. www.gyrointernational.com

11 Start Creative

Founded 1996. Subsidiary Start Ltd. Chairman/managing director Mike

Curtis. Retail/interiors (15%), packaging (10%), corp ID (25%), corp

lit (25%), web (25%). Clients include Virgin, Royal Mail, Hertz.

Member DBA. www.startcreative.co.uk

Fitch Design Consultants*

Founded 1972. Subsidiary WPP. Chairman Rodney Fitch.

Retail/interiors (40%), corp ID 45%, corp lit 5%, exhibitions (5%),

web (5%). Clients include British American Tobacco, Asian Games,

Mothercare. Member DBA. www.fitch.com

Coley Porter Bell*

Founded 1979. Subsidiary WPP. Managing director Cheryl Giovannoni.

No specialisms given. Clients include Kimberly-Clark, Unilever, BP.

Member DBA. www.cpb.co.uk

12 Rufus Leonard

Founded 1989. Privately owned. Chairman Neil Svensen. Corp ID (40%),

corp lit (10%), web (50%). Clients include BT, Lloyds TSB, Shell.

www.rufusleonard.com

13 DCA Design International

Founded 1986. Privately owned. Managing director Robert Woolston.

Product design (100%). Clients not disclosed. www.dca-design.com

14 The Design Group

Founded 1953. Subsidiary Exceptional Group. Creative director Grant

Marshall. Retail/interiors (32%), packaging (54%), corp ID (1%),

corp lit (10%), exhibitions (2%), web (1%). Clients include P&G.

Member DBA. www.thedesigngroup.com

Lambie-Nairn*

Founded 1976. Subsidiary WPP. Chairman Martin Lambie-Nairn.

Retail/interiors (5%), packaging (5%), corp ID (70%), corp lit (5%),

product design (5%), exhibitions (5%), web (5%). Clients include O2,

BT. Member DBA. www.lambie-nairn.com

FBC (Futurebrand)*

Founded 1999. Subsidiary Interpublic Group. Managing director

Patrick Smith. No specialisms given. Clients include Dove,

Haagen-Dazs, Marks & Spencer. www.futurebrand.com

15 Tynan D'Arcy

Founded 1991. Privately owned. Chairman Ian D'Arcy. Packaging

(100%). Clients include Premier Foods, Bayer Healthcare, Hasbro.

www.tynan-darcy.com

16 Loewy Group

Founded 1991. Privately owned. Chairman Luke Johnson.

Retail/interiors (1%), packaging (38%), corp ID (3%), corp lit

(55%), web (3%). Clients include BAA, Nestle, Computacenter.

www.loewygroup.com

17 Springetts

Founded 1976. Privately owned. MD Andy Black. Packaging (95%), corp

ID (5%). Clients include Twinings, Dairy Crest, Young's Bluecrest.

Member DBA. www.springetts.co.uk

18 20/20

Founded 1988. Privately owned. Chairman Richard Mott.

Retail/interiors (53%), branding (21%), corp ID (13%), strategy

(13%). Clients include Woolworths, Abbey, Holmes Place.

www.20.20.co.uk

Conran Design Group*

Founded 1956. Subsidiary Havas. Managing director David Worthington.

Retail/interiors (47%), packaging (8%), corp ID (6%), corp lit

(36%), web (3%). Clients include Shell, Nationwide, Orange. Member

DBA. www.conrandesigngroup.com

19 Elmwood Design

Founded 1989. Privately owned. Chairman Jonathan Sands. Packaging

(31%), corp ID (12%), corp lit (43%), web (4%), strategy (10%).

Clients include The Football Association, Asda, McCain. Member DBA.

www.elmwood.co.uk

20 The Team Brand Communication Consultants

Founded 1982. Privately owned. Chairman Ian Cochrane. Corp ID (55%),

corp lit (40%), web (5%). Clients include Vodafone, Home Office, BT.

Member DBA. www.theteam.co.uk

21 Kugel

Founded 1995. Privately owned. Chairman Jim Henderson. Corp ID

(13%), corp lit (61%), exhibitions (9%), web (17%). Clients include

AXA, BBC, Knight Frank. www.kugel.co.uk

CGI BrandSense*

Founded 1988. Subsidiary Havas. Managing director Stephen Thomas. No

specialisms given. Clients include Mothercare, Prudential, Center

Parcs. www.cgibrandsense.com

22 Brewer Riddiford

Founded 1992. Privately owned. Managing director George Riddiford.

Retail/interiors (2%), packaging (98%). Clients include Sainsbury's,

Birds Eye, Scottish Courage. Member DBA. www.brewer-riddiford.co.uk

23 Carnegie Orr

Founded 1994. Privately owned. MD James Carnegie-Brown. Corp ID

(20%), corp lit (60%), exhibitions (5%), web (15%). Clients include

Compass Group, First Choice Holidays, BSkyB. Member DBA.

www.carnegieorr.co.uk

24 SAS

Founded 1989. Privately owned. Chairman Mike Freedman. Corp ID

(15%), corp lit (45%), exhibitions (2%), web (38%). Clients include

Ericsson, BT, Sainsbury's. www.sasdesign.co.uk

25 Redhouse Lane

Founded 1988. Privately owned. MD Jeremy Redhouse. Corp ID (15%),

corp lit (50%), exhibitions (5%), web (30%). Clients include

Department of Trade & Industry, BAA, Department of Health.

www.redhouselane.com

26 Oakwood Design Consultants

Founded 1995. Privately owned. MD Tony Marwick. Retail/interiors

(3%), packaging (20%), corp ID (10%), corp lit (53%), product (2%),

exhibitions (3%), web (9%). Clients include Mattel, Hyundai, Comet.

www.oakwood-dc.com

27 Tayburn

Founded 1979. Privately owned. Chairman Erick Davidson.

Retail/interiors (3%), packaging (30%), corp ID (14%), corp lit

(50%), web (3%). Clients include Royal Bank of Scotland, Scottish &

Newcastle, Princes Foods. www.tayburn.co.uk

28 Seymour Powell

Founded 1984. Privately owned. Creative directors Dick Powell,

Richard Seymour. Product design (100%). Clients include Unilever,

Intelligent Energy, Coffee Nation. Member DBA. www.seymourpowell.com

The Partners*

Founded 1983. Subsidiary WPP. Managing partner Aziz Cami. No

specialisms given. Clients include Clifford Chance, Harrods, Jaguar.

www.thepartners.co.uk

29 Pearlfisher

Founded 1993. Privately owned. Creative partners Jonathan Ford,

Michael Branson. Packaging (86%), corp ID (1%), corp lit (1%), web

(1%), other (11%). Clients include Absolut, Unilever, Coca-Cola.

Member DBA. www.pearlfisher.com

30 Bostock & Pollitt

Founded 1987. Privately owned. CEO David Chapple. Corp ID (20%),

corp lit (35%), exhibitions (5%), web (40%). Clients include BT,

Shire Pharmaceuticals, TK Maxx. Member DBA.

www.bostockandpollitt.com

31 Allen International

Founded 1992. Privately owned. Chairman Michael Allen.

Retail/interiors (95%), corp ID (5%). Clients include National Bank

of Kuwait, Standard Bank of South Africa, Belgium Post Office.

www.allen-international.com

32 Bloom

Founded 2001. Privately owned. Chairman Ben White. Packaging (90%),

corp ID (5%), corp lit (5%). Clients include Diageo, Unilever,

Nestle. Member DBA. www.bloom-design.com

33 The Chase

Founded 1986. Privately owned. Creative director Ben Casey.

Packaging (15%), corp ID (30%), corp lit (50%), exhibitions (3%),

web (2%). Clients include Co-operative Bank, Yorkshire Water, M&S.

Member DBA. www.thechase.co.uk

34 Din Associates

Founded 1988. Privately owned. Chairman Rasshied Din.

Retail/interiors (94%), corp ID (6%). Clients include French

Connection, Fenwick, Marcol Group. Member DBA. www.din.co.uk

35 Nucleus

Founded 1979. Privately owned. Chairman/MD Peter Matthews. Corp ID

(30%), web (70%). Clients include Orient-Express Hotels, Cable &

Wireless, Transport for London. Member DBA. www.nucleus.co.uk

Innocence*

Founded 2000. Subsidiary Omnicom Group. Chief executive Jez

Frampton. No specialisms given. Clients include Orange.

www.innocence.co.uk

36 Linney Design

Founded 1984. Subsidiary W&J Linney. MD Michael Fisher.

Retail/interiors (5%), packaging (5%), corp ID (15%), corp lit

(40%), exhibitions (5%), web (30%). Clients include Yamaha Motor

Europe, Coors, Whitbread Group. www.linney.com

37 Wardour Communications

Founded 1996. Privately owned. Chairman Nick Mayhew-Smith. Corp ID

(2%), corp lit (68%), web (30%). Clients include LogicaCMG, Great

Ormond Street Hospital, Camelot. www.wardour.co.uk

38 Precedent Communications

Founded 1989. Privately owned. MD Paul Hoskins. Corp ID (25%), corp

lit (15%), web (60%). Clients include Bluewater, Royal College of

Midwives, Middlesex University. www.precedent.co.uk

39 Boxer

Founded 1994. Subsidiary The Marketing Store. Chairman Graham Kemp.

Retail/interiors (10%), packaging (43%), corp ID (25%), corp lit

(12%), web (10%). Clients include McDonald's, Interbrew. Member DBA.

www.boxer.uk.com

40 Uffindell West

Founded 1989. Privately owned. Chairman/MD Erika Uffindell. Corp ID

(50%), corp lit (50%). Clients include Royal Bank of Scotland,

Standard Life, Corus Group. Member DBA. www.uffindellwest.com

41 Parker Williams Design

Founded 1990. Subsidiary ECG Holdings. MD Kate Bradford. Packaging

(97%), corp ID (1%), corp lit (2%). Clients include Sainsbury's,

Coop Norden, Disney Consumer Products. Member DBA.

www.parkerwilliamsdesign.co.uk

42 Siebert Head

Founded 1972. Privately owned. Chairman Stuart Hepburn. Packaging

(85%), structural (15%). Clients include Colgate-Palmolive, British

American Tobacco, Carlsberg. Member DBA. www.sieberthead.com

43 Stocks Taylor Benson

Founded 1988. Privately owned. Managing director Glenn Taylor.

Retail/interiors (56%), packaging (26%), corp lit (18%). Clients

include Blacks Leisure, Alliance & Leicester, Next. Member DBA.

www.stbdesign.co.uk

44 Bell Design & Communications

Founded 1984. Privately owned. Chairman Alan Bell. Packaging (1%),

corp ID (25%), corp lit (70%), web (4%). Clients include DfES, Food

Standards Agency, Sanyo. www.belldesign.co.uk

45 Fraser Design Associates

Founded 1991. Privately owned. Chairman/managing director Andrew

Fraser. Retail/interiors (55%), packaging (5%), corp ID (5%), corp

lit (30%), web (5%). Clients include Argos, Thresher, ICI Paints.

Member DBA. www.fraserdesign.com

46 HMKM

Founded 1990. Privately owned. MD Alison Cardy. Retail/interiors

(75%), Packaging (9%), corp ID (8%), corp lit (8%). Clients include

Galeries Lafayette, Nike Europe, Wedgwood. Member DBA. www.hmkm.com

47 Creative Leap

Founded 1996. Privately owned. Commercial director Trevor Bradford.

Retail (10%), packaging (40%), corp ID (20%), corp lit (25%), web

(5%). Clients include Wm Grant & Sons, Wanadoo, Alliance Unichem.

Member DBA. www.creativeleap.com

48 Bite

Founded 1995. Privately owned. Creative directors Jude Arnup, Keith

Crook. Corp ID (70%), corp lit (3%), exhibitions (17%), web (10%).

Clients include Volvo, Interoute, Visa. www.anotherbiteidea.com

49 Pemberton & Whitefoord

Founded 1987. Privately owned. Creative directors Simon Pemberton,

Adrian Whitefoord. Packaging (85%), corp ID (5%), corp lit (8%), web

(2%). Clients include Tesco, Focus, Thresher. Member DBA.

www.p-and-w.com

50 Ratcliffe Fowler

Founded 1994. Privately owned. Joint MDs Mike Ratcliffe, Jim Fowler.

Retail/interiors (65%), packaging (5%), corp ID (5%), corp lit

(25%). Clients include Nike, Signet Group, Next.

www.ratcliffefowlerdesign.co.uk

51 Glazer

Founded 1992. Privately owned. Chairman Ian Glazer. Corp ID (100%).

Clients include BAA, Welsh Development Agency, Lend Lease. Member

DBA. www.glazer.co.uk

52 Shelton Fleming

Founded 1982. Privately owned. Chairman/MD Maurice Fleming.

Packaging (11%), corp ID (9%), corp lit (5%), exhibitions (75%).

Clients include DEFRA, BMW, Hewlett-Packard.

www.sheltonfleming.co.uk

53 LMC Design

Founded 1985. Privately owned. Chairman Max Cohen. Packaging (25%),

corp ID (20%), corp lit (55%). Clients include Nestle, Merlin

Entertainments, Carlsberg. www.lmcdesign.co.uk

54 Milton Bayer Communications

Founded 1991. Privately owned. Chairman Don Mammatt. Packaging (7%),

corp ID (14%), corp lit (50%), web (29%). Clients include Tesco,

Emap Advertising, Monarch. www.miltonbayer.com

55 WPA Pinfold

Founded 1978. Privately owned. Chairman Myles Pinfold.

Retail/interiors (15%), packaging (23%), corp ID (15%), corp lit

(40%), product (1%), exhibitions (1%), web (5%). Clients include RWE

Npower. Member DBA. www.wpa-pinfold.co.uk

56 The Brewery

Founded 2003. Privately owned. Chairman Paul Stead. Packaging (9%),

corp ID (5%), corp lit (9%), product (24%), exhibitions (5%), web

(33%), consultancy (15%). Clients include Suncorp, Unilever. Member

DBA. www.thebrewery-london.com

57 Dew Gibbons

Founded 1997. Privately owned. MD Steve Gibbons. Packaging (81%),

corp ID (8%), corp lit (11%). Clients include Procter & Gamble,

Boots, Coca-Cola. Member DBA. www.dewgibbons.com

58 Creative Lynx

Founded 1986. Privately owned. MD Stuart Wilson. Packaging (5%),

corp ID (25%), corp lit (45%), exhibitions (10%), web (15%). Clients

include English Partnerships, Fujitsu, UNHCR. www.creativelynx.co.uk

59 Reach Limited

Founded 1998. Privately owned. MD Caroline Hagen. Packaging (90%),

corp ID (10%). Clients include Boots, Reckitt Benckiser, Ryvita.

Member DBA. www.reachdesign.co.uk

60 Natural Associates

Founded 1990. Privately owned. Chairman/MD Nicholas Boyce. Corp ID

(10%), corp lit (80%), web (10%). Clients include BBC, BP, KPMG.

www.naturalassociates.com

61 Mansfields

Founded 1905. Privately owned. Chairman Ivor Frankland. Corp ID

(2%), corp lit (10%), exhibitions (85%), web (3%). Clients include

Ford, Jaguar, Chiltern. www.mansfieldsdesign.co.uk

62 Design UK

Founded 1998. Privately owned. MD Scott Wilkinson. Corp ID (5%),

corp lit (5%), exhibitions (5%), web (85%). Clients include Butlins,

Diesel, RAC. www.designuk.com

63 Paper White

Founded 1991. Privately owned. Chairman Iain Johnson. Corp ID (30%),

corp lit (60%), web (10%). Clients include Convatec, Australian

Tourist Commission, EDS. Member DBA. www.paperwhite.co.uk

64 Pierrot Print and Design

Founded 1992. Privately owned. Chairman Andrew Campbell. Packaging

(5%), corp ID 10%, corp lit (70%), exhibitions (10%), web (5%).

Clients include Compass Group, BBFC, Bisley Office Equipment.

www.pierrot.uk.com

65 Point 6

Founded 1993. Privately owned. Chairman Jennifer Bradley.

Retail/interiors (15%), packaging (35%), corp ID (15%), corp lit

(15%), exhibitions (5%), web (15%). Clients include Cannon Avent,

L'Oreal, Trailfinders. www.point6.co.uk

66 Turnbull Ripley

Founded 1989. Privately owned. MD Mark Turnbull. Corp ID (25%), corp

lit (70%), web (5%). Clients include English Heritage, Bourne

Leisure, Scottish Widows. www.turnbullripley.co.uk

67 Brand Design Consultants

Founded 1989. Privately owned. Chairman Nick Brand. Retail/interiors

(79%), packaging (6%), corp ID (8%), corp lit (3%), web (4%).

Clients include Argos, Boots, Waitrose. Member DBA.

www.branddesign.co.uk

68 TGV Design & Marketing

Founded 1984. Privately owned. MD Colin Beckenham. Packaging (7%),

corp ID (15%), corp lit (45%), exhibitions (20%), web (13%). Clients

include Octagon Developments, The Unicorn Group. Member DBA.

www.tgvdesign.co.uk

69 Out-Think

Founded 2004. Subsidiary Poulter Group. MD Gary McCall. Packaging

(75%), corp ID (10%), corp lit (15%). Clients include Sigma Kalon,

English Provender Company, Napolina. Member DBA. www.out-think.com

70 Spencer du Bois

Founded 1992. Privately owned. Chairman David Rivett. Corp ID (80%),

corp lit (20%). Clients include University of Cambridge Local Exam

Syndicate, International Planned Parenthood Federation.

www.spencerdubois.co.uk

71 Warwicks UK

Founded 1966. Subsidiary WPP. Chairman Bob Jennings. Corp ID (10%),

corp lit (80%), exhibitions (5%), web (5%). Clients include Jaguar,

Land Rover, Agco. www.warwicks-uk.com

72 Purple Circle

Founded 1991. Privately owned. Chairman Darren Fisk. Packaging

(10%), corp ID (50%), corp lit (30%), web (10%). Clients include

Boots, Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, Speedo. Member DBA.

www.purplecircle.co.uk

73 Arthaus Visual Communications

Founded 1991. Privately owned. Managing director Mark Luckett. Corp

ID (35%), corp lit (30%), exhibitions (5%), web (30%). Clients

include Tesco, Unilever, United Utilities. www.arthaus.co.uk

74 Thompson

Founded 1985. Privately owned. Chairman Ian Thompson. Corp ID (45%),

corp lit (45%), web (10%). Clients include Harvey Nichols, The

Symphony Group, Smith & Nephew Healthcare. www.thompsondesign.co.uk

75 Independent Marketing

Founded 1999. Privately owned. Managing directors Caroline Beecher,

Arnold Woodhouse. Corp ID (30%), corp lit (45%), exhibitions (10%),

web (15%). Clients include Compass Group, bmi.

www.independentmarketing.co.uk

76 N1 Creative

Founded 2001. Privately owned. MD Glenn Elliott. Corp ID (33%), corp

lit (33%), web (34%). Clients include BBC, LA Fitness, Gartner.

Member DBA. www.n1creative.com

77 Like A River

Founded 1996. Privately owned. Joint MDs Peter Rogers, Rob Taylor.

Retail/interiors (20%), packaging (30%), corp ID (30%), corp lit

(10%), exhibitions (5%), web (5%). Clients include United Travel,

Co-operative Bank. www.likeariver.co.uk

78 Bryt Limited

Founded 2003. Privately owned. Chairman Paul Fieldhouse.

Retail/interiors (8%), packaging (45%), corp ID (13%), corp lit

(12%), exhibitions (2%), web (10%), other (10%). Clients include

Assoc. British Foods, Premier Foods. www.bryt.co.uk

79 View

Founded 1992. Privately owned. Chairman Eddie Blitz. Corp ID (20%),

corp lit (25%), web (55%). Clients include BlackBerry Europe, Rio

Tinto, Rolls-Royce. Member DBA. www.view.uk.com

*Companies House financial data provided by Willott Kingston Smith for

agencies affected by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

THE SARBANES-OXLEY EFFECT

For agencies affected by the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which restricts the financial information firms are allowed to make public, we have used Companies House data provided by Willott Kingston Smith. In many cases the latest data available was for the 2003 financial year. We have placed these agencies within the table using their latest figures as a measurement tool, although we have not given them rankings; while not ideal, this provides a barometer of the size and status of the companies. Information filed with Companies House as gross income has been taken as equivalent to fee income. Affected companies are listed under group names, rather than by subsidiaries. Financial data could not be found for Haygarth, Landor Associates, Springer & Jacoby, Enterprise IG or CDT Design.

TOP 5 FOR GROWTH - BIG AGENCIES

Agency Fee income Fee income Change

2004 (pounds) 2003 (pounds) (%)

1 Gyro International 4,800,000 3,000,000 60

2 Nucleus 2,293,000 1,477,000 55

3 Bostock & Pollitt 2,428,621 1,743,607 39

4 The Team Brand Comms 3,136,000 2,429,000 29

5 DCA Design International 4,196,031 3,286,523 28

 

 

TOP 5 FOR GROWTH - SMALL AGENCIES

Agency Fee income Fee income Change

2004 (pounds) 2003 (pounds) (%)

1 View 165,000 55,000 200

2 N1 Creative 496,228 187,663 164

3 Milton Bayer Comms 1,189,216 516,372 130

4 Bite 1,500,000 760,000 97

5 Thompson 512,510 259,976 97