Formed in Liverpool in 1998, design studio Uniform counts leading brands Primark and innocent among its client base and is now restructuring its business. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool design studio Uniform is to split into three businesses and says it intends to embark on a new acquisition drive.
Uniform has enjoyed 20 years of annual double-digit growth. It was founded in 1998 by Nick Howe and Nick Bentley and is well known for its branding work with clients such as Chaos, Ideal Standard, Mitre and innocent.
Now the business is to undergo a restructure as it embarks on a new expansion drive. This is being underpinned by ew client wins and senior hires, including Ad Gefrin, the Northumbrian Whiskey distillery. Its new ‘head of experience’, Mark Errington, who previously held senior digital roles at Rapha, Paul Smith and Castore.
The newly formed Uniform Group, described as “a modern family of creative businesses”, will now sit above two separate market focused businesses. They are:
- Continuous – a brand consultancy working with Primark, innocent, Amtico and Ideal Standard.
- Somewhere – a creative agency for property and place offering expertise of the property sector.
Uniform is also a strong brand in the property sector delivering CGI and interactive marketing tools for the clients such as Canary Wharf Group, Urban Splash, Foster & Partners and BIG architects.
Nick Howe becomes chief executive of the Uniform Group, with Michelle Ford moving into a newly created chief operating officer. Mr Howe said: “This is the logical next step in the Uniform journey.
“We have never stood still and we’ll always be evolving. Our ambition is to build a new independent group, a perfectly formed, modern family of creative businesses that work together and independently on some of the most exciting projects globally.
“After 22 year in business, we saw an opportunity to create something even more special. I’m as excited about the next five years as I was back in 1998 when we founded the business, and I believe what we have been working on is more relevant now than ever. clients’ needs are changing and the industry is changing too.”
Uniform has appointed a new executive chairman, FJ Rutjies. Stephen Ardern and Tim Sharp will lead the Continuous business, as managing director and executive creative director respectively. Nick Bentley and Laurie Jones will lead the Somewhere business as managing director and creative director respectively.