{"id":10957,"date":"2025-05-25T15:59:28","date_gmt":"2025-05-25T08:59:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/intense-energy-to-inevitable-risks-designing-for-a-start-up\/"},"modified":"2025-05-25T15:59:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T08:59:28","slug":"intense-energy-to-inevitable-risks-designing-for-a-start-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/intense-energy-to-inevitable-risks-designing-for-a-start-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Intense energy to inevitable risks \u2013 Designing for a start-up"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cCulturally, working with founders is intense, in the best possible way,\u201d says Kelly Mackenzie, founder and creative director of White Bear<\/a>. The London and Dublin based branding agency has form working with founder-led companies, including Tom Parker Creamery and chocolate brand Luvli.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe business isn\u2019t just what they do, it\u2019s often wrapped up in their identity, sense of self-worth and purpose,\u201d Mackenzie explains.<\/p>\n

And because of this intensity, the agency becomes almost as invested as the client.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we\u2019re asked to evolve or build their brand, we often tell them that it\u2019s like being asked to mind their child,\u201d Mackenzie says. \u201cNaming that emotional connection early builds trust. It helps them feel safe in a process they\u2019ve often never experienced before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many designers talk of going on a journey with these clients.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a very close relationship with the founders, and get to know them very deeply,\u201d says Hijinks<\/a> co-founder Marc Allenby. \u201cTheir idea is usually based on passion, and you \u2013 as a designer \u2013 are fuelled by that passion. That energy is self-motivating, you really care about what you\u2019re creating.\u201d<\/p>\n

The WeRepresent logo and wordmark designed by Hijinks<\/p>\n

When Hijinks presented the founder of talent agency WeRepresent with their logo<\/a>, she burst into tears, which isn\u2019t standard practice when presenting to bigger clients.<\/p>\n

But Hijinks had created an animated version that \u201cbreathed\u201d \u2013 a nod to the founder\u2019s traumatic experience of being in a coma on a ventilator with Covid. A moving approach, in more ways than one.<\/p>\n

The entrepreneurial spirit found in start-ups can be infectious.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than being jaded, they have a youthful energy, and that attracts us,\u201d says Russell Potter, the co-founder of architecture and design firm SODA<\/a>, whose many hospitality start-up clients include the Instagram-beloved crumble shop, Humble Crumble<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the potential for creative freedom. \u201cIt\u2019s a blank canvas. We\u2019re creating something from nothing,\u201d says Allenby at Hijinks, in contrast to a more mature brand that will come with its own baggage.<\/p>\n

But these clients may not have worked with a design studio before process, and inevitably there\u2019s a lot of hand-holding.<\/p>\n

Dundee-based Agency of None\u00a0branded the start-up\u00a0QuickBlock<\/p>\n

\u201cStart-ups by their nature, are often a very small group of people, all trying to cover many roles. So the role of the designer is often as an educator, as much as a designer,\u201d says Lyall Bruce, director of Dundee-based Agency of None<\/a>, whose start-up clients include QuickBlock, a sustainable building block made from recycled food packaging, and coffee roaster Bryte.<\/p>\n

As a consequence of this inexperience, the brief is rarely formal. It might be a loose deck, a stream-of-consciousness call, or a rough vision, according to Mackenzie. \u201cAnd throughout, there will be extra calls to talk through thinking, being available on WhatsApp or Slack, and giving reassurance at each step.\u201d<\/p>\n

That naivety is both beautiful and brilliant, says Potter at SODA. But if you\u2019re not careful, you can get dragged into a lot of business decisions. \u201cWe\u2019re often asked to comment above our pay grade \u2013 we can\u2019t always have the answers,\u201d he says. \u201cSomeone client side has to have a leap of faith and make a decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inevitably budgets are tight, and agencies often need to explain the value of effective design,
\n\u201cOnce they see the link between strong branding and commercial outcomes, budget conversations become much easier,\u201d says Mackenzie at White Bear. Although, as several designers pointed out, this challenge is not unique to start-up clients.<\/p>\n

But for start-ups, agencies often break down payment into smaller chunks, as a way of protecting themselves.<\/p>\n

The interior of the new Crunch sandwich shop in London\u2019s Soho designed by KIDZ<\/p>\n

KIDZ<\/a>, which has offices in Amsterdam, Belgrade, Dubai and Paris, designed the new Crunch sandwich shop in London\u2019s Soho. \u201cWorking with early-stage companies inevitably involves risk \u2014 timelines can shift, priorities may change, or funding may fall through,\u201d says KIDZ co-founder Dmitrii Mironov.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo protect our team and ensure a smooth process, we break the work into smaller, clearly defined stages. We require prepayment for each stage; keep written records of all agreements, even when communication is fast and informal; limit the number of revisions and fix the scope of work for each stage; and withhold certain deliverables until full payment is received.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve had a few cases where a project wasn\u2019t completed because the client pivoted or changed direction unexpectedly. \u201cWhile that\u2019s never ideal, it\u2019s part of the reality of working with start-ups,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

And sometimes it makes sense to rethink payment completely.<\/p>\n

In lieu of fees from a business consultancy, Hijinks did a skills swap.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, when Run for the Hills<\/a> designed a third site for restaurant chain Cricket in London\u2019s White City, they threw in a \u00a35,000 bar bill to make up for the smaller fee. That allowed the agency to take the team out, thereby boosting morale, and host clients, thereby showcasing their work.<\/p>\n

The interior of one of the Humble Crumble shops, designed by SODA studio<\/p>\n

In 2015, SODA had a start-up client in the hospitality sector who offered to pay part of the fee in Bitcoin. \u201cWe ummed and ahhed, but decided to take the \u00a319,000 in money,\u201d Potter says.<\/p>\n

Some years later, it would have been worth over \u00a31 million, though Potter points out that they would have sold it before then.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the gamble of a profit share, where you\u2019re investing in their business in lieu of partial payment.<\/p>\n

At a former agency, product designer Jake Weir occasionally ended up doing sweat equity to help out, \u201cso you\u2019re basically partners.\u201d When a hairdresser with limited funding came to him wanting to develop a new hair curler, the agency was given shares in the company for their design input. \u201cWe were incentivised to make it work,\u201d Weir says. The product was a success \u2013 ultimately sold to BaByliss for \u201cmillions.\u201d<\/p>\n

But even when budgets are low, these jobs are still worth doing sometimes. \u201cWe\u2019ll do them as a passion project as they\u2019re quick turnaround and they give younger guys in the studio more on-site experience,\u201d Potter says.<\/p>\n

What happens when the client\u2019s dream is never going to make it?<\/p>\n

MAP Project Office<\/a> was once asked to design a very specific backpack. \u201cWe wondered if there was a market for this,\u201d says MAP Project Office creative director, Weir.<\/p>\n

When people are pouring their life savings into a project, there\u2019s a responsibility to warn them of the risks. Regardless, founders often have their mind set on these things. In these circumstances, MAP Project Office will look for a way to \u201cdial the founders\u2019 single-mindedness down,\u201d Weirs says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you relax the concept a little bit, you can make it less niche and more accessible, especially for a first product.\u201d<\/p>\n

White Bear\u2019s work with the Tom Parker Creamery brand<\/p>\n

And experienced designers in this sector get good at spotting the jobs to avoid.<\/p>\n

Start-ups have a reputation for being short-lived. It\u2019s commonly said that 90% of them fail, although the source for this stat is not at all clear.<\/p>\n

Harvard Business Review puts it more modestly, claiming that more than two-thirds of them never deliver a positive return to investors. The food and beverage sector, in particular, is full of such tragedies, according to The Grocer<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

But these potential risks shouldn\u2019t be a reason not to take on a start-up. \u201cThe reason the project fails is not because of the design,\u201d says Trotman at Run for the Hills, \u201cunless the client has shittified it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A fish restaurant that Run for the Hills worked on in London had great interiors and a cool brand, Trotman says. \u201cBut it failed on the food, and we can\u2019t do anything about the food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conversely, when they do well, the agency is part of that success story. In 2005, Big Fish<\/a> named and branded start-up chocolate puddings company G\u00fc, cleverly persuading its founder to ditch his name, The Belgian Chocolate Company. Just seven later, it was sold for \u00a332.5m.<\/p>\n

And because the agency is so embedded \u2013 it\u2019s personal, remember \u2013 the work takes on real significance.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really get the chance to make a lasting impact and build a long-term working relationship,\u201d says Bruce at Agency of None. And better still for the broader industry. \u201cThe experience they have here will set up the relationship with design forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nWhat to read next: <\/strong>Meet the Isle of Man\u2019s main graphic designer<\/a> | Sergeant Walnuts\u2019 new Manchester Building Society identity is rooted in its home city<\/a> | Studio.Build creates new identity for SAVE Britain\u2019s Heritage<\/a> | More human resources \u2013 designers brand new workplace apps<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cCulturally, working with founders is intense, in the best possible way,\u201d says Kelly Mackenzie, founder and creative director of White Bear. 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