Twenty-five brand guides to brand consultancies and packaging studios — who founded them, who owns them now.
Brand consultancies sell identity, so their own names and marks are closely watched. Many have changed hands: several of the agencies in this collection sit inside the large advertising holding groups, and some names have been retired in mergers.
How to use these guides
Each guide covers how the organisation presents itself — its name, mark, palette and type — alongside dated facts about who founded it, who owns it and how it has changed, drawn from independent sources. A company’s description of itself is attributed to the company, and where a business has closed or merged we say so plainly. The table at the end gathers the essentials.
Global brand consultancies
Pentagram, Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv, Landor, Wolff Olins, Interbrand, Collins, Koto, Design Bridge and Partners and Superunion.
- Pentagram — The London studio formed on 12 June 1972 by Theo Crosby, Alan Fletcher, Colin Forbes, Kenneth Grange and Mervyn Kurlansky, a name taken from five points, a New York office from 1978 and a partnership owned by its working designers.
- Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv — The New York studio Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar started in 1957 with Robert Brownjohn, its three names, Sagi Haviv’s partnership from 2006 and the 2013 renaming, and marks for Mobil, Chase, NBC, PBS and MoMA.
- Landor — The San Francisco firm Walter and Josephine Landor founded in 1941, the ferry Klamath it bought in 1964 and used as an office, the 1989 sale to Young & Rubicam and later WPP, the Landor & Fitch years and the ultramarine identity of November 2023.
- Wolff Olins — The 1965 Camden Town studio of designer Michael Wolff and Wally Olins, the Hadfields fox of 1967, Omnicom ownership since 2001, the Tate identity of 2000 and the London 2012 logo unveiled at the Roundhouse in 2007.
- Interbrand — John Murphy’s 1974 London naming firm Novamark, the Interbrand name adopted with a New York office in 1979, brand valuation work from 1987, the sale to Omnicom agreed in late 1993, and an uppercase wordmark drawn in-house in 2026.
- Collins — The New York brand and experience design studio Brian Collins founded in 2008 with Leland Maschmeyer, styled COLLINS:, with a San Francisco office, and dated client work including Spotify in 2015 and the Dropbox rebrand of October 2017.
- Koto — The London branding studio started in January 2015 by James Greenfield, Jowey Roden and Caroline Matthews, named after a Japanese word rather than its founders, with studios in London, Los Angeles, New York, Berlin and Sydney and a WestBridge investment in 2025.
- Design Bridge and Partners — The consultancy founded in London in 1986 as Design Bridge, privately owned until WPP bought it in August 2017, and merged with Superunion under a new name in 2023; with dated work for The Pale rosé and the RHS.
- Superunion — The branding consultancy WPP formed in January 2018 from Brand Union, The Partners, Lambie-Nairn, Addison and VBAT, its lowercase serif logo with a halved “u” and “n” and paired colours, and the 2023 merger into Design Bridge and Partners that retired the name.
Consultancies and packaging specialists
Turner Duckworth, Jones Knowles Ritchie, Lippincott and Siegel+Gale.
- Turner Duckworth — The studio David Turner and Bruce Duckworth founded in 1992, its London and San Francisco offices, an exclamation-mark logo on the studio front, the 2014 sale to Publicis Groupe under Leo Burnett, and the Amazon smile of 2000.
- Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) — The London studio Joe Jones, Andy Knowles and Ian Ritchie founded in 1990, the shortening to JKR, a minority stake for Growth Capital Partners in 2019 and Breakwater Management as its private equity partner from 2026.
- Lippincott — The New York design firm J. Gordon Lippincott started in the 1940s, the Lippincott & Margulies name, the Marsh & McLennan deal reported in November 1986, the Lippincott Mercer years from 2003 and the single name used since 2007.
- Siegel+Gale — The New York firm Alan Siegel and Robert Gale started in 1969, its plain-English work on forms and contracts, the Saatchi & Saatchi years, the Siegelgale name of 2000 and Omnicom ownership since 2003.
Packaging and brand design studios
Pearlfisher, Bulletproof, Ziggurat Brands, Elmwood, Boxer, Ragged Edge, Smith & Milton and Here Design.
- Pearlfisher — Founded in 1992 by Jonathan Ford, Karen Welman and Mike Branson after years at Michael Peters, named after the Japanese Ama pearl divers, with a New York studio from 2004 and a Copenhagen team from 2016.
- Bulletproof — Co-founded in 1998 by Gush Mundae and his college friend Jonny Stewart, grown through New York and Singapore to Amsterdam, Sydney, Shanghai, Melbourne and Dubai, and rebranded for its 25th anniversary in 2024.
- Ziggurat Brands — Packaging for Heinz, KP, Mattessons, Pepsi RAW and Wall’s between 1995 and 2008, creative directors from Allison Miguel to Andy Audsley, and a 2021 profile of the London food and drink agency.
- Elmwood — A design consultancy that Design Week dates to Leeds in 1977, Jonathan Sands’s 1989 management buyout, product and interiors arms in the 1990s, the 2021 demerger that created Born Ugly, and the 2021 merger with Holmes & Marchant under MSQ.
- Boxer — Fort Dunlop studio, The Marketing Store as parent in 2007, plans for Chicago and Toronto offices, the TH and SH identities for Town Hall and Symphony Hall, and McDonald’s packaging since 2003.
- Ragged Edge — Founded in London in 2007 by Max Ottignon and Matt Bland, a start in a Covent Garden shared space, Camden Market’s bespoke typefaces, Mindful Chef from 2014, and the “Never be the same again” rebrand of 2025.
- Smith & Milton — Founded by Howard Milton and Jay Smith, a 1996 reshuffle that made Milton chairman, a 2000 joint venture with M&C Saatchi, and a 2015 London and Bristol management change.
- Here Design — A studio that dates itself to 2005, creative partner Caz Hildebrand’s 2010 book The Geometry of Pasta with chef Jacob Kenedy, the pasta and sauce range that grew from it, and the studio’s own case-study shelf.
UK branding consultancies
Conran Design Group, Lewis Moberly, The Partners and SomeOne.
- Conran Design Group — The design studio Terence Conran founded in 1956, its sale to RSCG and life as RSCG Conran, the 1996 revival of the name under David Worthington, its years as a Havas consultancy in Clerkenwell, and the 2024 network launch with a rounded C-and-D marque.
- Lewis Moberly — The London brand design consultancy Mary Lewis and Robert Moberly set up in 1984 after meeting at Foote, Cone & Belding, its own-brand wine and spirit labels for Asda, Oban packs for United Distillers, Eagle Star identity work and a 2010 Mexican retail commission.
- The Partners — Five founding partners in Shoreditch in 1984, a name chosen to celebrate collaboration, a New York office in 2009, and the 2018 WPP merger that retired the name into Superunion.
- SomeOne — David Law, Simon Manchipp and Gary Holt, a team called No-one inside the ad agency HHCL, a name that answered it, and dated work for Eurostar and the London 2012 Olympic pictograms.
At a glance: founding, what each is known for and the latest change
Taken from each guide’s fact panel, as of October 2026. Follow the link for sources and detail.
| Brand | Founded | Known for | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boxer | Base: Birmingham, England; studio at Fort Dunlop in 2007 | Parent: The Marketing Store, per Design Week | Birmingham, England; studio at Fort Dunlop in 2007 |
| Bulletproof | London, by Gush Mundae and Jonny Stewart (1998) | Studios: New York, Singapore, Amsterdam, Sydney, Shanghai, Melbourne | Rebrand: Platform “Create Desire Through Disruption” for the 25th anniversary |
| Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv | New York, as Brownjohn, Chermayeff & Geismar (1957) | Trademarks and logotypes | Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv |
| Collins | New York (2008) | A founder’s surname styled COLLINS: | Offices in New York and San Francisco |
| Conran Design Group | London, by Terence Conran (1956) | Name revived: Under David Worthington, after RSCG Conran bought Worthington & Co | Havas |
| Design Bridge and Partners | London, as Design Bridge (1986) | Packaging and brand identity | Design Bridge and Partners, after the Superunion merger |
| Elmwood | Leeds, per Design Week (1977) | Buyout: Management buyout led by Jonathan Sands | Acquired by MSQ and merged with Holmes & Marchant |
| Here Design | London; the studio says it was founded in 2005 (2005) | Book: The Geometry of Pasta, by Caz Hildebrand and Jacob Kenedy | B Corp: Certification, as the studio says |
| Interbrand | London, by John Murphy, as Novamark (1974) | Brand names, identities and brand valuation | Interbrand, owned by Omnicom |
| Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) | London, by Joe Jones, Andy Knowles and Ian Ritchie (1990) | Minority investor: Growth Capital Partners | Studios: London and New York |
| Koto | East London (January 2015) | A studio name taken from a Japanese word | Studios in London, Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, Sydney |
| Landor | By Walter and Josephine Landor, San Francisco (1941) | Ferry office: The Klamath, bought | Landor, an ultramarine identity |
| Lewis Moberly | London, by Mary Lewis and Robert Moberly (1984) | Packaging, brand identity and own-brand ranges | Known for: Packaging, brand identity and own-brand ranges |
| Lippincott | By J. Gordon Lippincott, New York (1943) | Partner: Walter Margulies; firm becomes Lippincott & Margulies | Lippincott, part of Oliver Wyman |
| Pearlfisher | London, by Jonathan Ford, Karen Welman and Mike Branson (1992) | New York: Studio opened after an agent period | Studios in London, New York, San Francisco and Copenhagen (The Drum, 2019) |
| Pentagram | London, by five partners (1972) | A studio owned by its partners | Offices in London, New York, San Francisco, Berlin and Austin |
| Ragged Edge | London, by Max Ottignon and Matt Bland (2007) | First home: A shared working space in Covent Garden | Rebrand: “Never be the same again” |
| Siegel+Gale | By Alan Siegel and Robert Gale, New York (1969) | Sold: To Saatchi & Saatchi; bought back ten years later | Omnicom Group has owned it since |
| Smith & Milton | London, by Howard Milton and Jay Smith; the studio dates its opening to 6 June 1980 (1980) | Reshuffle: Howard Milton becomes chairman, Chris Bradley creative director | Offices: London and Bristol; new management team announced |
| SomeOne | London; five years old by Design Week’s March 2011 count (c. 2006) | Founders: David Law, Simon Manchipp, Gary Holt | Dated work: Eurostar identity launch; London 2012 Olympic pictograms |
| Superunion | London, as Superunion (2018) | A logo joining a halved “u” and “n” | Merged into Design Bridge and Partners |
| The Partners | Shoreditch, London, by five partners (1984) | New York: Manhattan office opened | Lineage within WPP’s Design Bridge and Partners |
| Turner Duckworth | By David Turner and Bruce Duckworth (1992) | Identities and packaging for consumer brands | Publicis Groupe, aligned with Leo Burnett |
| Wolff Olins | Camden Town, London, by Michael Wolff and Wally Olins (1965) | Corporate identity work for companies and institutions | Wolff Olins, London |
| Ziggurat Brands | In the press: As Ziggurat, packaging for Heinz 57 Relish (1995) | Ziggurat Brands in Design Week | London agency for food and drink brands, per Retail Bulletin |
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