Global Brand Design Agency | News and Insights

Brexit: A new dawn for British wine

This was originally published in FMCG CEO Magazine. Coley Porter Bell's CEO, Vicky Bullen, discusses the growth of the UK wine market and how Brexit will affect what's available to the consumer. Propose at a dinner party that the UK is famous for wine and one will be met with disingenuity. Famously good at drinking, importing Read more

Cultivating brand advantage for CDMOs

This was originally posted on Manufacturing Chemist. Coley Porter Bell's Planning Partner, Joel Biswas, discusses tackling the perennial challenge of innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. According to some estimates, the rate of failure in the drug manufacturing sector is as high as 97%. For the rare examples of clinical success, it can take 12 years Read more

Helping M&S unleash the power of plant-based nutrition

This article was originally posted by Packaging Europe. Marks & Spencer has launched its new nationwide product range, ‘Plant Kitchen’ which positions the M&S brand as ready for tomorrow’s diet-conscious customers looking for alternative, healthy food. The ‘Plant Kitchen’ product range’s packaging was designed by brand design agency, Coley Porter Bell, and helps unleash the Read more

Lack of brand and culture considerations causes major M&A failure

This article was originally posted on The Pharma Letter. In an Expert View column, Helen Westropp, managing partner of branding agency Coley Porter Bell, describes how tens of millions of dollars are wasted in M&A deals every year when acquirers fail to understand the value in the brand and culture of the business they are Read more

The science behind neurodesign

How does Disney make things disappear? Why should you box in red? And what’s the link between beauty and your website? Our Executive Creative Director, James Ramsden, and Planning Director, John Clark, look at why - and how - neuroscience can supercharge the world of design. Understanding how people decode the world and make decisions Read more

When it comes to brand acquisition, the first rule is “do no harm”

Soft-drinks began their life in the 19th Century as sugary cordials marketed first and foremost as health tonics. And nearly one hundred years later as the less salubrious effects of sugary drinks becomes an ever greater commercial challenge to the category, a new brand acquisition sees Pepsi acquiring Soda Stream – a product that allows Read more

Brands and bots: The new age of beauty…

Over the last few months I have noticed a lot in the news about AI technology. Life-like influencer bots have been created digitally to sell fashion and lifestyle brands like Opening Ceremony, Supreme and even their own merchandise by interacting with consumers and fans through Instagram. It first came to my attention when social media Read more

The value of out-of-category learning

The best innovation often comes from looking at categories outside of your traditional competition or frame reference. Next-generation property player Wework is just one recent example of this, although its founders would probably blanch at being described as “property”. It’s impossible to understate just how hot their brand is. Valued at $20 billion, it’s more Read more

Mozilla rebrand Firefox (again)

Following their brand refresh last year, Mozilla are once again revisiting their brand identity and, in keeping with the spirit of the organisation, are openly asking for the design world to critique the work. Our Creative Director, Dean Field, responds. Mozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser developed by the Mozilla foundation. Read more

Journey Beyond the Senses: How understanding neuroscience can make you a better wine connoisseur.

We recently hosted a wonderful wine tasting evening here at Sea Containers. Though it wasn’t just an excuse to drink wine, we promise! Guests enjoyed a variety of immersive wine tasting activities that stimulated the 5 senses, to understand how the brain affects the way we taste and perceive wine. Smell The brain is a Read more

How private banks can appeal to a new generation of investors

The profile of the traditional private banking customer has changed dramatically. Whether it’s increased competition from fin-tech start-ups, or the rise of crypto currency, traditional institutions steeped in heritage are no longer automatically on the wish lists of young entrepreneurs and agile investors. Not only do private banks need to engage a whole new set of millennial customers, they need to re-evaluate their traditional approach to brand strategy and design to capture the imagination of the next generation.

The role of neuroscience within design

Our CEO, Vicky Bullen, talked to OnDesign Podcasts about the role of neuroscience within design, the importance of diversity to the creative industries, and the qualities that make great design leaders.

Transform Award

We are thrilled to announce that we won a silver Transform Award in the ‘Best Visual Identity In The Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Sector’ category for our work on Lonza Pharma & Biotech! It was an inspiring night spent celebrating some of the best design work from the past year.

Design Effectiveness Awards

We are thrilled to announce that we took home Bronze from the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards in the ‘Household Goods & Home Construction’ category for our design work on Unilever’s Comfort Summer Limited Edition!

Branding for wine & spirits

Yesterday evening, Managing Partner Alex Ririe went back to wine school, speaking at the WSET’s (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) careers talk on the subject of getting into wine and spirits branding. Here, she shares a summary of the panel conversation, where she answered questions alongside fellow panellist, Caroline Forte, Associate Creative Director at Denomination.

Steve Irvine joins Coley Porter Bell

It was announced in the press today that we have recently appointed Steve Irvine as our new Creative Director.

Steve has worked at multiple agencies during his career with the most recent being Dragon Rouge. He has worked on brands including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Danone’s Light and Free campaign, which became the most successful UK NPD launch in 2016, winning a bronze Pentaward and two Transform awards.

How colour impacts subconscious decision-making

Colour has an impact on our subconscious brains in crucial ways that we are now beginning to understand. The challenge for brands is to use colour to communicate the right information to consumers across categories, cultural context and brand meaning. Our CEO, Vicky Bullen, and Planning Partner, Natalie Candy, discuss four learnings for employing colour to the best effect for brand design.

Life in Paradox

We recently held a Design Futures event, looking at ‘Life in Paradox’ – a showcase of how brands are responding to apparently paradoxical consumers through innovation, experience and design. James Ramsden, ECD, and John Clark, Planning Director discussed three paradoxes, and looked at how, through design and careful planning, brands are addressing these seemingly conflicting opportunities.

Nudgestock

In the world of marketing conferences, Ogilvy Change’s Nudgestock is truly the Royal Variety Show; from aviation to Hygge, last Friday Folkestone had it all.

I Am A Refugee: One year on…

This time last year, we teamed up with the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) to launch our campaign ‘I Am A Refugee’, during World Refugee Week 2016. Now, one year on, we’re taking a look at how successful the campaign has been.