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The relationship between agencies and clients is evolving rapidly. We spoke to design leaders across the industry to get the full picture… and it’s not all bad news, by any means. Read on to learn more.
Here at Creative Boom, we know that when you open our website, you want to be inspired, enthralled, and generally cheered up. So, when we cover branding projects, we always pick the nicest-looking project images, typically bursting with colour and life.
But while we like pretty visuals, that’s not all design is. So you won’t see eye candy on Creative Boom without accompanying words that dive deep into the broader thinking, concepts and execution of a project.
And it seems those words are going to have to work harder as we move into part two of the 2020s. Our recent survey of creative leaders suggests that the relationship between creative studios and their clients is undergoing a profound transformation.
Gone are the days when a striking visual identity alone could satisfy client demands. Today’s brands increasingly seek partners who can deliver integrated solutions across multiple touchpoints while demonstrating measurable impact.
Read on as we outline some key themes that have emerged from our discussions and what they might mean for your own studio.
1. “Clients are waking up to what brand means.”
The first point to make is that clients’ view of branding as a whole appears to be changing rapidly. “Clients are becoming more sophisticated in their understanding of what a brand truly means to their business,” explains Sunny Bonnell, co-founder & CEO of Motto. “The ask isn’t just ‘make us look good’, it’s ‘help us matter.’ And it matters not just to their customers but also to their employees and investors.”
Of course, designers have long known that branding is a complex beast. But what’s changed is that clients are now on board and increasingly pushing in the same direction.
As Simon Manchipp, founding partner at SomeOne, notes: “I’ve sung the praises of holistic ‘BrandWorld’ thinking for 20 years. But now we’re seeing less need to educate clients in this, as they recognise their brands need to tell a story and deliver an experience across every channel, from packaging to customer service to social media engagement.”
In short, clients are waking up to the fact that a brand isn’t just a marketing veneer. “They’re realising that it’s actually the connective tissue between their internal culture and their external presence, and it’s a powerful business-building force,” says Sunny.
2. “We need to offer more diverse services.”
As a result of this shift, many studios are looking to expand their capabilities beyond traditional design services.
As Simon Carr, design director at DesignUps, puts it: “Clients want more of everything, so why make them go to multiple shops when they can get it all in one place? It seems this trend will continue in 2025, and we plan on adapting by bringing in more talent and offering a more diverse range of services.”
Andy Harvey, founder and ECD at Communion, tells a similar story. “We’re seeing a merging of branding and marketing asks,” he explains. “For clients in consumer brands, their storytelling, campaigns and brand platforms are as significant as the design. We can only see them finding more value in a partner who is fluent in all these topics and can connect smart strategic change to impact in the real world.”
Roly Grant, creative director at Without, points to another element of this. “We’ve noticed clients placing more emphasis on words,” he explains. “Rather than siloing writing into a separate stream or deliverable, there’s a huge opportunity for agencies who create and integrate verbal ideas as a core part of brand-building.”
3. “Work needs to be delivered in record time.”
In this new environment, the ability to move quickly is becoming a crucial differentiator for studios. As Boma Krijgsman, brand manager at JDO, explains: “Clients are expecting the work to be delivered in record time. For example, once the brief has been sent, they expect to have six routes from which they can choose within a couple of days. I see these needs only getting stronger, as companies tend to bend over backwards for clients.”
This need for speed is encouraging many to adopt more agile working methods. “We’ve been pursuing even more ‘just in time’ branding based on compressed timelines and internal stakeholders,” says Ryan Lynch, co-CEO & co-owner of Beardwood&Co. “It’s typical that we’re being asked to solve challenges in weeks rather than months. While faster and simultaneous workstreams are nothing new, what’s interesting is that when we tell clients that this is a sprint and will cost more, they nod in vigorous agreement.”
4. “Gut doesn’t cut it like it used to.”
As branding gets more complex, metrics and measurable outcomes are becoming increasingly essential in winning client trust. “Good ideas need stats in an increasingly indecisive world to push the CMO over the line,” observes Tom Tootal, MD at Bandstand. “Gut doesn’t cut it in quite the same way it used to.”
And, of course, now there’s AI to contend with. “Just we’ve seen an increase in clients asking for data to back up their decisions over the past decade or so, we might now be seeing increasingly specific requests pertaining to the application of AI,” says Jan Eumann, executive creative director at Wolff Olins.
“Clients might want us to apply it for auditing, for research, to drive efficiencies in the process and to deploy brands more effectively. What we are really excited about is partnering with our clients to help them define the role of AI for their own business and determine ways that brand can influence a specific manifestation of artificial intelligence.”
5. “Clients want more integration.”
As 2024 turns into 2025, the digital transformation of brand experiences is continuing to accelerate. And that means, as Beverley Luckings, founder of Bev95 Agency reflects: “Clients now expect a far more integrated approach to their PR campaigns, one that includes expertise across various digital channels, especially social media, where the conversation often starts.”
Equally, clients are becoming savvy about what kind of content actually connects rather than just cluttering up the web. As Luigi Carnovale, founder / creative director at Design LSC, explains: “Brand owners are increasingly valuing live, immersive experiences over online content. I’m finding that the process and story behind a product taps into this by offering not just a product, but an experience, one that engages directly with a brand’s history.”
6. “Clients want to do more with less.”
None of this extra effort, of course, comes for free. But at the same time, clients aren’t made of money. Consequently, says Ben Mottershead, founder and strategy director at Never Dull Studio, “Clients increasingly want to do more with less. They don’t want to always rely on freelancers or agencies for routine tasks that end up costing them over time. They’re looking to be set up with systems that allow them to work autonomously, turning to agencies and creatives for larger campaign execution or additional design needs.”
For him, this shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing by the industry or a loss of revenue. “If clients don’t need to pay us their marketing spend for small jobs, then it could build up and come back as larger pieces of work which are far more satisfying to work on,” he reasons. “I expect this trend to grow, especially in regards to automation. Agencies will be asked to develop more comprehensive branded systems that clients can easily use to reduce workload and boost efficiency.”
While this pressure on costs can be frustrating, Michelle Rigot, ECD/strategy at Yama Group, stresses the need for perspective. “At the end of the day, our clients are just people, like you and me,” she points out. “They’re looking to be heard and seen; they are looking for us to make their work lives smoother, more elevated, more hassle-free. They want beautiful, creative work, yes, but they ultimately want confidence and the belief that they are creatively, strategically, digitally ahead of the game.”
7. “The future lies in personalisation.”
So what’s next? Looking forward, Simon Manchipp believes that “Clients will request branding that can shift and evolve in real-time, probably using AI to personalise experiences for different users or even branding that exists only in virtual worlds.”
“With digital platforms allowing brands to pivot quickly, agencies will need to be agile and responsive to new demands,” he adds, “whether it’s launching a campaign in a matter of days or adjusting a brand identity in response to feedback. I see this leading to an increased shift towards modular ‘BrandWorld’ branding systems that allow for rapid updates and changes while still maintaining brand consistency.”
And more broadly, Josh Matthews, marketing manager at Outlaw, believes that going forward, the main differentiator for studios will be innovation. “Our clients can’t seem to get enough of it, whether they’re new or longstanding,” he stresses. “We’re seeing clients view brand-led product innovation as the number one route to growth, whether through completely new-to-market products, range extensions, limited editions, format innovations, or consumption-occasion-based solutions.”
