[a] design project is underway.

You’re looking at the [a] design agency website.

We’re not big on website launches, or the subsequent launch parties.
Instead this website is a constant work in progress.

Don’t watch this space—do scroll down!

↓

[a] consultant

[a] company of one

[a] creative agent

[a] brand facilitator

[a] mobile studio

[a] flexible team

[a] catchy phrase

[a] self facilitating media-node [if you know, you know]

[a] director

[a] communicator

[a] teams

[a] to [z] and back again

[a] consultant [a] company of one [a] creative agent [a] brand facilitator [a] mobile studio [a] flexible team [a] catchy phrase [a] self facilitating media-node [if you know, you know] [a] director [a] communicator [a] teams [a] to [z] and back again

[a]
design agency

Brand facilitators.

[a] provides: planning, creative consultancy and delivery for branding projects.

Creative consultants who deliver.

We’re flexible, scalable and are masters of every* trade. A bold claim, we know.

*every brand-design trade

[a] bold claim?

We’re an agency by definition. Every project deserves an [a] team.

That’s important to us because we don’t have a core team. You don’t need one.

Instead, we collaborate with the best independent talent out there. Including individuals, agencies and hand picked freelance teams.

We build our teams around your requirements as opposed to selling you outputs based on the strength of a permanent staff.

  • [a] "business that represents one group of people when dealing with another group:

    an advertising/employment/estate/travel agency"

    [src: dictionary.cambridge.org]

  • Unlike an agent, we don't just connect you with a freelancer. Unlike an agency, you'll always work with Stew on every stage of your brief through to delivery.

    [a] is one agent, Stewart Ainslie, and the creative folks he works with. We'll talk about 'I or we' elsewhere.

As a business of one, ‘an agent and affiliates’ might be more accurate than ‘an agency’. Neither term quite sits right, and details matter.

a-design.agent-and-affiliates
was not an available web extension in 2015.

We cannot guarantee that this is still the case in 2024.

We’ve got a lot to say for ourselves

So much, that we’re still working on the blog section of this site. Proceed at your peril…

+ creative types

+ design thinkers

+ consultants

+ facilitators

+ cliché lovers

+ branding

+ artworkers

+ creative types + design thinkers + consultants + facilitators + cliché lovers + branding + artworkers

Keeping good company

Collaboration is a core principle on which this agency is founded.

We work with best-in-class creatives who are selected specifically for their individual expertise. They tend to be independent or freelance collaborators.

We call them associates because:
[a] it starts with an a
[b] the word partners isn’t accurate
[c] they are not employees!

Just like everyone else, we’ve worked with clients.

And this wouldn’t be an agency website without a handful of client logos. Here are a few—

They’re not ‘our’ clients or ‘partners’ but we are proud of the work we’ve delivered with them.

Don’t see what you’re looking for?

We couldn’t list everything we do and we are forever trying new things in different ways.

Ask us here—

How we operate

The process we take you on is easy to remember. It’s as simple as
[a] [b] [c]… [d] and [z].

  • It is often easier to identify an opportunity than it is to leverage it. We almost always begin work with a consultancy phase.

  • Challenge understood, we’ll write a brief and assign budget. This is a work in process. Things (almost) always change before they are output.

  • We build a team tailored to your creative brief.

  • Our design process doesn’t stop at consultancy and recommendations. We project manage and creatively direct from start to finish.

  • Take a break, then loop back to [a].

Our Why

[a] exists because creativity is good for people and good for business.

Our core values are: independence and freedom.

Marketing and design is often seen as a necessary evil by organisations. Individuals within the creative industries all have their horror stories.

We believe that the creative process requires both passion and patience.

These values are shared by an ever growing roster of independent creative and strategic folks.

And our select client base benefits from the results of freedom of thought and freedom of choice.

What we do

[a] provide: planning, creative consultancy and delivery for branding projects.

Ask us
about that—

Alphabetically ordered list of keywords*:

animation/ annual report/ audit/ brand development/ campaign/ catalogue/ design brief/ exhibition/ graphic style/ identity guide/ identity system/ interpretation/ lookbook/ logo/ marketing strategy/ photo shoot/ pitch deck/ presentation/ signage/ social graphic/ stationery set/ video/ verbal brand/ visual brand/ web guide/ website

*sorry, competencies!

Introducing—

STEWART AINSLIE

Stew is [a] brand consultant.

Stew’s career started in 2007 working in print design. Later, he worked in a brand studio for five years.

Since 2015 he has traded as [a] design agency.