Interview: Andy Harvey
I met Andy at Moving Brands’ UK studio. Joining us were Georgina Milne, Hayley Mountford and Biff, Andy's best pal and unofficial studio mascot.
Andy has driven digital-first identity and experience projects for Barclaycard, Google and Tesco to name a few. He firmly believes that the idea is as important as the execution, and enjoys working closely with clients and creative teams to define, build and activate brands with personality and impact.
Nowadays* Andy works as a creative director at forpeople.
*last updated July 2020.
Love at first sight?
Stewart Ainslie_
What first attracted you to Moving Brands?
Andy Harvey_
It was my wife. She worked at Moving Brands years previous to me starting here and only had positive things to say about the studio and its culture. Of course I knew the studio's work and when Marque Creative wrapped up they [Moving Brands] were the first people I got in touch with.
It was all a bit odd really. I popped round for a portfolio review and by the end of the day I was up and running on a project!
The boring* bit
Stew_
Let's talk about the day-to-day studio stuff. I'm interested in how many people tend to work on a project.
Andy_
Ok this is a tricky one. It really comes down to what the brief requires. I'm sure you guys [at EQ Design] will approach a brief in a similar manner.
First we nail down what the purpose of a project is, we define a spec and figure out how to deliver our best work within the client's timeframe and budget. This is often a task in itself as what a client thinks they want is sometimes at odds with what their brand really needs. No job is straightforward, every single one has unique constraints or challenges. Truly understanding them and working through them drives the best work from us and delivers the best work for our clients customers.
So in answer to your question; we operate under 'stretchy' parameters, [Andy winces here and we discuss pretentious designer terminology] accommodating all of the brief requirements and building the right team for the job.
That was a bit of a politician's answer wasn't it?
"We operate under 'stretchy' parameters..."
Stew_
I'll let you off Andy! What about locations? You've got studios in San Francisco, New York and Zurich. How often do these separate teams collaborate?
Andy_
Oh all the time! Similar to your first question it really comes down to what will work for the client and how it will benefit a project. On those occasions where there's been a call for them, cross Atlantic projects have been really interesting and added real value.
A particular benefit has been the way we worked with the SF team on a recent project. With the time difference you'd imagine this could create all sorts of issues but what we learnt is that we could operate a relay system with handovers at the beginning and end of our respective days. This provides us with an incredible opportunity to work around the clock on a project, not something every agency can offer. It's been immensely valuable for us and of course the client benefits too.
The fun (scary) bit
Stew_
Where does your involvement in a project begin and end?
Andy_
My role encompasses the entire project right from its inception. Typically I'd be involved with the client from day one, meeting with them, conducting research and getting to know their industry and target market, building and directing a team here and collaborating with the client throughout.
Stew_
How do you deal with the blank sheet of paper?
Andy_
I suppose we've already touched on this but to be more specific I suppose there isn't a blank sheet moment. By the time we've really gotten under the skin of a brief and know what the driving purpose of our work will be our sheet is already covered in questions and answers. The exciting bit, as your card suggests, is solving these challenges.
The interview is a fairly relaxed affair which involved Andy selecting cards with fairly broad terms written on them. Topics covered Andy's experience with Moving Brands, their process and one question to test his vulnerabilities. In the interest of brevity this interview has not been published in full.
You and Moving Brands
Stew_
What is the most challenging part of working at Moving Brands?
Andy_
Tough question, I think it's more of a personal challenge than one which directly relates to Moving Brands. I suppose the upside of being driven, and being in a progressive creative environment is that you can always take the teams and the work further than everyone is individually capable. The downside is that you can sometimes (hopefully rarely) be less human than you like to be – as long as you can take the work (but not yourself) seriously then it's all good.
Stew_
What have you learnt from Moving Brands?
Andy_
The real lesson won't come as much of a surprise. Working with ambitious talented creatives is an inspiration and really keeps you sharp. No matter what point you reach in your career there's always room for improvement, and Moving Brands is full of talented individuals who are all striving for the next great thing. It's the environment, where professional growth is encouraged from above and below, which has influenced me most. We're all constantly trying to better ourselves. If you're only as good as your last project then the next one had better be everything it can be!
The best part is that I feel like I can talk to anyone in the studio, regardless of title or seniority, and they'll have an opinion.
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If you have any questions for the team at Moving Brands tweet director James Bull with the hashtag #jimspeaks and he'll gladly reply!
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This article was first published on LinkedIn on June 19th 2015 by Stewart Ainslie.
[Edit: the original interview took place on May 29 2015. It clearly took me some time to publish the write-up!]
Opinion: Brewdog 2014 rebrand
In July 2014 BrewDog announced their new style bottle labels. As an avid fan of the brand (and drinker of a few too many of their beers) I was interested to see where the new direction would take the Scottish craft beer company's brand.
One year on, BrewDog continue to go from strength to strength but on the release of this identity update there was the, now ubiquitous, outcry of fans supporting their existing style. Some of them furiously rallied against it.
BrewDog announced their new style bottle labels in July [2014], but is there more here than first meets the eye?
With changes to the identity (updated logo and type style), the product names (reflecting the desire paths of their customers) and of course the labels themselves there's far too much going on here for a short blog post. However, since I love the beer, I couldn't go without throwing my thoughts in to the ring.
The new packaging is a natural progression for the Aberdeenshire based brewery. Their launch video shows the design process for their new bottles, using traditional printing methods which live up to their brand values and promoting the art of craft (albeit in the form of my favourite liquid).
Hampton Associates first created the award winning brand identity and collateral for BrewDog in 2007. At the time my favourite aspect of the brand was its tone of voice. It was completely in keeping with their grunge aesthetic, in-your-face product names and cavalier attitude to courting the press. BrewDog were plucky upstarts who didn't give a damn who they offended so long as the taps kept flowing.
Seven years on; with thirteen bars, their products in supermarkets, off-licences and bars UK wide and enjoying an ever expanding international following, they must have known that the underdog line was getting a bit tired.
With a passionate fan base I've no doubt the new look for BrewDog will have as many fans as detractors. Neither would I be surprised if the original packaging becomes a collectors item in certain circles—such is the cult following of BrewDog.
I for one can't wait to get my hands on a new bottle of 5am and will wait with great interest to hear the new tone of voice BrewDog develops over the coming weeks.
Until then, cheers!
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This post originally appeared on the EQ Design Ltd 's website.
What I'm still interested to know is who was right, the concerned/hysterical fans (delete as appropriate) or the designers and strategists behind the new direction?
With the continued success of the company, right or wrong, does it matter either way?
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All thoughts and opinions here are my own and do not reflect the opinions of EQ Design Ltd.
Image courtesy of BrewDog.