11 creative studios to check out in Glasgow
Deciding on which part of the industry you’d like to work in is one thing, but knowing where to find relevant and inspiring workplaces is another. And with so many creative companies across the UK, expanding your knowledge of who’s out there can certainly give you a leg up. So every few weeks, we’ll be helping you discover new studios, agencies and more by highlighting a range of them up and down the British Isles. This week, we’re heading up to Scotland to one of the UK's leading creative cities – Glasgow!
The largest city in Scotland, Glasgow has long been a cultural hub. With a rich history in art, design and innovation, the city still offers a diverse range of creative opportunities for established creatives and emerging talent.
Glasgow’s glowing record of nurturing creative talent is largely linked to the Glasgow School of Art, the top specialist visual arts institution in the UK. Students have travelled internationally to study in the Scottish city for over 75 years and almost a third of the names on the Turner Prize shortlist since 2005 are alumni. The school also stands amongst a wealth of other creative institutions – Glasgow is home to more than 100 cultural organisations and five of Scotland’s six internationally renowned national performing arts companies.
In recent years, Glasgow has seen a huge surge in creative entrepreneurship. Alongside independent art spaces and DIY galleries, Channel 4 launched a creative HQ in the city in 2019, and organisations like Creative Scotland continue to support arts, screen and creative industries. An increasing number of creative studios are also thriving across various disciplines, from graphic design and advertising to digital media and gaming. Here, we’ve compiled 10 of them for you to check out – keep reading to explore them all!
1. Freytag Anderson
Freytag Anderson founders Greig and Daniel, photographed by Reuben Paris
Branding work for Otherly – origin sourced oat milk chocolate
Work creating a brand aiming to challenge and disrupt the blended whisky space
Specialism: Brand Identity
Company Size: 2-10
Winning design agency of the year in 2020, Freytag Anderson is specialised in shaping brand identities for both local and international clients – headed up by German–Scottish creative duo Daniel Freytag and Greig Anderson. The team design logos and identity systems, brochures and packaging, websites and apps and everything in between.
Read more about Freytag Anderson here or check out their Instagram
2. Dog Digital
Work for Garnier UK
Work for L'Oréal
Work for Isle of Harris gin
Specialism: Marketing, Design, Technology
Company Size: 51-200 employees
Dog Digital has been working across marketing, design and technology since 1996 as a full-circle digital agency. Past clients include L'Oréal and Heineken and the team are often looking for new emerging talent.
Read more about Dog Digital here or check out their Instagram
3. Hug
Animation and storyboarding work as part of Scottish Women’s Aid 'Equally Safe in Practice' project, tackling violence against women and girls in schools and workplaces
Project for 'Equally Safe at Work' – tackling gender inequality and harassment within the workplace
Storyboard, design and animation work commissioned by Scottish Women's Aid
Specialism: Motion Design, Animation
Company Size: 2-10
Hug Graphics is a studio specialising in motion design and animation – alongside character design, infographics, brand identity and print. Its clients include educators, charities and non-profit organisations who are making a difference.
4. Frame Agency
Work to promote Envirophone's new second-hand service
Work for National Trust for Scotland
Work for alcohol brand Brewgooder
Specialism: Creative Communications
Company Size: 51-200 employees
Frame is an independent creative communications agency with over 80 employees specialising in advertising, PR, social and development. The team have been making UK-based and international campaigns for over 30 years from their Glasgow and Edinburgh bases – always prioritising insight, strategy and creativity.
5. Warriors
Creative direction, branding and design proposal for Edinburgh Art Festival
Work future-proofing the legacy of music collective Mungo’s Hi Fi
Work for Graphic Design Festival Scotland’s creative direction, branding and design since 2014
Specialism: Graphic Design
Company Size: 2-10
With past clients including Urban Outfitters, Warner Music, TEDx, McVitie's and V&A, Warriors Studio is an award-winning graphic design and creative agency that build brands, develops strategies, creates campaigns and more.
6. MadeBrave
Work for First Bus
Work for Velux
Specialism: Web and Graphic Design, Branding, Socials
Company Size: 51-100
MadeBrave is a brand and creative agency founded in 2012. Having growing fast over the last decade, it’s attracted some huge clients including Nestle, Google, BBC, Doritos and Unilever. The company has also gone on to win multiple awards, including Agency Employer Brand of the Year last year.
7. O Street
Work for Glasgow Design Festival in 2023
Work for Last.fm
Work for the National Trust
Work for Green & Blacks x Everyman Cinemas
Specialism: Graphic Design
Company Size: 5-10
Describing themselves as designing for print, screen and the environment, O Street is an independent studio with an award-winning portfolio. The team work across a range of disciplines, including brand identity, motion design, websites, strategy, editorial design and environmental design.
8. Jamhot
Work for the relaunch of Glasgow Comedy Festival
Branding work for drinks startup FlipIt
Work for charity Worldwide Cancer Research
Work for BBC Music Introducing Live Festival
Specialism: Creative Design
Company Size: 2-10
Jamhot is a creative and design studio founded in 2008. Experts in creating and transforming brands, the team have worked with the likes of BBC Music, the NHS, Worldwide Cancer Research, WWF and Women’s Aid – led by a design ethos of doing things differently.
9. Bold Studio
Work for educational charity and outreach organisation Planning Aid Scotland
Work for Scottish Child Law Centre
Work for non-profit organisation The International Network of Street Papers
Specialism: Full-Service Design
Company Size: 2-10
Bold Studio is a full-service design agency that works with charities, social enterprises and ethical businesses – and is also a social enterprise itself. Driven by social justice and a desire to make positive change, the work includes branding, publication and digital work throughout the third sector.
Read more about Bold Studio here or check out their Instagram
10. Too Gallus
Work for Pandora Jewellery
Work for music booking agency Unfold
Work for rum brand Wray & Nephew
Specialism: Web Design, Branding, Packaging Design, 3D Rendering
Company Size: 5-10
This Glasgow-based multidisciplinary agency works with clients all around the world across four key disciplines – branding, design, visual and web design. Multi-award winning, their past clients include Pandora, Byoma, Pip & Nut and Flannels.
Read more about Too Gallus here or check out their Instagram
11. Pim-Pam
Work for BACKSP!N, a charitable art exhibition
Work for Bature Brewery – Nigeria’s first craft brewery
Work for The Macallan
Specialism: Creative, Design, Digital
Company Size: 2-10
Founded in 2018, Pim-Pam is a Glasgow-based creative, design and branding studio. The team won Silver in the 2023 Scottish Design Awards for their work for Bature Brewery – one of many awards they've picked up for their creative work so far for clients including The Macallan, Brugal, Edrington, Bature Brewery, UEFA, Bentley Motors, Famous Grouse, The Glenrothes, Team Scotland and more.
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