An Olympic handover

London celebrated becoming the official Olympic Host City with a party for 40,000 in the capital. Revellers exuded optimism and energy when they joined with Olympians, celebrities and musicians on the Mall to mark the historic occasion – an event that was broadcast on national television and across 30 live screens around the country. Today’s handover signifies the start of a momentous four year journey for London 2012, one that will deliver a Games and a legacy for everyone, like never before.

24 August 2008

GTF talks at Wolff Olins

Andy Stevens and Huw Morgan from Graphic Thought Facility, one of the most innovative design agencies in the UK, spoke today at Wolff Olins London office, about some of their most challenging design solutions. GTF is renowned for creating quirky, non-conformist design based on strong, straightforward ideas. The event is part of Because, a series of talks that explore how ideas are generated and come to life.

3 July 2008

New head of sales and marketing

Rose Bentley joins Wolff Olins today as head of sales and marketing for the London office. Rose is a former journalist and experienced broadcast presenter with years of experience in PR. Out of the office, she has a passion for cooking and has appeared on the popular BBC show Masterchef.

30 June 2008

Museum next

Robert Jones today marked a new age for museums, at the Communicating the Museum conference in Venice. Speaking to 200 museum marketing people from around the world, in the impressive (though sweltering) surroundings of the Doge¹s Palace, Robert shows how the museums of the future will be much more engaging, connected and cross-cultural ­ - less like cathedrals, more like bazaars. More at www.communicatingthemuseum.com

26 June 2008

Franca Sozzani talks at Wolff Olins

Franca Sozzani, editor of Vogue Italia, talks at Wolff Olins London office about the evolution of one of the most influential fashion magazines in the world. Sozzani discusses how ideas can guide different creative expressions and the role of image in fashion over two decades. Because continues to bring to Wolff Olins inspiration and ideas from the creative and business world.

6 June 2008

AIGA selects New Museum

Wolff Olins’s work for the New Museum in New York City has been selected for the AIGA Design archives. The work will be published online, and will form part of a public exhibition scheduled to open at the AIGA National Design Center in New York in December 2008. The New Museum work has also been recognized by D&AD and the Type Directors Club. Meanwhile, the brand identity created by Wolff Olins for New York City has also won accolades from D&AD, the Art Directors Club and the Creative Review Annual. Learn more at www.designarchives.aiga.org

23 May 2008

Read between the lines

Today Booz & Company launches, a new name – for the founders of the management consulting profession, a new focus – to create and deliver essential advantage, and an innovative new brand, created by Wolff Olins. This brand provides a powerful platform for the firm to show its relevance in a fast-moving world where challenges are multi-dimensional and impact is more important than advice. It enables Booz & Company to demonstrate how it creates opportunities, builds capabilities and delivers real impact.
Learn more at www.booz.com

22 May 2008

Publish and be branded

Publishers should get serious about branding, says Robert Jones today at a conference of independent publishers in London. With technology and consumer behaviour changing, publishers face a fantastic opportunity to get closer to readers and writers, building a platform brand that opens readers' eyes to new ideas, and amplifies writers' voices in the world - and vice versa.

16 May 2008

Leadership in branding

CEO Karl Heiselman today creates a global leadership team for Wolff Olins, to guide the business through a world where branding is changing dramatically. The team will shape the future of the Wolff Olins brand, broaden its services, and develop its creative and strategic talent. Brian Boylan sets the overall vision, with Charles Wright looking at emerging eastern markets. They’re joined by Patrick Cox (creativity), Neil Parker (strategy), Robert Jones (marketing), Steve Richards (operations) and Camille Burrows (talent).

21 April 2008

Two cities, two management teams

From today, for the first time, each Wolff Olins office has a managing director, responsible for people, projects and profit. Sairah Ashman takes on that role in London, and Sam Wilson in New York. Both are also members of the new leadership team. Sairah’s team is Martin Brown (design), Caroline Hancock (account management), Nick Keppel-Palmer (strategy) and Chris Walker (finance). Sam’s team is Jessica Chalifoux (account management), Dean Crutchfield (marketing and new business), Bob Healey (finance), Paige Reilly (operations), Todd Simmons (design) and Paul Worthington (strategy).

21 April 2008

Two new creatives in London

Wolff Olins has strengthened its London creative team with two new people. Jason Gormley joins as a creative director – the first at Wolff Olins to have a background in writing rather than design. Find out more at www.jasongormley.com. And Lily Williams moves to London from the New York office as a design director. She’s worked on Target, Luxottica and New Museum, and is now eager to work with clients from the other side of the globe.

10 March 2008

La marque d’aprés

Top French marketing magazine Stratégies has profiled Wolff Olins, focusing on the brand next exhibition, store for tomorrow. ‘The evolution of design agencies towards innovation consulting or service design has already been observed in France,’ reports Pascale Caussat: ‘At Wolff Olins, it meets a deep insight into the future of brand’. More at: www.strategies.fr

21 February 2008

(RED) auction raises $42 million

(RED), the brand created by Wolff Olins, today raised $42 million for AIDS programmes in Africa, by auctioning original works by some of the world’s most famous artists. The event at Sotheby’s, New York, was organised by Bono, Damien Hirst and the Gagosian gallery, and features 75 artists including Jasper Johns, Ed Ruscha, Jeff Koons, Banksy and Antony Gormley. See more at www.artobeserved.com

20 February 2008

Frito-Lay launches new ‘better for you’ brand

Frito-Lay today launched TrueNorth – its second new brand in over 20 years. A line of innovative, nutritionally positive nut snacks, TrueNorth provides proof of PepsiCo’s move to offer consumers greater ‘better for you’ choices. Wolff Olins partnered with Frito-Lay over the past two years to create and develop the brand. More at www.truenorthnuts.com

10 February 2008

In store

Wolff Olins tonight launched ’Brand next: the store for tomorrow’ at its London office. The show highlights ten brands of the future – brands like Streetcar, Zopa and Macmillan Cancer Support where people take part, rather than just partaking, and where the more people who join in, the better it is for everyone. The event, which runs till 22 February, invites visitors to commit to actions – everyone who gives gets. See the making of the store, and its outcomes, at www.brandnext.co.uk

6 February 2008

Big award for The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Mohsin Hamid’s novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist has won the South Bank Show Award for literature in London. Mohsin is managing director of Wolff Olins in London. Other winners of South Bank Show awards this year include J K Rowling and the Arctic Monkeys. See more at www.itv.com

29 January 2008

Creative Review profiles Wolff Olins

In Creative Review’s February edition, chairman Brian Boylan and creative director Patrick Cox sit down with design critic Adrian Shaughnessy, and offer their perspective on the happenings of the past year. Highlighting 2012, NYC, (RED), Macmillan and New Museum, the article is a behind-the-scenes look at the approach and people of Wolff Olins. Read the full article at www.creativereview.co.uk

28 January 2008

Not the car, the Scottish design director

Malcolm Buick brings his boyish good looks to New York as newly minted design director. Previously at JDK Design, he may have helped create the brand identities for Burton and X-Box 360, or may have snowboarded and played video games all day. Before his life in branding, Malcolm designed record sleeves in London’s music industry. (Boy bands included.) He comes from the famed home of smoked haddock, Arbroath, Scotland, and graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design.

21 January 2008