SomeOne isn’t your typical London branding agency. Born out of frustration with the old-school logo-obsessed model, the studio launched with a mission to redefine what branding really means. Instead of treating design as decoration, SomeOne set out to create brands that live, move, and matter. With iconic projects like the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games pictograms, the agency quickly proved that branding is not about timeless logos, but about meaningful, disruptive impact.
Today, SomeOne is one of the most influential creative agencies in London, working across broadcast, sport, culture, and beyond. Known for a bold mix of strategy, storytelling, and fearless design, the team believes in building brands holistically, challenging sameness, embracing useful difference, and always staying ahead of industry trends. Their journey is not just about design success but about reshaping the way businesses, audiences, and entire industries think about branding.
How was your company born and where are you based?
SomeOne wasn’t born. It escaped. Out the side door of the old branding model. We set it up in London, then promptly ignored borders. From the outset, we built a new kind of design company, one not obsessed with logos but with launching brands. Properly. Holistically. Loudly.
We’re headquartered in London, but our influence stretches anywhere pixels travel and flights still board. We're global by default, local by design.
What was the biggest challenge to the growth of your company?
Convincing clients that branding is a beginning, not a badge. That and persuading designers that ‘timeless’ usually just means ‘forgettable’. Growth comes when you’re not repeating the industry’s greatest hits but writing new tracks entirely. The real challenge? Getting people to embrace useful difference over polite sameness.]
Which was the first huge success that you can remember?
When we worked on the sports pictograms for The London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games. We created a sharp, strategic, visual system that actually worked. It wasn’t about design awards, it was about impact, clarity & a signature for the games. And suddenly, everyone stopped asking, “Can you make us a logo?” and started asking, “Can you help us matter?
What’s the biggest opportunity for you and your company in the next year?
Branding used to be about control. Now it’s about choreography. The opportunity is helping the next generation of brand leaders navigate chaos with clarity. AI, climate crisis, economic churn, perfect conditions for brands with conviction and courage. We’ll be building those.
Can you explain your team’s creative process? What makes it unique?
We don’t have a process as such; we have principles. There’s no sacred six-step. We interrogate problems until they tap out, then flood the room with ideas that feel just slightly lateral. Our job is not to tidy—it’s to disrupt sectors usefully.
How does your team remain inspired and motivated?
We stay curious. Paranoid. And allergic to mediocrity. The team’s driven by the horror of beige, the thrill of progress, and the joy of seeing a client finally get what branding can really do. We hire people with something to say and the craft to back it up.
How has COVID-19 affected your company?
It forced every agency to ask: if no one ever steps into your studio again, do you still matter? We responded by doubling down on our role as brand launch & relaunch specialists. We worked remotely, globally, and productively.
Which agencies do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
Respect? Sure. Inspiration? Rare. If we’re looking for heroes, we look beyond the usual suspects. Think Hopper, Bass, Kubrick, Murakami — Gervais. People who didn’t just do things well, they did things differently. That’s the bar.
What is one tip that you would give to other agencies looking to grow?
Stop selling design. Start selling impact. No one wakes up wanting a rebrand. They want a revolution. Be the spark, not the decorator.
How do you go about finding new clients/business? (Pitching, work with retainers, etc.)
We often work with clients who’ve heard of us before we’ve heard of them. Some pitch, some call. Reputation is our rocket fuel.
What’s your one big hope for the future of the industry?
That we stop mistaking software proficiency for strategic insight. The industry’s job is not to fill space, it’s to make meaning. The tools will change. The need for taste, courage, and relevance won’t.
Can you share a defining moment in your company's journey that shaped its identity or direction?
Saying “no” to our first million-pound project. It was big. But it was also boring. That decision taught us: better to be defined by what you don’t do than by what you’ll do for money.
How do you foster a culture of innovation and experimentation within your team?
We celebrate good questions more than finished answers. We don’t hire yes-people. We encourage the kind of internal disagreements that build something stronger. Predictable teams don’t make brave work.
What measures do you take to ensure diversity and inclusion are prioritised within your company?
We don't shout about it, we just do it. Diverse voices don’t happen by accident. You have to look beyond the usual CVs, schools, and portfolios. We hire thinkers, not templates. Inclusion is built into how we work, not bolted on.
Can you describe a project that challenged your team creatively and how you overcame any obstacles?
Launching a new approach for St Johns, Cambridge University. We didn’t play along. We redefined the category visual language by amplifying a new strategy. The vision landed brilliantly before the visuals. Then the visuals landed brilliantly. Strategy first. Then the fireworks.
How do you balance maintaining your company's unique creative voice while meeting the diverse needs of clients?
Easy. Our voice is a lens, not a loudspeaker. We don’t impose style, we amplify substance.
What strategies do you employ to adapt to changes and trends in the industry while staying true to your company's values?
We ignore fads. And we question everything. Especially ourselves. Trends are symptoms. Our job is to find the cause, then rewrite the rules.
Can you share a memorable client success story that exemplifies your company's approach and impact?
The Natural History Museum approached us for a “refresh.” We gave them a total reinvention. Strategy, story, system. On launch, they saw more visitors than they had seen in 147 years, the most successful brand work they had ever commissioned. With no new exhibits. Just our new work.
In what ways do you invest in the professional development and growth of your team members?
We let our people lead. Present. Challenge. Fail safely. We bring in provocateurs, not just mentors. And we rotate team leads so no one gets stale or comfy. The only thing worse than not growing is Growing arrogant.
How do you approach sustainability and ethical practices within your company's operations and projects?
Sustainability isn’t a project for us, It’s a principle. We embed it in our briefs, challenge client assumptions, and avoid meaningless “greenwash” design. We’d rather decline the work than contribute to the problem.
Can you discuss a time when your company had to pivot or innovate in response to unforeseen challenges, and what lessons did you learn from that experience?
[During Brexit and COVID, clients froze. So we went a little uncomfortably proactive—reaching out, rethinking offerings, launching products instead of waiting. We learnt that it’s better not to wait for normal to return. It never did.
Do you have any websites, books or resources that you would recommend?
Read The Brand Gap (Marty Neumeier), It’s Not How Good You Are… (Paul Arden), and Ways of Seeing (John Berger). Then throw them all away and start with your own point of view.
