We feel busy at SomeOne. Meetings, workshops, late nights, client calls — all the usual signs of a creative agency in motion.
Yet when we look around the industry, something odd becomes apparent. Work is taking its time to hit the streets. Projects are commissioned, briefs are signed, presentations get a round of applause. But how often does it actually go live?
At SomeOne, our cadence is roughly one of our brand projects goes live every 30 days. Many we are not allowed to talk about, the joys of NDA's.
But so far this year, that’s: HaysMac rebrand for chartered accountants — Peckish brand launch for the Co-op — Portsmouth Historic Dockyard brand launch — St John’s College rebrand and design system. With two more imminent.
Six projects, six months. This seems a little slower than usual, but I suppose we are not rocking out small and simple projects these days, today tankers need turning.
Across the sector, the gap between signing a project and seeing it fully realised seems to be widening. Why? Complexity? Brands are bigger, systems more integrated, expectations higher...
Launching a new identity is no longer about a logo on a business card (was it ever?) — it’s websites, campaigns, social content, signage, merchandise, apps. Approvals take time. Budgets are scrutinised. Tech takes forever. Committees weigh in. And sometimes the work quietly stalls.
But there is another explanation: agencies themselves have been conditioned to be quiet.
Launches are presented, celebrated internally, tweeted politely, then shelved. The work exists, but it does not speak. And in a market where AI can produce “good enough” output in seconds, quiet is a liability.
This is where what I call 'shameless optimism' comes in.
Look at those who dominate online conversation: the Kardashians, omnipresent Scott Galloway, even, like it or not, Trump in every media cycle. Their output may be polarising, messy, or controversial — but it is relentless, visible, and uncompromising. They claim attention. They create momentum. They make the world notice. And, critically, they make their presence felt before anyone else can define the conversation.
Agencies may need to learn from this approach — not to be Trump-reckless, but shamelessly promotional. Look how architectural gurus, Foster+Partners visualise future projects. They are gorgoeus, inticing, emotive and brimming with optimism... like their recent work for Manchester United staudium, or the winning design for the new national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II — that beat significant competiton and a public vote.
Every project deserves the stage. Every launch is a chance to broadcast craft, strategy, and impact. Case studies, social campaigns, talks, PR stunts — all are tools to make noise. To make the world see that your work exists, that it matters, and that your agency is shaping culture.
Busy alone is no longer proof of value. Seeing work live, and broadcasting it fearlessly, is. We've long subscribed to this at SomeOne, we were front page of Design Week when it was still published on paper (even when we didn't have a project going live...)_ I've been shamelessly talking up commercial creativity on the BBC, on stage in India and on the case with socials since day one. It has always felt like an obligation if we wanted to keep in business.
In a world where AI can replicate output, visibility becomes the ultimate differentiator. Shameless optimism — the willingness to celebrate, promote, and demand attention — may be the survival skill every agency needs to thrive.
The work is waiting. The audience is watching.
The question is whether agencies will step forward boldly, or fade quietly into the background.