Anthony Coombes

Give me a job not a creative brief

Designers and innovators need to look at the world differently so that they can innovate and improve. We look at why designers need to see beyond a brief, making things satisfying beyond […]

Brand vs Service Design

Brand vs Service Design. We look at how these two disciplines stack up against one another in a world where consumers are buying experience. I’ve been considering the merits of two similar […]

Designing for Gen Z

With International Youth Day on 12 August 2018, we look at Generation Z. Who are they? How do they think? What do they want from their careers as they enter the workforce? […]

Finding motivation at work

Studies show that purpose-driven employees are more likely to be high performers and have a greater sense of accomplishment in their work. So, how do you we find meaning in our working […]

Technology needs positive disruption and we all need to move with the times

Technology has made our lives easier. Products and services are becoming effortless, things just happen with a click. At work, technical tasks and processes are being automated. So, what are we worried […]

I was wrong about personality quizzes – why they work!

Anthony Coombes discusses why personality quizzes actually work, despite his misconceptions, after The Team got 45,000 RBS employees to stop, take notice and participate in an exercise that would tell them more […]

Enough logos already

In a world which is crowded with logos, we look at the other ways to create a brand that will own a space in the mind of a consumer. Have you ever […]

Our jobs are killing us and our leaders are responsible

Leadership is about looking after those around you, standing together through the tough times. Our Creative Lead Anthony Coombes shares his experience on adversity in the workplace, creative leadership, and thriving in […]

An outstanding performance at the London Marathon

Did your charity brand stand out on at the London Marathon? There is no bigger test for a successful visual identity. We live in a competitive world where people are bombarded with […]

Which personality type are you?

Brands use personality traits to offer reassurance and attract like-minded people. Read how designers and businesses use brand archetypes to define personality traits and inform decisions. Designers get paid to make choices. […]

Think like a designer

In response to Design Week’s article where Pentagram partner Natasha Jen recently lambasted the term ‘design thinking’, Designer Anthony Coombes responds to how design thinking is delivering satisfying experiences to customers and is […]

The art of wayfinding is not to get in the way

Wayfinding is simply user experience design within a built environment. Helping others to orientate themselves, choose a path, keep on track and complete a journey. Designing a visual language that guides users […]

Could technology make my job redundant?

Technology is changing the way we work, the roles we take on and who is actually needed. Technical tasks and processes are being made easy or automated. Tools and templates for photo […]

Top tips for co-creating brand guidelines

Designers want to solve problems. We like to go away and work on something, then reveal a solution. ‘Bringing the magic’ might be what’s needed at a critical point in a project. […]

Sonic boom or soothing duet? What does your brand sound like?

What is sonic branding? You may or may not have heard of sonic branding, the sounds that we associate with brands, but it’s an aspect of marketing that surrounds us every day. […]

How do you get a disparate group to co-create?

Recently I took on coaching an under-10s football team. There was a divide in ability, a mix of interest and a few strong characters. Despite winning games, it struck me that things […]

What do customers want?

Customers can blow hot and cold. They seem distracted by choice and get frustrated with a disjointed experience. Customer satisfaction surveys tell us that they want things “made easier” or “made more […]

We only buy the things we trust

We buy products, services and organisations that we trust. To help consumers decide between things, we create brands. These brands represent the reason why we should trust something or choose it above […]

Remote employee engagement and targeted communication

“Internal communication is quite saturated. It’s noise. I get so many emails a day. People are bombarding me”.

We hear sentiments like these on a regular basis, and more often than not, these views are coming from office workers. It seems that if you sit at a desk you take communications for granted. You’re surrounded by information: posters up on the walls; you’re constantly getting emails; everyone seems to talk within the office.