In 1995, armed with the very first edition of their experimental design book entitled Noise, the principals of Yorkshire-based graphic design company ATTIK took the bold step of opening a new studio in London. Driven by co-founders Simon Needham and James Sommerville, ATTIK was well rewarded for its entrepreneurial efforts; over the years that followed, they enlisted some of the creative industry's best and brightest talents, expanded worldwide, and attracted a "Who's Who" of forward-thinking clientele in the course of establishing themselves as an extraordinary, media-agnostic, youth-focused creative agency.
Though economic challenges prompted ATTIK to scale back some operations in 2001, leading to the demise of their London studio, the efforts of Needham, Sommerville and their colleagues to continue creating breakthrough, design-driven strategic work for major brands such as adidas, Coca-Cola and Toyota, ultimately made them stronger. As a result, 2007 saw ATTIK become a subsidiary of Dentsu, the world's largest advertising agency brand, which is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
"We are very excited to be preparing our return to London, knowing we have the support and partnership of the world's largest agency," Sommerville said. "As much as ever before, London remains central to the world of design, and we all have very ambitious plans for ATTIK."
Five years ago, ATTIK moved its UK headquarters from Huddersfield to Leeds, in what Sommerville described as an effort to gain more business traction in one of Yorkshire's main business hubs. That same studio is now migrating southward as the company's principals look toward ATTIK's future in London, and across new markets within Europe and Asia. "Of course we will always be connected to Yorkshire," Sommerville explained, "but from a business perspective, we have to be smart, and therefore it makes sense to invest our time and resources in our capital city."
Needham added, "Although this is a return to London, our new operation will represent something entirely new, by virtue of everything we have learned over our 24 year journey, and the changing communications needs of our clients, specifically centered around branding and digital solutions."
ATTIK is currently seeking creative directors, designers, account managers and other creative industry professionals for its London operation, which is expected to open Jan 2010.