Interview with Here

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We had the pleasure of visiting Here Design, a London-based design company that creates beautiful and useful things through collaborative efforts. Here Design has an impressive list of clients, including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, and The Five Arms, among others.

With a following of almost 20k on Instagram, Here Design is renowned for their innovative approach to design that blends traditional craft with cutting-edge technology. Currently, they are hosting the CODE/CRAFT/CHAOS exhibition (from 10-12 May in London Soho), showcasing art that merges the pixel and the pulse. During our visit to their stunning studio, we sat down with the team at Here Design to talk about their work, values, and the future of design. Let's jump right into the interview with none other than creative Partner Mark Paton:

Published
11.05 2023

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Glenfiddich Time Series

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Image Copyright Jim Stephenson

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Image Copyright Jim Stephenson

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Image Copyright Jim Stephenson

What’s the main thing people should know about you? Give us a short intro about Here Design.

Here is a B Corp and not just a company of designers but also writers, strategists, makers, digital and audio designers. We are a multi-disciplinary design company committed to Beautility, which for us means making good choices desirable.

Could you describe a day in your life as a designer at Here? What are some uncommon routines?

Our team is made of lots of different skills and disciplines, and we have a unique way of running our days. We follow the “Here Year”, with each season having a distinct theme and set of rituals. We will always mark the changing of the seasons with an event of some kind – sometimes a walk together in Kew Gardens or a pub lunch during winter. A lot of our daily activities centre around our kitchen. Every other Friday we cook lunch for each other – everything from comforting staples to Szechuan zingers.

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Image Copyright Jim Stephenson

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Project for bcorpuk

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Project for bcorpuk

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The Fife Arms

Tell us your story of how you started out and how you grew your team. Is there a formula when it comes to finding your mates?

Here began with three people of different skills and outlooks choosing to share a studio. We didn’t have any grand plans about starting an agency – it was more about taking control of what and how we worked. The collaboration felt natural and grew gradually. As the company’s size also grew, we became more intentional with our choices and the people we hired. Now a medium sized business, we have a diverse skill set which enriches each project we work on. In our experience, it’s more interesting to team up with different creative mindsets and learn from each other. That has always been our intention when building our team; trusting and learning from everyone.

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Image Copyright Jim Stephenson

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Paris Croissant

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Paris Croissant

How do you keep yourself motivated as a team and keep the team spirit alive?

Good projects and lots of good food! Like most creative studios we are most motivated by the excitement of good work. As simple as it sounds, the Slack Channel where we celebrate each new presentation is a constant source of collective pride. Beyond that, we’re always planning moments to recognise everyone’s efforts and appreciate each other’s company through the different seasons.

Tell us a short story from your studio that you kept in your memories…

We ran a day on how to present our work and one of the exercises was to tell a personal story. One of our designers, Sakiko, told a story about how she owned a mountain in Japan and that she wanted to sell it because it felt like a burden to her. It was so far away in rural Japan and as she told us about it – the birds and animals that live there, the way the seasons come and go she realised she loved it. It was such a moving story we pitched it to a publisher we work with, and it became a book with incredible illustrations done by Sakiko!

How do you market yourself and your work?

Without a doubt our most successful marketing tool is word of mouth. There’s nothing quite as powerful as a personal referral. Beyond that, we share our work, our culture and our beliefs across a broad range of platforms. Historically we have always seen the benefit of self-initiated projects within the studio which have the potential to spark interest beyond just the design press. Last year we curated a London Craft Week exhibition which was not only a great creative exercise within the studio, but also gave us the opportunity to talk about the philosophy of our studio to a wider and different audience. Right now, we are designing an exhibition called “Code/Craft/Chaos” for London Craft Week this year, so we’re looking forward to sharing that project with a wider audience.

What’s a project you are most proud of and why?

It is hard to choose one as we work across a diverse range of projects, from designing Ottolenghi’s cookbooks, to positioning and branding The Fife Arms in Scotland. Everyone in the studio has a favourite. One of the projects that we’re most proud of is our work for The Balvenie for multiple reasons. They were one of our first clients backed in 2007 and we have worked with them ever since. Our work for them also showcases all our different skillsets, from strategy, writing, and audio, through to design. We’ve worked on a huge range of projects with them over the years, everything from sculptural artefacts for the 60-year-old, to art directing campaign imagery and films.

What’s the secret to getting new clients and maintaining a healthy “workload-balance”?

I wish we knew! As a project based business, we are constantly adjusting the balance of work. I think it’s important to have a clear ‘Point of Difference’ so that you can attract the type of clients that you are interested in and then to be able to say “no” to things that don’t fit your mission.

Is there any industry you’d love to tip your toes in? Is there any particular brand that comes to your mind?

So many! Right now, we are actively broadening our horizons when it comes to new clients. We’re especially interested to work with luxury brands to use their influence to promote new sustainable materials and distribution models.

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Two Drifters

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Two Drifters

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Two Drifters

Could you quote an inspiring phrase (could be a meme too) that motivated you lately?

An oldie, but a goodie. “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” We find that William Morris’ Arts and Crafts philosophies are still incredibly prescient today. The belief in the importance of the hand, heart, and mind, the fundamental beauty and wisdom of nature, and a craftsman’s respect for the intrinsic value of materials.

What piece of advice would you give to someone who just finished their degree in Design and who is looking for a creative job?

Spend time researching agencies. There is such an amazing range of creative companies out there. Think about the sort of work you want to do and target the agencies that do that kind of work.

We want to thank the team at Here Design for taking the time to speak with us and giving us a glimpse into their world of design. Their commitment to creating beautiful and useful things that are also sustainable and ethical is truly inspiring. We highly recommend checking out their CODE/CRAFT/CHAOS exhibition if you happen to be in London from May 10-12, 2023. And if you're looking for a design company that values collaboration, innovation, and social responsibility, be sure to check out Here Design on Instagram. Thank you for reading, and we hope you enjoyed the interview. 

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