ABOUT

A big-hearted design studio that connects your brand with your building and your people with your purpose.

GET TO KNOW US

Our Story

THEM started life as a branding agency.

Twenty years ago, THEM designed album sleeves, a little music fanzine called Fact, and launched huge arts events. We didn’t really have a house style. But we always found excuses to make something physical (logo made from six-foot mirrors anyone?). But soon enough, branding went digital. And in the sterile glow of screens and pixels, THEM started to crave something more. Tactility. Texture. A real, emotional connection with spaces, places, objects. The wonder of experiencing design physically and feeling the joy in your bones. We just didn’t believe a webpage could do that. Sorry, web designers.

Amidst the soul-searching, we had a lightbulb moment.

We remembered an out-of-the ordinary job we’d done for Orange, the mobile phone network. The problem? Staff turnover in their Newcastle call centre was off the charts. They asked us to take a look. And what we found was a bleak, intimidating white office. So we hung artwork in unexpected nooks. Painted witty messages on meeting room walls. Projected dreamy, rolling clouds onto the ceiling. It was great fun, sure. But it also had a massive impact on business.

Because beautifully designed spaces make serious commercial sense. 

For Orange, it meant that staff stopped leaving. Hiring costs plummeted. Everyone involved was measurably happier, including us. Once we thought it all through, we knew we’d hit upon something really special. The rest, as they say, is history.

Twenty years on, THEM is a thriving collective of multidisciplinary creatives. Our roots in branding help us bring deep expertise in strategy, values, and culture. And with a team drawn from all corners of the globe, we’re a melting pot of influences, cultures, and references.

We think this unique combo of skills makes us pretty good at what we do. And we’re proud to bring that richness to our work — pushing boundaries, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary, and making the world a less boring place, one workplace at a time.

Today, our award-winning work spans the UK, Europe, and the USA.

01

Humble, but still the best.

We’re not good at what we do. We’re great. We consistently deliver exceptional, award-winning work. But we thrive on collaboration, play nice with our partners, and leave our egos at the door.

02

Make a difference together.

We’re a melting pot of cultures, influences, and skill sets. We don’t all think in the same way. And that’s exactly how we like it. We use this difference to make our team stronger, our culture richer, and our clients work better.

03

Chase
curiosity.

We’re here to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.  We look for inspiration in unexpected places and channel what we find into our practice. Our work creates wonder — connecting people with purpose and igniting thriving communities.

Always exceptional,
never boring.

OUR RESPONSIBILITY

B-Corp - Pending
Our commitment to the environment

Certified goodness incoming…
In today’s (slightly scary) world, taking responsibility for our work and making a positive impact has never been more important. That’s why THEM is working towards B Corp status. It’s a way of certifying that everything we do is environmentally and socially sound, something that’s been important to us since we first opened shop in 2004.

We are working on our B Corp assessment.
We’ve taken a long hard look at how we run our business, as well as how we treat our clients, our colleagues, our community and the environment.

Better for our people.
We want everyone who works at THEM to feel valued and happy, with clear opportunities to give back to their local communities and the wider world. B Corp is a structured way of doing that, and there’s plenty in the pipeline — from volunteering opportunities to mentorship and internship programmes.

Better for our clients.
By working with a B Corp, our clients get to understand the impact their projects have on the world. Eventually, you’ll be able to know the monetary cost and the carbon cost of whatever we work on together.

Better for the world
We’re taking a close look at what we produce physically, how we source it, transport it, use it and recycle it. We’re upping our eco-credentials on every material we work with. And we’re pushing both ourselves and our clients to keep sustainability front and centre.

We’re proud to be on our way.
Over 1500 businesses in the UK are part of the B Corp movement. We can’t wait to join their ranks, and are proud to be working towards certification. We’re committed to openly sharing our score and our plans to get even better once we get there. Watch this space!

OUR PROJECTS

Check out our work 

Like the sound of us? We work with the best clients in the world to create some of the most engaging environments for them. Explore more of our work and our process to see what makes us tick.