Play Nicely
Bristol based design Agency Play Nicely are growing – and fast. Tamasine Johnson had coffee with founder Ollie Lindsey to find out a little more about how a 27 year-old graphic designer ends up in Bristol running a highly successful design agency, with his own studio and a prestigious list of clients such as Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Real Ideas Organisation and Coca Cola.
“I may be young, but I’m very enthusiastic" says Ollie. I’ve always been frustrated when people don’t do things with lots of enthusiasm. I studied Graphic Design at Falmouth University and when I finished I applied for jobs all over the south west but I knew, even then, that I wasn’t just looking for a job. Wherever I went I needed to have access to collaboration – to bounce ideas off other people and learn from them”.
Ollie found what he was looking for in the Bristol based collaborative network Submerge.
“Submerge was run by Dan Efergan who is now the Creative Director at Aardman Online. The idea behind it was to bring new graduates into the South West (or in my case keep me here). So when I heard about it, I bounded up here and set up residence behind Dan’s sofa”.
It was from these humble roots that Ollie created his design agency Play Nicely. “I spent a few years getting to know the scene in Bristol and one day I was approached by Enable who needed a graphic designer to help with a pitch for Electric Pavilion. Lots of digital agencies source-in branding and print knowledge for digital projects which works really well for me as that’s what I specialise in”.
Enable won the contract and Ollie soon became known for his top quality work, enthusiasm and determined attitude.
“Attitude has so much to do with it,” he tells me. “I was always looking around for a formal partnership, but I get frustrated with lazy attitudes; people who don’t strive to succeed and it was hard to find the right person. But being determined meant the work started to pile up and the contracts got bigger and bigger. At one point nearly 50 per cent of my work was outsourced to freelancers because there was just too much for me to complete.”
“Then in 2007 I met Gareth. He was freelancing at Epoch and approached me about helping with a web based project they were doing. Working together we just seemed to click. We’re open and honest with each other and it seems to work well”.
It’s a key aspect of Play Nicely’s working practice that applies to their clients too. “To be successful you have to be able to have an honest and open dialogue with your clients. I would never send anyone else to pitch for me – they’re buying me as much as they’re buying the project – they have to like me. “
In Play Nicely’s case, having a good relationship with your clients can benefit both parties as Ollie explains. “It’s never just about the work either; we do what we do because we enjoy the kind of people we get to work with. Take the Globe contract for example…
Ollie goes on to explain how Play Nicely won the contract to produce all the Key Stage 3 material for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. “We won this work off the back of the site and design work we completed for Dance South West.
Our contact was working as a freelance marketing manager at Dance South West; he moved on to work for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre who were looking for someone to help with the design on the KS3 educational material. At the time, they were using a London agency but were frustrated because they couldn’t deliver the excitement and quality of work needed”.
“Matt knew we had a good sense of youth engagement because of our Dance South West work, and asked us to go up and meet the guys from the Globe. Four weeks later we’d turned around the whole look and feel of their ‘Playing Shakespeare’ project. A few months after doing that one project we got the great news that they wanted us to take on the whole contract for their youth division”.
But, as seems to be the case with most of the work Play Nicely carry out, winning the contract wasn’t just great news because it meant a big wad of cash. “It’s never just about the booking,” says Ollie. “The work we do with people like the Globe and Dance South West is always interesting and fun. They’re intelligent people, but because they work in creative businesses they want creative solutions. I get a massive buzz out of working in that environment and what’s more, love the speed of the process – they can rethink things quickly if they don’t work, so we can move ahead – many traditional businesses can take so long to make decisions because they have to follow a rigid plan. Plus, these guys are not all about profit so are really willing to work with us to try out new ideas”
Talking to Ollie it’s clear that he takes nothing for granted and is always trying to learn as he progresses to winning bigger and bigger contracts. He’s constantly evolving and striving to make the product and service he offers a better one. "Another thing I love about the clients we have is that they’re so happy to give feedback – if they don’t like an idea they may shoot it down – but what makes them unique is they’ll give you the reasons why they don’t like it – that way we can go away and learn from it to produce something they will love next time round. All design is about give and take. "
And it’s this experience that seems to be helping Play Nicely gain momentum. They offer everything from branding and identity, brochure and leaflet design right through to the technical wizardry of web design. Their most recent projects include the identity and branding for the Pervasive Media Studio – including a short video which was screened at the opening ceremony; a new range of Gift cards for Debenhams; and a social networking site entitled Co-Here – a cultural brokerage and social networking project that facilitates a radical new network model of collaborative creative production.
I ask him what’s the latest project he’s most proud of? “We loved working on the branding and identity for the newly restored Clifton Lido,” he says. “This was all about creating a clean, strong design that can be easily built upon as the new project finds its feet. Use of colour was important in getting across the many daily and seasonal moods of the building”.
So, with a stream of clients knocking on Play Nicely’s door, what does Ollie see the future bringing? “I never wanted this to be something big – I just want it to be sustainable. We are very much a young company, and we are still finding our feet”.
And like every company in the UK right now, Ollie knows that times ahead are likely to be tough. “Touch wood, the climate is not affecting us, mainly because most of the clients we work with are privately funded or charities so the budgets are still there to be spent. At the moment we are fortunate to be turning work away – which is of course frustrating, but you have to be wise in order to survive – sometimes we just can’t fit all the projects in with the timeframes we have”.
Evidently, life right now seems to be pretty good for Ollie. From university graduate to company director in less than five years isn’t bad. So what does Ollie think has made him so successful?
“It’s a combination of things. Being in the right place at the right time – coming to Bristol when I did is a big part of it. Bristol has such a great community feel to it that it really forces you to be better at what you do because if you don’t someone else will.
“I also love the fact that I know so many people in my industry here. I walk into a pitch and know at least two other people there. That may seem tough but it drives you forward. If you’ve built a reputation like we have, you have to strive to sustain that reputation. In Bristol every situation is an opportunity. I could be in the pub with friends at the weekend and still end up walking away with business cards of new potential clients. You don’t get that everywhere.”
As Ollie pauses to drink his coffee, I ask him what advice he would give others looking to become successful designers? “You have to be confident if you’re going to succeed,” he says. “If I hadn’t had the confidence to do the Enable pitch back then I wouldn’t be where I am now. You also have to remember if you fall off the horse, get back on again and keep trying… your luck will change eventually. I’d also say that you can’t afford to take things too seriously. You have to love what you do but at the same time be prepared to put in the hard work. You need a grim determination to get work and most importantly when you do win work, do it well”.
As we finish, Ollie tells me he’s been invited back to Falmouth to give a talk to the students there about how to make a success of themselves. Having known Ollie for just a few hours I can’t think of anyone better to inspire and motivate future generations of designers – he’s made a real success of his passion for design and has a happy and profitable life living and working in Bristol. Perhaps we all need to realise that Playing Nicely isn’t a bad motto for life.
Profile
Business: Graphic Design Agency
Started: 2005
No of employees: 2
Ollie Lindsey or Gareth Davies, First Floor, Atelier, 108C Stokes Croft, Bristol BS1 3RU
Tel: +44 (0) 1179 243 746
www.playnicely.co.uk
