Andy Cooke
Design & direction across brand identity, screen and print
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My core belief is that great design and creativity has a unique power. It has the ability to shape and transform our every day lives, or leave a thing better than how it was before. It is inherently optimistic, as the act of creating something that didn't already exist can only come from a place of wanting to bring something new into the world. And I love that.
I build, invent and re-invent brands through design, strategy, words and ideas — for start-ups, scale-ups, legacy brands, and those-about-to-IPO — with identities, websites, apps, campaigns and experiences. Through a gentle mix of optimism, theoretics, beauty, and radical invention in a sea of homogeneity, I strive to constantly lift the standards of creative excellence for the teams around me. I purposefully seek out those who have broad skillsets to collectively reach ambitious and inspiring creative realities.
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The projects I've worked on have been recognised by institutions such as the Andys, the Clio Awards, Creative Circle, The Drum, the Art Director’s Club, The One Show, British Arrows, Cannes Lions and D&AD.
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The professional path I’ve travelled to this point in time has been anything but conventional — I didn’t take the traditional design agency route. Instead, I opted to seek new challenges along the way that have gone on to inform an outlook that’s rich, diverse and different.
Independent Designer, 2006–
Erasmus Partners; Designer, 2010–2011
MayNinth; Co-founder & Designer, 2011–2014
RareKind; Artist Agent, 2012–2015
Staffs Uni; Associate Lecturer, 2013–17
Upstairs Gallery; Co-founder & Curator, 2013–19
Weather; Founder & Creative Director, 2015–19
EF Education First; Creative Director, 2017–20
R/GA, Design Director, 2020–21
Google Creative Lab, Design Lead, 2021–22
DesignStudio NY, Design Director, 2022
BBH London, Creative Director & Head of Design, 2022–2024
I've worked on projects for
Nike, Google, Coca-Cola, EF Education First, Le Coq Sportif, Dell, Sky, Samsung, RISD, Ikea, UEFA, WWE, YouTube, Eurosport, 2K, Netflix, Tesco, Experian, Barclays, Mentos, Ribena, Lyca, Mentos, Burger King, UBS, Pelé Sports, 1800 Tequila, Audi, Blackstone
I've shown work at
People of Print at Here Gallery (2009), RareKind Manchester at 2022NQ (2012), ArtCrank Manchester at 2022NQ (2013), RareKind London in Soho (2013), Secret 7's at Mother London (2013), Pong Ping at 2022NQ (2014), Dust: Hanley at Upstairs Gallery (2016), Dust: Stoke at ACAVA Spode Works (2016), Dust: Tunstall at Tunstall Baths (2017), Dust: Burslem at The Wedgwood Institute (2017), Dust: Fenton at Fenton Library (2017), Dust: Longton at Longton Town Hall (2017), Letterspace at The Whitworth (2018), Fedrigoni 365 (2022)
I've spoken and taught at
Graphic Intervention at York St. John University (2012), Advertising & Brand Management at Staffordshire University (2013–17), Beers & Ideas 1 at 2022NQ (2014), Beers & Ideas 2 at 2022NQ (2015), Screen Printing at Present Workshops (2015), Beers & Ideas 3 at Upstairs Gallery (2016), Beers & Ideas 4 at Upstairs Gallery (2016), Then & Now at Staffordshire University (2016), Beers & Ideas 5 at BottleCraft (2017), Connected Futures at Staffordshire University (2017), Connected Futures at Staffordshire University (2018), The University of Lincoln (2023), Staffordshire University Degree Show Opening (2023)
I've had work featured in
Grafik Magazine 185: Talent Profile, Typo / graphic Posters, How To Use Type (published by Rockport), Behance: Graphic Design, Behance: Behance.net, Computer Arts Magazine, 64GB: 64 Eminent Creatives from Great Britain (published by viction:ary), Palette 04, Neon: New Fluorescent Graphics (published by viction:ary), FormFiftyFive, WIRED Magazine, Creative Pool, Creative Boom, Creative Review, The Logo Creative, Creative Bloq, UX Collective on Medium, The Anti-Blueprint Project, Under Consideration / Brand New