An independent creative studio founded in London in 2017 by three former Grey London leaders, building brands 'people in the real world actually wish existed'.
Uncommon is a creative studio that builds brands. It describes its aim as brands that "people in the real world actually wish existed". Its work covers advertising campaigns, brand creation and development, and it has helped found and develop some early-stage companies as well as working with larger clients. Campaigns it is known for include "Britain Get Talking" and work with ITV.
The founders explained their mission when they launched. They argued that most people would not miss about 75 percent of brands, so they wanted to work on the brands people do care about. They said they would work with companies that want to fix a problem, fuel a passion and be fair to people and the planet, and would not grow at the expense of those values.
Uncommon was founded in 2017 by Lucy Jameson, Natalie Graeme and Nils Leonard, who had led Grey London together. Its site now lists offices in London, New York and Stockholm. The London studio started in Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell. A 2020 profile reported more than 50 employees and the title of Independent Agency of the Year that year, and described it as majority female-founded.
On culture, the founders describe a fluid network of strategists and creatives picked for each project, which they called an "uncontract", and a "Hollywood model" in which a bespoke team is assembled for each client rather than billing by the hour. They also say that looking after their own wellbeing and energy is central, and that "if we win, we win together and our clients win". These are their own descriptions from 2017 and may have changed. The founders say they also take equity stakes in early-stage companies, including Halo Coffee and Headstart, a recruitment technology business, and spent gardening leave as mentors and interns at start-ups to learn that world. The studio says it is a majority female-founded business and wants to grow quickly while staying values-led.
Studios like this employ creatives (writers and art directors), strategists, designers, producers, client leads and business managers. Because Uncommon also works with new businesses, people there can see a brand grow from a first idea. If you like invention as well as advertising, it is a good example of a creative business that tries to behave differently from a traditional agency. Leonard has said he wanted the studio to be more entrepreneurial than the network agency he left, after seeing award-winning work such as Volvo's Life Paint take a long time to get approved.
Website: www.uncommon.studio
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