The New York Reccy
3 minute read…
We’d learnt from three different agencies we admire, on separate occasions, that while they’re based in London, most of their work comes from elsewhere. It got us thinking about markets we’d like to build in, and where our kind of work might belong. New York felt like an obvious choice. I love the city, especially Brooklyn, I was there last year and knew I needed get back as often as possible. So, when it came to choosing a destination for our business reccy, it just made sense.
We landed about eight meetings over the four days we had. My biggest reflection is how warmly we were greeted. People, often strangers, met with us, took us for coffee, sat with us, listened, and shared incredible nuggets of advice. Tebo captures that better than I can in his own reflections, but it’s worth saying again: the hospitality was unreal. Maybe it’s an American thing, maybe it’s not, but we felt it. There’s also something slightly different in the air. People generally seem maybe ten or twenty percent more business-minded. For a founder, that mentality could be a real advantage.
Another thing that stood out was how brand and marketing feel different there. Everything is bigger, glossier, or more deliberate. From the hand-painted billboards in Williamsburg to the storefronts and architecture, it’s clear how design and commerce feed off each other. The streets often feel like a living brand manual, but it’s not a hard sell.
Because much of our brand work sits in wellness, I couldn’t help noticing how saturated that category is. Functional drinks, protein snacks, mood-boosting sodas, they’re everywhere. It’s a real-time study in competition. Over coffee, Ryan Frost, ECD at Landor, described the contrast perfectly. I won’t share his whole insight, but he talked about how the UK’s curated supermarket shelves differ from the American’s gung-ho approach, and how that impacts design decisions when consumers face a wall of choice. It’s fascinating. Out there, choice is celebrated. Off-licences aren’t four-packs of Stella and pasties, they’re corner shops stocked with overnight oats and probiotic sodas in every flavour you can imagine. For our team, working with brands in this space, it was an education.
Finally, I have to mention WSA. We’d been told to check it out for events before leaving, and by complete chance, we ended up meeting David Perry, the jewellery designer, whose studio happens to be in the WSA building. As an art-history nerd and industrial design fanboy it was a highlight. The building, once AIG’s headquarters, sits in the Financial District and feels like a time capsule. Re-designed by Gabriella Khalil, it’s the perfect combination of Bauhaus materiality and luxury modernism. USM Haller finds its way home as the office furniture system it was intended for, while long marble walls and curated seat choices feel like something out of a Mies Van Der Rhoe sketchbook. David was generous with his time, and his tour allowed us to explore perhaps the best office space in New York.
It was only five days, but the reccy was a success. We met brilliant people, saw inspiring work, and came home full of ideas. No doubt we will be back soon, so if you’re in New York, we’d love to connect.
Catch more from our trip on Youtube:
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