128 | UK Enterprise Awards 2023 May23523 Graphic Design Firm of the Year - Greater Manchester The Big Idea lies at the heart of all the creative decisions made by the team at Atkinson Roberts Creative. The team’s efforts have put them at the forefront of branding, packaging, corporate and retail communications, and advertising. With solutions that are transformative for businesses, it’s little wonder that Atkinson Roberts Creative has achieved incredible success. We caught up with Mike Roberts to find out more. In a world where identity is more important than ever, having a clear image to sell to customers is vital. Images draw us together, and act as a universal language that can translate into any territory. The team at Atkinson Roberts Creative understand this better than most, with an approach that gets to the core of what needs to be said and finds the simplest way of achieving breathtaking results. When we asked Mike Roberts what drives the team at this formidable force of a creative agency forward, he was keen to explain how their attitude gets back to basics. “Our aim is to provide distinctive creative solutions that always starts with a single question: What’s the big idea?” he says. “That’s pretty much at the core of everything we do – whether we’re helping to get a new business venture off the ground, or helping a global brand talk to their audience.” Since opening their doors, the team have worked for numerous clients from a host of different industries. Atkinson Roberts Creative has been at the centre of campaigns with aims as varied as communicating insurance to the Far East, apparel tech to Europe, business services to the Americas or selling a dream home to a Lancashire family. The importance of this for businesses today is clear to Mike. “An idea anchored with a sound strategy and delivered with creative flair delivers a pretty good punch,” he tells us. “It gives a brand strength, makes them more memorable and adds substance to their offering.” The last few years have seen the business shift its focus from British soil to serving clients around the world. “Since the lockdown periods and subsequent boom in remote conferencing, our business has been able to connect not just nationally, but globally allowing us to reach new clients and colleagues,” Mike says. “This engagement across time zones can work to our clients’ benefit. For example, our New York based client can brief a last minute job in their evening, for us to pick it up in our morning and we have it sat in their inbox ready for review when they return to work their next morning. This global connection allows more streamlined working, as those in the creative industry know, at times it feels like design and marketing is the fourth emergency service. However, this global connection doesn’t detract from our more local clients, there is nothing better than face to face contact to understand the motivation of a brand, product or service.” The growth of Atkinson Roberts is to be commended, and is a credit to the team’s hard work over the years. Of course, growth is not easy to maintain, and a carefully considered strategy remains at the core of the business. “We have seen first-hand how agencies grow very quickly beyond their means to the detriment of financial stability,” Mike says ruefully. “We believe on having a small core team, bringing in additional expertise as required, as each project dictates. Having strong and trusted relationships with our suppliers means that we can rely on pulling in the required skill set as needed. This keeps our overall overheads low, making us more risk averse, and allowing us to provide a service that our clients have always found great value for money.” Putting people first clearly works for the Atkinson Roberts Creative team, and has provided a path to success that is not to be ignored. Above all else, however, is that simple mantra of “What’s the big idea?” As we close our interview, Mike was keen to point out that design isn’t as easy as making pretty pictures. “We know that we work in a very subjective industry,” he says. “There isn’t really a right or wrong when it comes to design – just levels of effectiveness and appropriateness. And we pride ourselves on providing a service that is both highly effective and very appropriate.” Company: Atkinson Roberts Creative Name: Mike Roberts Email: hello@atkinson-roberts.com Web Address: atkinson-roberts.com Address: 35 Wigan Road, Standish, Wigan WN6 0BE Telephone: 01257424414
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