Andy Cooke

Design & direction across brand identity, screen and print

I help to invent brands through strategy, design, words and ideas. I also work with others to build brands through more strategy, design, words and ideas. From start-ups and scale-ups, through to legacy brands and those-about-to-IPO.

My day-to-day focus tends to revolve around setting a creative vision, then planning out how we get as far towards it as possible. This means assembling the right group of people, with the right skills all at the right time to tackle the array of challenges laid before us.

It takes measured optimism, thinking in theoretics, designing with beauty, and radical invention in a sea of homogeneity.

My work has been recognised by institutions such as the Andys, the Clio Awards, the Art Director’s Club, The One Show, Cannes and D&AD. I’m currently Creative Director & Head of Design at BBH London.

Key Capabilities

Creative, Design & Art Direction, Identity Design, Design for Screen & Print, Photography, Moving Image, Project Management, Curation, Creative Strategy

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–

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