Columns | Culture

Recently, we had rain, shine and our half-year forum. It was great to get everybody together again, and also to meet some of our newbies who started at the company during lockdown. 🌦 #StormyWeather #ColumnsSocial #WelcomeNewbies #DrinkLocal

We'll pass the 500-days-of-pandemic mark here at Columns at the end of July, and as we start to get back to normal, we've been thinking about time, How we spend it, and how we can help ourselves kick back when we're off the clock. For some of the team, the answer was new hobbies! Have you started a new hobby since last March? If so, what was it? #timewarp #lockdownlife #500days #hobbies #worklifebalance

Friday Fun Fact: the first speeding ticket issued was for going a blistering 8mph in a 2mph zone! #funfactfriday #animation #motion #fridayfeeling #history #carhistory

This Thursday we #throwback to the work we did for Husk Power Systems. Husk design, build and operate low cost, sustainable power plants and distribution networks in India and Africa. Created for customers who need flexible, 'pay-as-you-go' energy they are a game changer, particularly for rural areas. Husk came to us for a new visual look and feel, and the new identity and materials we developed helped them not only gain investors, but exceed their investment targets. #throwbackthursday #ruralpower #hybridenergy #design #branding

Friday Fun Fact: Wombats have cube shaped poo! They use them to mark their territory... Whatever works 💩◼️ #funfactfriday #animation #motion #fridayfeeling #wombat

We recently created a video for Anthony Collins Solicitors who needed help publicising their first ever Ethical Business Report. Our animation combined free flowing visuals and a compelling concept to help explain the purpose and benefits of downloading the report. It was a brilliant project to work on and we're really happy with the result, so well done to our motion department! #motion #motiondesign #animation #ethicalbusinessproject #design #video

Friday Fun Fact: researchers in Botswana have found that painting large eyes on the backsides of cattle can prevent then from being targeted by predators! 🦁👀🍑🐮 #fridayfeeling #animation #motion #funfactfriday #cowsofinstagram #science

In the UK, 68% of the population have now had their first vaccine, so this Throwback Thursday is a celebration of science and a look back at the work we did with Elkington and Fife. A leading IP (intellectual property) firm, their clients are at the forefront of the type of industries who make vaccines possible. So to all the scientists out there, we salute you! #throwbackthursday #medicalbranding #biotech #design #thankyou

Friday Fun Fact: some jellyfish are immortal! They show no signs of being affected by aging and so may be able to essentially live forever... Until they get eaten of course. #fridayfeeling #animation #motion #funfactfriday #jellyfish #columnscreativity

Friday Fun Fact: Saudi Arabia import camels from Australia! 🇦🇺🐪✈️🇸🇦 #fridayfeeling #animation #motion #funfactfriday #camel #saudiarabia #australia

One of the newest members of our team is impressing us all with his design knowledge, so check out Junior Designer Alex's thought piece on Variable Type, now on our website. Link in bio #typography #designtools #motion #newtech

Friday Fun Fact: cheese is the most shoplifted item worldwide! 🧀🧀🧀🚨 #fridayfeeling #animation #motion #funfactfriday #cheese

It's nearly summer, we've finally had some good weather, and love is in the air as weddings are back on! So this Throwback Thursday we're looking back at the work we did for The Savoy's wonderful wedding offering. Check out the full case study on our website, link in bio. #throwbackthursday #hitched #thesavoy #summerwedding #design #rebranding

Our Copywriter Sarah has been talking to our Production Manager Will Howard about the place of printed comms in a digital world. Why not take a look at our latest thought piece, now live on our website. Link in bio #print #design #paper #digitalvsprint #thoughtpiece

Friday Fun Fact: Crickets work as thermometers; you can calculate the temperature in Celsius by counting their chirps over eight seconds and adding five! 🦗🌡️ #fridayfeeling #animation #motion #funfactfriday #nature #columnscreativity

Our friends over at @shuttersup are celebrating their 15th anniversary, so many congratulations to Ashley, Ross and the team! Great clients, with a great business – here’s to the next 15 years 🥂 #HappyAnniversary #ShuttersUp #LocalBusiness #15years

Friday Fun Fact: the British Navy have used hits from Britney Spears to repel Somalian pirates! 🏴‍☠️🎶 #fridayfeeling #animation #motion #funfactfriday #columnscreativity #britneyspears

Friday Fun Fact: more than five times as many people die taking selfies every year than are killed by sharks! 🤳🦈 #fridayfeeling #animation #selfie #shark #motion #funfactfriday #columnscreativity

@richardpizey our new head of motion, has written a quick thought piece on how movement can really bring a brand to life. For a glimpse into the theory behind animation, take a look at his article on our website. #animation #motion #video #createwithmovement #designthinking

Friday Fun Fact: by analysing electromagnetic radiation, astronomers report that the cloud at the centre of the milky way smells like raspberries and rum 🍹💫 #fridayfeeling #animation #space #motion #funfactfriday #columnscreativity

As part of our work on @themelusine_skd, we had great fun putting our mark making to the test, creating a set of relief prints with some of the produce from their amazing menu. We used an ancient Japanese printing technique known as Gyotaku. 🐠 #gyotaku #printmaking #printmakingprocess #londonrestaurants

Friday Fun Fact: Banana trees move position throughout the course of their lives, ending up as much as 40cm from where they were initially planted! 🍌👣 #fridayfeeling #natureisbananas #animation #motion #funfactfriday #columnscreativity

Our favourite fish restaurant @themelusine_skd opened its doors for al fresco dining earlier this month, and next month they’ll be back up and running inside too. Our best wishes to Theo and Wade and to all hospitality businesses – you’ve been through so much this last year, we salute you! 🐟🙌🏻 Here’s a #throwback to the branding work we did for this wonderful, one-of-a-kind restaurant. Link to the full case study in our bio. #FineFood #FreshandFancy #DailyCatch #DiningLondon #NoWashingUp #Branding #Design

Spring is in the air and we have some fresh faces here at Columns too. We’re all still doing our bit working from home, so our new recruits are currently operating from their home office set-ups in Bethnal Green, Chesham and Balham. Welcome to Rich, Clare and Alex! 🎉 Head to our website to find out more. Link in bio!

Here's to a very well-deserved Christmas break. Love and virtual hugs from everyone at Columns ✨🎄

Here's to a very well-deserved Christmas break. Love and virtual hugs from everyone at Columns 🎄

Here's to a very well-deserved Christmas break. Love and virtual hugs from everyone at Columns. ✨

Here's to a very well-deserved Christmas break. Love and virtual hugs from everyone at Columns.🎄

Here's to a very well-deserved Christmas break. Love and virtual hugs from everyone at Columns. ✨

Happy Christmas Jumper Day from everyone at Columns (including our children & special pets!)

After two weeks of working from home, it’s time to take a look back over what we’ve learnt and share some of our favourite moments so far. Find out more on our website (link in bio) #columnsopinions #collaboration #creativity #wfh #workingfromhome

It doesn't take much encouragement to get this lot dressed up in ridiculous outfits, but this year our Christmas Jumper Day is raising money for a great cause, with all donations going to mental health charity Mind. 🌲🎁

Congratulations to our senior creative Geoff, winner of the Columns 2019 Bake Off with his millionaire's shortbread! The competition this year was fierce, the judging unashamedly tactical, and the bakes outstanding. Well done everyone! 🏆🍰🍪

This year as part of the @l_d_f_official, the ‘experiential journey through the senses’ by @tomdixonstudio did not fail to impress. The Columns team had an evening filled with sensorial discovery from the tasty seasonal supplier @natoora carrot inspired cafe to Tom Dixon and Harry’s collaborative ‘create a razor bar’ that explores the tactility of shaving. #ldf19 #tomdixon #harrysxtomdixon #natoora

We've made a strategic decision...swipe to meet our new team! 🙌 We have Elisa Chiodi joining as our new Strategy Director, Tom Lees as Senior Strategist and Tamara Mearing-Smith as Strategist. Head over to the Columns website to find out more (link in bio)!

We’re delighted to be sponsoring our intrepid client @kduffwoman from Argent on her ‘Tour-de-Italy’...a 400km, 3-day charity bike ride for @coram.uk from Siena to Rome. Scroll to see her progress 👉 Well done from everyone at Columns Katie! 🚴🏻‍♀️ 🇮🇹 — Special mention to @clubpeloton for organising #pedElle a charity cycling club for #womeninrealestate and a huge well done to the other 48 riders who took part to #fundraise — You can sponsor Katie here: https://my.race-nation.co.uk/sponsorship/entry/169857

From an Oyster card to oyster sauce... ✈️👋 Hong Kong is about to get a little bit sunnier…ever-smiley Josie Bristow is leaving us this week to spend a couple of years out east. Very best of luck from us all, Josie AKA Mr Josie Victoria Josie (it’s a long story involving an online flight booking typo and a non-transferable ticket 🤦🏻‍♀️😂) - we’ll miss ya! 😘❤️

Our regular forums are a great chance to pause for breath, step away from our Macs and have an agency-wide pow-wow on progress to date and plans for the future. There were quite a few new faces to welcome this time round, too. #columns #creative

Say hello to our new Head of Mischief! 🐕 Tonka (Jules’ Blue #FrenchBulldog puppy) is a new part-time addition to the team. Based mainly from home, he comes in to the office for the occasional day of belly-rubs and wreaking general havoc. He brings a whole wealth of experience to Columns including furniture-chewing and peeing at inopportune moments. We can’t believe we’ve survived this long without his unique skill-set. Welcome Tonka! 🐶

Our favourite French lady is returning to Paris... but before she goes we wanted her to sample some of the finest British cuisine - a chocolate caterpillar cake. Nous adorons Morgane! 🇨🇵❤️

Today we are raising a glass to mark our 15th year of independence as a branding and creative communications agency. 🎉✨🥂 We are proud to work with some amazing clients and be recognised as one of Design Week’s Top 100 agencies. Here’s to another 15 years’ of success.

#HappyChineseNewYear – we’re celebrating the Year of the Pig here at Columns. 🐖🎉✨ The lovely Ling received some celebratory dumplings from a very popular client – thank you! 🥟😊🌟

Stop Russian around, get your balls at the ready - it's World Cup 2018 time! #worldcup #worldcup2018 #ballsattheready #russianaround

Dunga-threes

Flamingo twins

From first takes to final cuts. Here's the story of our film for The Denizen. See the full vid on our site now. #TBT

It's the second warmest day of the year and Lex is still cold. #sunsoutcoatsout

Alex has had to begin her birthday celebrations prematurely after this gift rocked up to the studio this morning 🙈

Thanks to @gettyimages for a top evening at #creativeinfocus last night.

The view from our office during #StormEmma #snow

#TBT to last week's shoot... stay tuned #comingsoon

Flicking through @thegourmand and we come across some of our friends from @thesavoylondon including Eric, Head bartender at the world famous American Bar. #photography #americanbar

Thanks to @gfsmithpapers for their latest samples, made entirely from recycled paper cups.

It's farewell to our favourite Canadian as we wish Mara bon voyage! Here she is being comforted after seeing her leaving card.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Columns! 🎄🎉🎁

Happy Christmas Jumper Day! This year we're donating to @teamislacaton #teamisla

They're coming! #ColumnsNotebook #Series3

We're looking for two new middleweight creatives to join the Columns team. Find out more on our site now!

Congrats to Tan on the birth of her baby girl!

Happy #StAndrewsDay to all of our Scottish friends and colleagues!

We're pleased to announce that we've made the Design Week Top 100 for the second year running! #design #agency

We're sending Tanja off on her maternity with a very sophisticated afternoon tea, naturally.

We're down at #mipimuk seeing the best the property world has to offer.

Welcome to the newest members of the Columns family, Alex, Ben, Mana and Lex!

Take a look at this group of geniuses. Winners of this week's @theroebuckse1 pub quiz.

#TBT to the official relaunch of #SimpsonsInTheStrand

Did you get a chance to make it down to the #londondesignfestival2017 at the V&A? Here's a few of our highlights from Flynn Talbot and Ross Lovegrove.

For a bit of #Friyay fun, head over to our site and take a look at the best and most embarrassing spillages in our office last year

Why not go an adventure and #Explore the latest #ColumnsPictureStory on our website now?

Thanks to everyone who came to our night at the Flight Club. Here's Irene and her moment of victory... #darts #summerparty

We were lucky enough to meet the actual (possibly not) Winston Churchill at the Simpson's in the Strand relaunch last night.

#TBT to our team outing to the #DesignMuseum the other week.

This month's #ColumnsPictureStory is a rebellious type. The theme is Rules and it's live on the site now!

Congratulations to @shuttersupltd who have launched their new visual identity and website this week!

We're thrilled to welcome Daisy to the Columns family.

#TBT to a recent shoot for something exciting...

We're not trying say that our creatives are dramatic but Jon stubbed his toe and now we have this #MartineMccrutcheon #Pantone233U

Enjoying a well-earned lunch break with some tennis in the sunshine @flatironsquare_

We're down at #newblood17 this afternoon taking a look at the next generation of creative minds

Site tours are often more difficult when you can't see the site...

Fancy joining our team of intelligent, good-looking and all-round brilliant people? You're in luck - we're hiring! Take a look at our site now (link in bio) for more information. #NowHiring

It was a privilege to witness the love and support for our neighbours in Borough Market yesterday as they returned to business as usual #LoveBorough

The big day is tomorrow and it's time to have your say #GE2017

Did you manage to make it down to #MakeTheFuture this weekend? Take a look at some of our highlights on our site now!

Emma was pretty pleased with this afternoon's fire drill #firemen 🔥🔥🔥

I see trees of green, and other pics too. Take a look at this month's #ColumnsPictureStory on our site now.

'The sun's out, time to wear my new skirt. What could possibly go wrong?' #matchingoutfits