I was quite talented as an artist at a young age. My mother, who was a talented painter, recognised that I had a creative spark and took the lead in nurturing this.

At around 11 years old, I started formal painting and drawing lessons with a professional artist. I learned perspective, composition, and technique, and when I reached my old-fashioned boys’ grammar school, I quickly became known as the artist at the school, designing the sets and posters for plays.

At school, I had a brilliant art teacher who introduced me to pop art and artists like Andy Warhol and Peter Blake. The idea of taking commercial imagery and turning it into high art fascinated me. The thought that you could take something mass-produced, like a Campbell’s soup can, and make it iconic struck a chord. It made me realise that creativity and commerce weren’t separate worlds.

Despite my father’s warning: “Don’t go to art school, it’s all sex, drugs, and rock and roll”, I was determined to. Thanks, Dad. I went anyway.

I attended the London College of Printing (now the London College of Communication) with the idea of going into advertising, so I developed a graphic approach heavily influenced by pop art. I landed a job at Ogilvy & Mather, a prestigious agency founded by David Ogilvy, whose book Ogilvy on Advertising was the industry bible. I thought I would love it.

I hated it. The creative team was locked away out of sight, while the account directors wined and dined clients. There was no real collaboration or insights into the businesses we were supposed to be helping. It all felt shallow.

Someone suggested I try branding instead, so I took a job at a startup branding agency, SMS, a breakaway from Michael Peters, one of the biggest design firms at the time. My very first project changed everything for me.

A client turned up with a pile of crisps and snacks based on flavours from around the world. They were looking for brand inspiration, so we brainstormed and created Phileas Fogg, a brand inspired by Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days. The idea was that Phileas Fogg, the fictional adventurer, was travelling the world, discovering authentic snacks from different countries.

The brand was a huge success. Because I could write, I was asked to craft the Dear Aunt Agatha letters on the back of the packs, describing his latest discoveries. That’s when I realised, I wasn’t just interested in advertising; I loved building brands from scratch, creating the story behind them. From there, I worked my way up through bigger agencies like Coley Porter Bell (now part of WPP), working on brands like McCoy’s crisps and Smirnoff Ice.

I became fascinated with the process of branding and how it shapes a company’s entire identity, especially in the US, where it was developing rapidly in the early ‘90s. One book that really shaped my thinking was The Big Idea by Robert Jones, which argued that behind every successful brand is a single, clear idea.

When I was 30, I co-founded an agency called Planet, which became really well known for launching new brands. After eight years, we were acquired by Interpublic (McCann Erickson). In hindsight, we probably sold too early and too cheaply, but it was a huge learning experience, which I took into my new role at FutureBrand.

Honestly? I was tired of the relentless pressure of big agency life.

As a Creative Director at FutureBrand, I had a team of 35-40 people. The amount of revenue we had to generate every month just to feed that fire gave me sleepless nights. The creative process became secondary to meeting financial targets.

So I left and started Big Idea, based on that book I’d loved years earlier. Instead of a traditional agency, we ran a hub-and-spoke model, which is a small core team, bringing in specialists when needed. No overheads, no unnecessary structure, just the right people for the job.

When I moved to Brighton, I realised I could go fully independent. By then, I had an incredible network of copywriters, animators, web developers, and photographers, all the talent needed to run big branding projects, but without the agency costs.

More importantly, I got to choose who I worked with. The lovely thing about working for startups and SMEs, is you're not having to work for a marketing department anymore. You're working for personalities who run and own companies, and if you like them as people, you're going to get on very well. You'll be able to solve their problems, because you develop a kind of much more mature way of working, where you don't feel like you are just a service for them. They treat you much more like a trusted advisor.

I love the fact that in Brighton, a lot of my work comes from referrals. People say, “You should meet Bill—he’s experienced, knows his stuff, and puts together great work.” That’s how I prefer to operate.

When I first moved here, I had to knock on doors, offering consultancy for local agencies. Over time, I started working directly with clients. That’s where the real satisfaction comes in; helping businesses shape their identity instead of just executing someone else’s vision. One of the only London agencies I work with now is Studio Blup, as I still enjoy working with them.

The flexibility of working independently also means I can bring in the best specialists for each project rather than being tied to whoever happens to be on a full-time payroll. That’s the beauty of the hub-and-spoke model I use. I can assemble the perfect team without carrying the overheads of a traditional agency.

And because I spent years inside big agencies, I can demystify their bloated pricing structures. Clients sometimes assume that big agencies equal better work. But I know from having worked inside a big agency, how little of that fee is actually going spent on the creative product. They have the stakeholders, overheads and all the administration costs. You would be lucky if 50% of the fee is spent on the product you really want.

With my model, you get more value because every penny goes into the actual work rather than office overheads, shareholder dividends, and corporate lunches.

Peter Blake (famous for The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover)

He was one of my pop art heroes.

I actually met him by accident in a playground in Chiswick while taking my son out to play. There was an old man with a white beard pushing a little girl on the roundabout. We got talking, and I suddenly realised, this is Peter Blake!

I joked, “Congratulations, Peter, you’ve still got it in you!” He laughed and replied, “That’s my granddaughter, stop it!”

A while later, I was working on a Save the Children charity campaign where we needed famous artists to contribute illustrations for a fundraising calendar. I thought, Why not ask Peter Blake?

People told me, “You’ll never get him to do it.” So I went to his house, rang the doorbell, and asked. He said he was really busy. But the next day, he phoned me back: "I’ve done it. Do you want to come and see it?"

Turns out, Jehovah’s Witnesses had knocked on his door and given him a Watchtower magazine featuring children’s faces from all around the world. Being a collage artist, he cut them up, mixed them with other elements, and created a stunning piece for the campaign.

When we asked how we could pay him, he refused. Instead, he said: "No, it’s been a joy to do. You know what I miss? The company of creative people. And I love Chinese food."

So I took him out for dim sum in Chinatown with my creative team. It was surreal, here was this legendary artist, chatting away over dumplings. The best creative people thrive on collaboration, curiosity, and conversation. Someone who was a hero became a friend, and he invited me to his exhibitions.

SMEs are fascinating because they’re often at a crossroads. Either they’re launching something new and need a brand from scratch, or they’ve been around for a while and need a refresh to stay relevant.

If it’s a new startup, I’m involved right from the start. That means defining:

•What should they be called?
•What’s their story?
•How do they position themselves against competitors?
•What’s their visual and verbal identity?

For existing businesses, I come in when their brand feels tired or out of sync with their current goals. Maybe they’ve expanded into new markets, maybe their audience has shifted, or maybe their messaging no longer resonates. That’s when I act as a brand doctor, diagnosing what’s working, what’s not, and how we can realign their brand.

Often, SME owners are so busy running their business that they haven’t had time to step back and assess whether their brand is still fit for purpose. That’s where I come in.

A lot of brand workshops I do involve companies that have great products or services but haven’t updated their branding in years. Their logo, website, or messaging might look outdated, or they might not be leveraging social media properly.

The key is objectivity. Sometimes you need an outsider to say, “This part isn’t working,” or “You’re missing an opportunity here.”

I don’t just come in and say, “You need a new logo.” It’s about getting the entire brand ecosystem right.

That includes:

•Brand identity (logo, colours, typography)
•Brand messaging (tone of voice, storytelling, key messages)
•Digital presence (website, social media, content strategy)

Sometimes, it’s a small tweak that makes a massive difference. Other times, it requires a full rebrand. But the goal is always the same: making sure their brand is working for them, not against them.

Yes, because branding and marketing are so intertwined.

The best brand strategists have a strong marketing instinct, and the best marketers have a strong brand sensibility.

A great brand gives marketing teams the tools they need to succeed. That includes:

•A clear brand story that makes messaging easier
•Strong visual assets that make marketing campaigns instantly recognisable
•A defined target audience, so they know exactly who they’re talking to

I often say: “Marketing without a solid brand is just shouting into the void.”

That’s why I love working with marketers who understand branding—they don’t just think about short-term campaigns; they think about long-term brand equity.

And vice versa. If I’m working on a brand refresh, I always keep marketing strategy in mind. How will this brand live in the real world? How will it show up on social media, in digital ads, at events?

A great brand isn’t just built for today, it’s built for long-term success.

I tell people: "I help brands launch, build, grow, and succeed."

If I’m talking to startups, I focus on naming, brand identity, and messaging. If I’m talking to established companies, I focus on brand refreshes and strategy realignment.

People sometimes assume branding is just about logos. I always tell them: "A logo is just the tip of the iceberg. Your brand is everything underneath, your story, your values, your reputation. That’s what makes people care." And that’s what I love doing, helping brands tell stories that matter.

Big agencies are collapsing, and the industry is shifting towards smaller, agile teams. Clients no longer want to pay for bloated overheads, they want experienced people who can get results quickly.

At the same time, technology is changing everything. AI, automation, and social media fragmentation mean brands need to be more adaptable than ever.

But one thing remains the same: great brands tell great stories. That is what cuts through the noise. And that’s what I do.