Storm Brand and Kaleidoscope tie the knot
Packaging and graphics group Storm Brand Design is merging with New York-based design consultancy Kaleidoscope, and taking its name.
Kaleidoscope, which was established in 1993, specialises in strategic planning, graphics, product design and prototyping.
The West Yorkshire-based group, which opened a smaller office in London in 2009 to help service its Sainsbury’s roster work, has had a relationship with Kaleidoscope since 2008, when the two groups established a studio in Chicago as a 50-50 joint venture called Blue Tagg.
’We work very well together and our different offers complement each other,’ says Storm Brand Design managing director Bruce Drinkwater.
Kaleidoscope is very innovative in product design, which is an area of expertise we hope to use to create our own products.’ The group is looking to build a 3D design team at its London office, for which it is also currently recruiting a new design director.
Drinkwater will become Kaleidoscope’s UK chief executive, his US counterpart being Gary Chiapetta. The group has also created a new logo (pictured), which Drinkwater says ’is based on 1960s-70s psychedelia, which was a time when design was freer – design groups are so often very Helvetica and predictable nowadays’.
Kaleidoscope and Storm Brand Design have a combined turnover of £9m, with Storm turning over £2m in 2009-10. Storm has 40 staff and Kaleidoscope has 100.
Storm Brand Design also opened an office in Sydney in January, led by senior creatives Rob Barson and Andy Whurr, both of whom were based at the Leeds office.
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