Loewy Group and Journey join

Ideation stablemates Loewy Group and Journey Branding Experience are to join forces from October under the Loewy name. The existing team will operate as Loewy Creative, while a new arm, Loewy Consult, will add strategic thinking to the mix.

The aim, says a group statement, is to “challenge the ad agencies’ stranglehold on clients’ strategy by exploiting the growth in customer relationship marketing”. “It’s about building one-to-one relationships through relevant design,” says Journey managing director Matthew Bright.

Loewy has already beaten ad agency Walsh Trott and design group Clinic to become brand guardian for an Internet content provider.

Loewy’s areas of expertise will be brand identity, corporate communications, packaging, 3D design and new-product development. It plans to move into digital design following the departure last month of digital media specialist Cimex Inc from Ideation.

Loewy Group creative director Chris Vane will become joint managing and creative director, while Bright becomes joint managing and strategic director. Loewy Group managing director Bryan Wilsher becomes group managing director and an unnamed high flyer from a top-level research business will join the board in October to head Loewy Consult.

The two groups collectively employ 40 staff, including 22 designers. Vane says staff will grow to 60 or 70 over 12 months, with the advent of Loewy Consult.

Loewy Group was formed after Raymond Loewy International merged with Vane’s group Workhouse Design and McBride’s & Grandfield (DW 8 September 2000). Wagstaffs’ merger with Bright’s Metropolis Design Group created Journey (DW 23 June).