Specialisms

There’s been considerable movement in the corporate identity charges. It’s the big end of the design business, where mergers and marriages have been particularly rife over the past few months. International conglomerates such as Diefenbach Elkins, The Interbrand Group, The Coleman Group and KSDP Design Group have been actively building their empires in the UK and this is reflected in the charts.

WPP-owned Enterprise Identity Group takes top slot for its global business. Fees amounting to a massive 55m include input from Sampson Tyrrell Enterprise in London, Ansbach Grossman Enterprise in New York, SBG Enterprise in San Francisco, Artistree Enterprise in Hong Kong and O&M Identity Enterprise in Taiwan, which is why it is so successful.

Legendary UK specialist Wolff Olins has reported a substantial increase in fees this year, up from last year’s 8.8m. The management buyout has certainly done it no harm, but oddly its submission this year puts all of the group’s income down to identity work, though it has diversified into multimedia and even advertising over the past few months.

Siegel & Gale gets a boost from the inclusion this year of its US figures. The UK business last year reported fees of 1.4m for identity work.

The true results of the Interbrand Newell and Sorrell merger have yet to show in the figures, the total given here being the amalgamation of the two groups, which were largely trading separately throughout last year.

The formation of The Brand Union meanwhile creates a shared income for Lambie-Nairn and Tutssels for the second year running.