AMD Group

The Holding Company

1986

Lord Bell sets up Lowe Bell Group.

1991

Management buyout of Lowe Bell by Bell Pottinger

1995

The holding group is renamed Chime. It comprises six operating businesses: Bell Pottinger Communications, HHCL Group, The Good Relations Group, AMD Group, OLR Group and Chime On-line. Chime has 860 staff.

1998

Bell Pottinger’s income was £34.4m (Marketing magazine).

The Design Offer

1989

Smithfieldesign is founded within Lowe Bell

1995

Lowe Bell opens a Cape Town office, with plans to offer design services through Smithfieldesign in London.

1997

Lowe Bell takes a 75 per cent stake in Web design consultancy Interactive Bureau’s new London office. IAB is housed alongside Smithfieldesign.

2000

Smithfieldesign changes its name to AMD Brand Evolution following the integration of the consultancy into AMD Group.

Formed in 1999, AMD Group delivers design, advertising, marketing, on-line design, publishing, media planning and buying and pre-press production. Smithfieldesign managing director Peter Higgins becomes group managing director.

AMD Group is a separate profit centre.

AMD Brand Evolution has 17 staff, including nine designers.

The Work

66 per cent corporate and brand identity (including on-line)

34 per cent brochures, marketing literature, packaging, annual reports

The Future

Expanding into new market sectors, and working together with other companies within the AMD Group has accelerated this process.

New creative director Lee Smith is growing the design team.