We recently talked to Drew Smith, Founding Partner and Creative Director of Lumen Group, who told Popsop about why he ended up in Milan and founded his own branding company there, why being sustainable meant being profitable, and about the relationship with Russia and Lumen’s Moscow-based partner agency Mildberry.

Biles Inc. is rare sort of a small creative business that breaks stereotypes about the size, having proved that it does not really matter when it comes to winning big clients. «Small agency —big difference» — that’s what they stand for. Anthony Biles, the founder and Principal, told Popsop about why he decided to launch his own business, why not having a central London office is a plus point, and explained why he thinks boutique is the best format of running a design agency.

A successful story of Russian-British collaboration in the area of design goes back to late 1990-s — early 2000-s, when such Russian brands (now among the most valued domestic ones, by the way) as Russian Standard Vodka (1998, Identica) and MTS (2006, Wolff Olins) were designed. That was the crucial moment, when the biggest Russian business entities from various industry sectors realised the power and value of the design and branding ‘made in Britain’.