Interstate was always going to be different
Our first two projects were both in motor sport, a business sector that is as dynamic as the stars and cars that perform. With one for Porsche and another for Unilever and both focused on high-performance, we soon realised that awaiting the perfect brief or the optimum time for a meeting was never going to work in this arena. So we learned to trust in our instincts and our clients did the same.
1998 was the year that saw us embark on this steep learning curve. Launched in a classic agency break-away with a few promises of future work, a team of eight believed this was the moment to make a difference. Interstate - a reference to taking something or someone from one place to another - would channel our ability and expertise to bring change and
differentiation as positive agents to our clients’ businesses - clients who are frequently entrepreneurial, always results focused and invariably extremely demanding.
When we commenced work in 1998 this mindset and approach defined the Interstate character and remains true today. What began as a 'why not' start-up has evolved into a leading creative force with a truly global perspective in little over a decade. During this time Interstate has shaped an outstanding team of designers, planners and finishers. Some have been hired as seniors from other agencies and from other countries, but the majority have joined as graduates and become expert practitioners in the particular craft that now defines Interstate.
Rome wasn't built in a day (or so Giulio tells us)
2012
-
Transform Awards Nomination
Interstate’s work for Vertere is shortlisted for two Transform Awards, ‘Best rebrand from the Media & Telecommunication Sector’ and ‘Best Overall Identity’.
2011
-
Creative Baby #3
Freddie George Draper, born 19th October 2011, 6.11 lb - complete with his Mum’s toes!
-
Creative Baby #2
Max Arthur Hutchinson, born 4th July 2011, 8.8 lbs - and no hair. Again.
-
Creative Baby #1
Frida Ann Iversen Gray, born 12th June 2011, a whopping 5.5 lbs - and dark hair, dad's genes kick in at last.
-
Interstate Grows
Interstate continues to grow as Caroline Jenkins joins as Associate Director and Midian Mota as Receptionist.
-
Shining Bright
We work with Penguin to create a brand new look and feel for the undisputed Queen of chick-lit, Marian Keyes.
-
A Month in Marrakesh
Interstate design a Moroccan recipe and travel book, a joint venture written by the Editor of Jamie Magazine; Andy Harris, and captured by renowned photographer David Loftus.
-
Pitch Perfect
Interstate create the new brand for the high end audio manufacturer Vertere. The new identity is applied across print, packaging and digital platforms.
-
Jamie’s Great Britain
Interstate design Jamie Oliver’s 13th cookbook ‘Jamie’s Great Britain’, which tops the 2011 Christmas book charts.
-
Interstate Scoops Award
Interstate picks up a bronze award at the Design Effectiveness Awards for the branding of The Ice Cream Union.
2010
-
Interstate Expands
The Interstate team grows with Dimitrena Topalova joining us as Account Manager after freelancing at Ogilvy & Mather. Fresh faced Somerset College of Art & Technology graduates Christina Beani and Alex Piercy also help to expand the design team.
-
J’ai adore J’ai Mangé
Interstate create the identity and packaging for Jamie Oliver's spoof fragrance 'J'ai Mange - for man, woman, salad' all in the spirit of his festive TV show 'Jamie's Christmas Lock-In'.
-
Jamie Does…
Interstate design the latest Jamie Oliver cookbook sensation 'Jamie Does...'
-
BBQ Days
We create the new brand identity and website for American chef Adam Perry Lang (APL), coinciding with his latest bookrelease 'BBQ25' (also designed by Interstate).
-
Ice Cream Galore
We finish designing the Ice Cream Union Lolly packaging range, ready for a scorchin' summer.
-
Investing for Bahrain
Interstate create the brand identity for financial institution Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, the investment company for the Kingdom of Bahrain.
-
Jamie’s HCS
Interstate design the identity, branding and website for Jamie Oliver's new and exciting BTEC course 'Jamie's Home Cooking Skills', launched in September throughout secondary schools in the UK via Edexcel.
2009
-
Interchange…
We reveal our new ‘interchangable’ identity.
-
Indy-state 500
We design the livery for Townsend Bell and KV Racing’s Herbalife sponsored entry in the 2009 Indy500 race.
-
Making Waves
We create the brand identity for Maalem, a newly established institutional investor based in the Arabian Gulf.
-
Chris Macdonald joins
Chris Macdonald joins the interactive team fresh off a plane from South Africa.
-
Absent Elk
Former Interstate team member Kjetil Morland and his band, Absent Elk, support Girls Aloud on their 2009 UK tour.
-
Arabic Typography
Nigel and Jonathan attended an arabic typography workshop hosted by Linotype’s Nadine Chahine at the TDC in New York.
2008
-
“We are QPR, we are QPR”
Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore purchase Queens Park Rangers Football Club and invite us to design a new stadium signage system and VIP passes.
-
Interserve
We update the studio server to hold a staggering 7 terabytes of data.
2007
-
Crown Prince opens Amwaj
His Highness Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa officially opens Amwaj Islands alongside Saud Abdulaziz Kanoo, Chairman, Ossis Property Developers.
-
New York Festivals
Our interactive design for the new WhippetGrey website is shortlisted for a 2007 NY Festivals award.
-
Preston 2 Norwich 6
Linn Trones joins the Interstate team as a designer from Norway, via Norwich School of Art.
-
Kelly Lear Joins
Kelly Lear re-joins the Interstate team as senior designer. Kelly previously worked at Interstate in 2004 before returning to her native Australia.
-
Jonathan Henton Joins
Jonathan Henton joins the Interstate team as a designer from 999 Design.
2006
-
£10 million
Our revenue reaches £10 million since starting trading in 1998.
-
Iain Hutchinson joins
Iain Hutchinson joins the Interstate team as deputy creative director. Iain previously worked at 999 Design and The Open Agency.
2005
-
Louise Caton Joins
Louise Caton joins the Interstate team as a designer after working as a visual merchandiser. Louise graduated from the BA (Hons) Information Design course at the London College of Communication in 2004.
-
Ben Watts Joins
Ben Watts joins the Interstate Digital production team.
-
Kjetil Morland Joins
Kjetil Morland joins the Interstate team from Norway via Kingston as a designer.
-
B&Q Sets Sail
We brand Dame Ellen MacArthur’s record breaking Kingfisher sponsored trimaran.
2004
-
Lucy Self Joins
Lucy Self joins the Interstate team as a designer after graduating from the BA (Hons) Information Design Pathway course at London College of Communication.
-
04.04.04
4th of April 2004, race day, the inaugural Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix gets off to a flyng start.
-
Christmas Break
We celebrated Christmas on the slopes in Lech, Austria - only one broken wrist.
2003
-
BIC Pitch Win
We win a seven way pitch to design the new brand identity for the Bahrain International Circuit which is to host the Arabian Gulf’s first Grand Prix in 2004.
-
Fast Track
During our first year working in Bahrain Managing Director Nick Downes makes 17 return trips to the Kingdom.
2002
-
Melbourne GP
The Panasonic Toyota Racing Formula One team start 14th and 16th on the grid at their first F1 championship race, the Australian Grand Prix.
-
The Green Book
We produce our first brochure showcasing 24 of our best projects from 1998 to 2002.
2001
-
Preston 1 Norwich 5
Louis Weiner joins the Interstate team as a designer fresh from Norwich School of Art, our fifth Norwich student.
-
Winterstate
The team bump into Dolph Lundgren on the ice rink in Stockholm.
-
Federal Espresso
The studio’s La Cimbali M21 Junior arrives and quickly becomes Giulio’s new best friend!
-
New Studio
In March 2001 we began the renovation work on our new Notting Hill studio.
-
TF102 Launch
Toyota Formula One launch their new TF102 racing car in Cologne with our dynamic new livery.
-
Zita West is Born
We design the identity for Zita West, a start-up company by an expert midwife, acupuncturist and nutritional adviser.
2000
-
Giulio Ruggieri Joins
Giulio Ruggieri joins the Interstate team as an interactive designer. He later becomes the director of interactive design.
-
James Jeanes Joins
James Jeans joins the digital production team.
-
Brian Simpson Joins
Brian Simpson joins the Interstate team as an artworker. As Interstate grows as a company Brian becomes the director of the production department.
-
Jaguar Racing
Our major project of 2000 was the rebranding of the Jaguar Formula 1 team.
-
Interchange
We go green. After two years we reveal a fresh new identity to align with the now more confident and matured Interstate.
1999
-
Jayne Connell Joins
Jayne Connell joins Interstate as a partner and account director. Jayne was previously an associate director at Futurebrand.
-
1st £1 Million
We record an annual revenue of £1 Million in only our second year of trading.
-
Save the Rhino
We start working for the charity Save the Rhino. To show his dedication to the cause creative director Nigel Gray embarks on a gruelling sponsored bike ride across Namibia in aid of the charity.
-
V8 Star
We design the identity for V8 Star, a brand new European silhouette racing series based on the American Nascar series.
-
Benetton Formula
Benetton Formula communications strategy developed. Presentation to Rocco Benetton, Chief Executive.
1998
-
Agency Breakaway
Interstate is founded by Nick Downes and Nigel Gray in a classic agency breakaway. They establish the company in a flat in Chiswick Green Studios.
-
Our First Identity
Our first identity symbolises our three core disciplines - branding, interior and interactive - and the interesting results that occur when the three overlap.
-
Our First Job
Our first job was the redesign of the Porsche Supercup identity as they moved from a European only supporting event to a global stage.
Our studio
The environment in which we work is probably important to us all but for us it is the setting for our creative interaction and where we have to practice our chosen ‘subject’. The built environment is the expression which refers to the man-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity and for a creative business that is a critical dynamic that must exist and must exist in a way that fosters inventive and lateral thinking. When we realised that our ‘start-up’ office no longer satisfied our
business needs, we began the search for a space that offered the location, atmosphere and character for a studio centric business. We found that place in a small mews in Notting Hill; an old, fairly scruffy stable that was in need of refurbishment and a few shiny-surfaces. John Tomalin-Reeves helped us layout the space and designed a dramatic entrance to house the administration team. The studio revolves around one, 15 metre long, central desk that accomodates most of the design team and offers an interesting
insight into the anthropology of the company: left brain, right brain and wired brains combine to create ideas and craft concepts. For the process-driven manager it is as close to an armageddon experience as one could wish for but we have many years of experience managing large creative challenges and the studio provides a brilliant canvas for everything that happens here. NG/09
The Arabian Gulf
in particular, was a destination on my father's
Dad was Alan Downes, a founder member of ITN in 1955 and for 32 years one of its most distinguished 'hard-news' cameramen. He shot some of the most influential and revealing film footage of the modern era. In the 60s, 70s and 80s he was frequently embedded in a troubled city or a conflicted outpost: from the famine of Biafra to his 1972 film of Vietnamese women and children on Route 1 immediately after a US napalm attack etched an enduring image of the horrors of war that went all the way to the White House. According to Mike Nicholson, he perfected his art from the ground-up, joining ITN from school and when not recording action in El Salvador or Eritrea could be found on his racing bike... an energetic perfectionist.
global news-gathering resumé and, like many
of his travels, was a source of great curiosity.
When Bahrain secured the first F1 race in the
Middle East the opportunity to walk in the same
footsteps was too good to miss. We established
contact with HE Shaikh Mohammed
added to the shortlist for the FIA grade 1 venue
being built in the middle of the Island.
After an intensive seven-way pitch Interstate's
'Arabesque' concept of tradition, modernised was
selected to represent Bahrain International Circuit.
The experience was a fantastic mixture of cultural
immersion and learnings and professional
achievements. In 2004 Bahrain won Formula
One's coveted 'Best Promotor' award and we
continued to help the best Bahraini businesses
develop their brand communications. We are
most proud of our work in Bahrain. ND/09
Dad was Alan Downes, a founder member of ITN in 1955 and for 32 years one of its most distinguished 'hard-news' cameramen. He shot some of the most influential and revealing film footage of the modern era. In the 60s, 70s and 80s he was frequently embedded in a troubled city or a conflicted outpost: from the famine of Biafra to his 1972 film of Vietnamese women and children on Route 1 immediately after a US napalm attack etched an enduring image of the horrors of war that went all the way to the White House. According to Mike Nicholson, he perfected his art from the ground-up, joining ITN from school and when not recording action in El Salvador or Eritrea could be found on his racing bike... an energetic perfectionist.
