Blacksheep

This week on the describer, we bring you the profile of one of the most extraordinary design studios, specializing in food and beverage, the London based studio Blacksheep.
In the words of Tim Mutton, the founder of Blacksheep, we bring you a special insight on their work and approach.

— Office —

More of a drawer and a dreamer, I didn’t do well academically and felt unable to toe the conventional line of learning and retaining facts. I fell out of school and into restaurant and bar work, which would eventually lead me to what I consider my true place in the world of art of design. I came to London to study interior design, and from there I went on to work with leading design practices.

In September 2002, largely out of angst and frustration with the design industry, I sold my pride and joy - a black Audio 80 Quattro - and with the money bought two PCs and an analogue phone, setting up my agency Blacksheep.
I’d felt shackled by repetitive stylistic design practices and processes that weren’t in my opinion, making a measurable impact on clients and I was driven by a passion to make it better. In doing so, I went against the grain, like a black sheep in an industry that I thought had become complacent.

My vision for Blacksheep from day one, has been to establish an agency that harnesses the power of creative freedom, allowing our team of designers to take more powerful design routes and responsibilities, dynamically changing businesses, brands and people from within.
Over time we have triumphed, fallen and been imitated, but all the while endeavoring to offer a total specialist F&B, experiential, collaborative approach.

— Approach —

A Blacksheep project is about positive change, it is about being able to take unique insight and intelligence to align a total design vision with a commercial strategy that will improve people’s lives. Even 15 years on, we are still driven by the next unforeseen challenge.
Our entire approach to a project is tailored to our client partners’ needs and everything we create is bespoke - we don’t follow trends or fashion and refuse to repeat.

We put our partners and their people first, adopting a humble and authentic approach in our dealings with them from the start. We dive into every client project to find the hidden insight, stories and intelligence that will surprise and delight the people we work with and to help them realise their dreams. This can lead us up mountains, camping in deserts, mining underground and embracing extraordinary experiences that will inspire our design work.

— Start —

We approach every project with fresh eyes. We refuse to repeat things even if for the same brand; it is unnatural to us. Its about continued innovation and adaption.
Our design is influenced by the people and the experiences we encounter as we develop a project and as such, every design is different.
Sometimes the process is natural and enjoyable and other times it causes us difficulty and pain, but to do your best work and realise the best design you must deal with all the challenges along the way.
The one thing we have come to realise and appreciate is that the design process is unpredictable and spontaneous, and what really matters is the design journey you undertake with your client partners.

— Clients —

Our partners are always regarded as more important than we are. They are as critical to us as the air we breathe, and we are reliant on their input to help us achieve the right result.
We work hard to ensure our clients feel like partners on the projects we deliver. We are not the food and beverage owners or operators, and so must ensure that our clients play an important part in the design and creation process so that they can then project that energy and passion onto their guests in the most authentic, natural and confident way.

Our partners have contributed in some way to every single piece of work we have delivered and in some cases, have helped us to create that Eureka! moment that changes everything.
At the end of the day, they know their businesses and their people better than we do.

—London —

Our studio is based in London which is fortunate from a global perspective, meaning that we can be in New York or Dubai in six hours, Hong Kong in 12 hours, if we need to, which is often as our international projects take us everywhere.
At Blacksheep, we have a truly international mindset and a studio comprised of more than 15 different nationalities, so everything we do is viewed through these multi-cultural lenses.
We are also creative nomads who feel technology allows us greater freedom more than fixed global studio assets.

The city of London is constantly changing and evolving, and is one of the most dynamic centres for creative minds from a music, digital, print, film and of course, from a food and drink perspective, which we are always immersed in. These influences mean we don’t consider ourselves as a typical interior / architecture studio, but as more of a creative collective of minds, so who knows what the wider industry thinks of us?!

— Material —

Our material choices are driven by what's right for the individual projects being worked on. Our priority is creating the right form of tailored experience, and always being practical to ensure a long-lasting approach is delivered that maximise on our client’s investment.

— Influences —

The major influences on our work are the people we meet and work with.
We go to great lengths to ensure that we add value to our clients lives. The design journey we will go on together will generate laughter, smiles, tears and joy, often unease and sometimes even conflict, but will ultimately always surprise and delight our clients.