Leo Burnett UK Launches Design Studio POPDesign

Leo Burnett has evolved its design department to become POPDesign, a studio that will operate its own business proposition, strategy and open its doors to its own clients.

Led by David Allen, creative director of design, POPDesign will continue to work with Leo Burnett’s fabric of the UK clients including McDonald’s, TUI, Morrisons, Škoda, as well as attracting new design briefs from prospective clients. 

POPDesign will harness the agency’s strategic firepower to deliver distinctive assets for clients, providing the consistency and flexibility they need to pop at scale across all channels and platforms. POPDesign’s mission is to tap into popular culture and create work that connects with the widest audience. 

The studio consists of 20 conceptual designers with expertise in social, branding, packaging, illustration and animation.

As well as creating brand worlds for clients such as Morrisons and TUI over the past year, POPDesign has been working with McDonald’s, Skoda and Morrisons to create social content.

POPDesign will continue to be based in Leo Burnett’s office in Chancery Lane.

Carly Avener, CEO at Leo Burnett, said, “Since Dave joined us two years ago, our design department has doubled in size: growing from just eight designers to 20. The department has pivoted to have a refined focus on social, digital and motion. Dave has helped supercharge our organic growth: most recently through extending our scope with Skoda and winning its social business. Now is the perfect time for us to launch POPDesign, allowing the studio to open its doors to clients of its own and continue growing.”

David Allen, creative director of design at Leo Burnett, said, “We provide populist brands with the tools they need to speak to the widest possible audience: our key aim with POPDesign is to make work that stands out as truly populist and accessible to the mainstream, embracing the challenge of giving brands a unique way to look, without alienating any demographic.”

The launch of POPDesign follows news including the agency recently won the Confused.com creative account and promoted Sam Houlston to Carly Avener’s previous role of managing director.