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Silverback® is 15 years old (or young, depending on your perspective). Hurrah, huzzah, and a hip, hip hooray for the day, you might say. Ah, shucks, thanks guys.
Following a somewhat silent but celebratory summer, we decided to let folks know how we got here and how the jungle has changed. What’s on the heady horizon of the creative landscape? How exactly does Troopwork® work? And the answer to the burning question that you’ve been asking all this time… what’s the secret to great design?
Wiggle your body, make a funny noise with your mouth, and rewind your mind back by 15 years. The UK officially comes out of recession, bottles of champagne from before the French Revolution were found on the Baltic seabed, and pop superstars One Direction were formed. It’s the year Apple releases the iPad, Instagram launches to the public, and the ‘#’ becomes a staple feature on social media. Perhaps more importantly, as far as we’re selfishly concerned, 2010 marks the year a great gorilla of a creative force is born – enter the Silverback®.
Tales from the Troop
Incidentally, 15 years is the same amount of time it takes for a Silverback gorilla to mature. Which means we’re now old enough and wise enough to know that there is always more to learn. But what have we learnt? Tell me more.
From the latest evolutions in tech to the tools we use to craft and create, staying informed and up to date is as key as a key is to opening a door. And enabling the Troops’ ability to successfully deliver and roll out websites, rebrands, brochures, signage, social assets, and any further creative collateral our clients require is at the heart of what we do.
Through regular learning and discovery sessions, we ensure that our clients stay fresh, relevant, and at the forefront of their sectors – a mindset that has been a mainstay of our time to date but one that has become an important part of any successful project over the years.
But it’s not all about staying cool and down with the kids, far from it. The key takeaway from our time in the mist is relationships. In particular the partnerships that we have cultivated, established, and continue to nurture. The partnerships that flourish because they have the foundations that define any truly successful relationship. Honesty, trust, empathy, mutual respect, communication, support, dependability, and commitment… it’s a Troop thing.
Looking down the mountain
In the wild, once a gorilla has reached maturity, they challenge the convention or leave into the wilds to establish a new troop.
Looking down the mountain at the Silverbacks that have come, gone, and left their trail, a certain pride of place takes place. Members of the Troop who have gone on to lead their own troops, manage projects, and make an impact on their environment. Those who have successfully navigated the forest floor to flourish in the field of creative design and development. We salute you.
By ‘Troop’, we mean our creative workforce here in the Silverback® jungle working in tandem with our clients. When we work with a client, we welcome them to the Troop, and it’s the lessons, learnings, and outcomes that we share together that feed our instinct and nourish our wisdom.
It takes a Troop to raise a brand
The importance of creative collaboration and its effect on success is probably denoted by an elaborate scientific equation. For the sake of brevity, we believe it’s down to teamwork, otherwise known as Troopwork®, that truly raises the profile of a brand.
Did you know that the ideal troop size in the wild is between 8 and 12 gorillas, which is the number of Troopers we have here at the Silverback® jungle? Not too big, where clients might get lost in multiple comms. Not so small that your projects aren’t realised with the necessary collaborative power of people coming together – formulating, strategising, and designing through a shared purpose and passion.
There aren’t the vast overheads like larger agencies might have and no red tape to tear through. It’s flexibility, affordability, and accountability that give the branches of the tree we swing from their strength and agility. And the result? Honest, playful partnerships that work.
It’s through our years of experience on the frontlines of design and brand development that we’ve learnt how to expertly help our partners improve their culture and communications – inside and out.
From market research and work with key stakeholders to internal design and development, our Troop comes together – like all good troops do – to lend a hand in elevating the internal and external profiles of the brands we work with.
The secret to great design
As cheesy as it might sound (and we are well aware that it might honk like camembert in a hot car) – it’s you, the client, and us, Silverback®.
With your knowledge and our expertise, together we make a difference.
It’s creative, collaborative partnerships built on trust that work together to produce truly memorable brands that make an impact on their audience, environment, culture, and community. It’s about growing brands creatively, effectively, authentically, and efficiently.
The aim of the game? Founder and Creative Director Malcolm Gilbertson says it best: “to create a world where trust is unassailable and what we see is true.”
In other words, let brand integrity be your guide. Always. Amen!
…and beyond the horizon?
As we remind ourselves of the past, how have 15 years of Troopwork® shaped us, and how will the Troop navigate the ever-changing, ever-evolving future?
In a world where technology, innovation, and behaviours move at breakneck speed, we’ve observed, learnt, adapted, adopted, and evolved with it. Remaining tall to tell the tale to other aspiring troops.
From new design tools and communication tools to AI becoming a part of the process, it is quite literally a jungle out there. Which suits us. Naturally. It’s this unbridled urge to grow our knowledge base that equips us to ride any lurking storms of uncertainty – always remaining solid when things start to feel a little wavy.
However, the real foundation that underpins and solidifies Silverback®’s position of strength is the instinctive talent for creating compelling brands through powerful, intelligent design. A continuing mission and ambition to become the most trusted creative brand design agency in the land. It’s a Troop thing.
