As a creative agency based in Manchester, we have managed to see first-hand and be a part of this city’s creative growth.
It will come as no surprise, and it’s certainly no secret that we are incredibly proud to call ourselves Mancs. We love this city, and we feel it embraces us just as much too. As a Manchester design agency, we see a lot of things first hand. The creativity of the city’s entrepreneurs and the best marketing campaigns littered around the city. With some, it’s hard to miss.
Those blinding bright pink taxis and buses scattered around the world on behalf of the fast-fashion powerhouse, Pretty Little Thing, originated here. Bespoke pieces of high-end clothing that sell out in the blink of an eye from fan favourite Represent, yup, here too. Vimto, JD, Manchester United, The Cooperative, Manchester City, you guessed it, all Manc and all integral parts of this thriving city.
In this blog, we are looking at the reasons behind the success of the once ‘dirty northern city.’ How has a place that was once in the shadow of the south, risen from the depths to become a globally recognised force in the creative sector?
The companies
We may have touched on it above, but in all honesty, the Mancunian companies who have driven sector growth deserve a section of their own.
It may sound like an obvious statement, but when those around us break the mould, the creative sector is challenged to flourish. The story plays out that in Manchester, not only did the design and creative agencies rise to that challenge, but they pushed it into a whole new stratosphere. Being a Manchester design agency has never been more exciting.
The city is packed full of creative sector award-winning businesses, and that’s not just by chance. Businesses pop up here every day or find their way here on some kind of ‘path to enlightenment’. With companies whose value is more than £1 billion like Boohoo and AO calling Manchester home, it’s hard not to be attracted to this place.
Beyond fashion
When we take a look at the sectors where creativity thrives, it’s hard to look beyond fast fashion. It takes only a couple of minutes to find the vast grasp of Pretty Little Thing & Missguided, whose billboards no longer only belong to Manchester but can be found as far as Dubai. These companies have placed strategy at the forefront of their traditional Mancunian style and approach to become global phenomena and add that little extra sparkle to the city.
If you look back ten years, you’ll see one of the most significant developments in the Manchester creative sector. As the BBC rolled into the capital city of the north, creativity washed over the city like a traditional summer’s rain. They created hundreds of digital-based jobs in the city. With MediaCityUK, Manchester had a stake in the big time… television.
As well as the jobs created, the BBC brought with them countless employees who had an abundance of creative knowledge. There was a new pool of skills to be learnt from within the city. The creative specialists reinforced the talent that was starting to flourish in Manchester and build the next bunch of innovative leaders.
HEX MCR
We have been lucky enough to be involved in some incredibly creative projects with Manchester at their core. Over the past few years, we have helped build the creative offering for brands like HEX MCR, who design high-quality bespoke clothing at affordable prices. A Manchester design agency working with a brand new Manchester brand, it’s the perfect project. To see our work with the brand, head to the link below.
The personality
When it comes to the success of Manchester in almost every field, it boils down to one critical factor. Personality! From the music of Oasis to the success of the football teams, personality is at the core of everything we do.
The worker bee is an appropriate emblem, this city is buzzing with culture and life. No matter what, we will all work through the night to pull something together. But it’s not just the hard work that makes things successful in Manchester, it’s the swagger and panache in the way we do things. Insert Tony Wilson quote, “This is Manchester, we do things differently here.”
Mancunian
Living in Manchester, especially in your younger years, you can become enveloped in creative know-how. Being forced to listen to the yearning lyrics of Morrissey at a family party or taught about how Turing and Pankhurst paved the way for the rest. Creativity is something that’s in your blood without you knowing it.
Being a Manchester design agency, can been challenging at times, but for the most, it’s been a barrel of experiences. The design sector knows very few boundaries in Manchester – with open minds and thought-provoking solutions. We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.
Bang for your buck
The truth is that the success of the creative sector within Manchester is down to a handful of big sectors supporting it. For example, did you know that operating costs in Manchester are around 40% lower than in London? Well, if you didn’t, you do now! So, if your business can hire office or factory space for 40% less than the capital, guess what? You can introduce those savings to your product offering. Meaning that as well as your business benefitting so too do your customers!
Over recent years the amount of office space on offer in Manchester has increased significantly, with many of the spaces up for grabs being over 10,000 square feet. An office of this size is perfect for the rapidly growing digital and design agencies within Manchester.
One agency that has taken the globe by storm and propelled its CEO into celebrity status is Social Chain. Famed for their campaigns with the likes of some of the companies mentioned above as well as: Coca Cola, William Hill, GSK and many more.
Design agency Manchester
As a Manchester design agency, we relish every day at work. This is what we were meant to do, and the pleasure of meeting loads of different people is just part of the joy of it all. If you want to see some more of the jobs we’ve designed, click below.
Learn more, do more
The final piece of the Mancunian jigsaw is that the city is now educating hundreds of young people to join the creative industries. Each year our four leading universities provide gold-standard education to over 100,000 students. With over 5,000 creative sector students being based out of the University of Salford alone, there’s plenty more talent on the way to the sector.
The thriving creative sector, of course, supports the strength of the universities; plenty of our students get the opportunity to work in creative roles. Whether that’s with the BBC or one of the other creative giants at MediaCity or the flourishing city centre business.
The Mancunian production line of talent rolls on, and that’s down in no small part to the success of the universities surrounding us. When it comes to learning something innovative, creative and thought-provoking, we genuinely think there is no better city.
Call to Action: – If you are a recently qualified student and you are looking for jobs within the creative sector, we are always looking for new talent. So, if you want to learn more, send us a message. We can’t wait to hear from you.
Manchester design agency
As the dust settles on another hazy summer day within the city, we prepare ourselves for the challenges of tomorrow with an innate togetherness. We know that nothing is guaranteed, at Create8, we look forward to the new projects that land on our doorstep. The entrepreneurs with all the know-how just waiting for a bit of help and execution. We relish the pressure and projects of tomorrow.
As a Manchester design agency, we genuinely value our roots in this city. Manchester is our home, and we can’t stop talking about it. If anything you have read in this blog interests you. If you want to discuss a project, see how we could help, or even chat about this fantastic city – we’re all ears. Just reach out. Today, tomorrow, whenever.
Stay safe, our kid.
Take a look at some more of our blogs for helpful tips, tricks and advice:
Stockport Business Awards & DEA - Shortlisted • 