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Joe Weir and Mark Williams of That Thing on Refreshing the Abbey Road Studios Brand
Plus: The welcome resurgence of physical formats and more live events in music
April 1, 2026
12:00 am
6 min read
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Joe Weir and Mark Williams | Photo illustration by Gautami Upadhyay
Joe and Mark are cofounders of That Thing, a London-based brand studio. They recently led the rebrand of Abbey Road Studios, shaping the identity of one of the most culturally significant studios in music history.
We spent two minutes with Joe and Mark to learn more about their backgrounds, their creative inspirations and recent work they’ve admired.
Joe and Mark, tell us …
Where you grew up, and where you live now.
- Joe: I grew up just north of London, studied in Brighton and Cornwall and now live in South East London.
- Mark: I spent my childhood and teens just outside of Manchester. Moved to London when I was 20 and never looked back. I had stints living and working in Sydney and Mumbai along the way. Now I live just outside of London.
Your earliest musical memory.
- Joe: My dad playing me Level 42 and Tears for Fears in the car at full volume. Then later, playing Tupac and telling me strictly ‘to listen to the music, not the lyrics. ‘
- Mark: Similar to Joe, Songs From The Big Chair was on repeat. Along with Genesis, Cream and Duran Duran. But Mum and Dad taking me to see Michael Jackson‘s Dangerous World Tour at Wembley in 1992 when I was seven is the most vivid.
Your favorite bands/musicians today.
- Joe: I’ve been enjoying Dry Cleaning‘s latest record. I still find myself constantly coming back to Tom Waits and hearing his music in different ways.
- Mark: My Spotify Wrapped said Fred Again, Jacob Collier, Brian Eno and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. I’ve also been enjoying a lot of Al Kooper recently.
One of your favorite projects you’ve ever worked on.
- Joe: Bemyfriends is a consultancy from experts in the world of K-Pop fandom. On paper they were a B2B company but we wanted to make sure that they had a brand that felt just as crafted and distinctive as any consumer or entertainment brand. It was great to take all that expertise and turn it into a brand that embodied helping creators to look at what they do and ‘make more of it.’
- Mark: Before we started working in the music world, we worked with all kinds of businesses. A finance businesses asked us for help with their brand. At first it seemed like it was going to be a dry project, but we’re big believers that business doesn’t need to mean boring. We ended up giving them a brand built around an animated Galapagos Tortoise—the ultimate symbol of long term!
A recent project you’re proud of.
- Joe: We’ve just created the new brand for Lone Wolves Club. A community of creative doers in the music industry. It was founded out of disruption and adversity, but has slowly become a force for change. The new brand will really help them to keep exploring new territories.
- Mark: We recently had the opportunity to refresh the brand for Abbey Road Studios. We worked with them to create a brand than helped them reach new audiences, show that they were still a real force in music making and do justice to all the incredible things that they were doing week in week out.
One thing about how the music world is evolving that you’re excited about.
- Joe: It feels like the industry is at a crucial point in the face of big technological change. But what’s coming through is how much audiences crave and value human connection. That’s something that’s never going away. Our feeling is that ‘brand’—the way you speak to people and how you show up—is one of the most powerful tools that organizations have to make that connection.
- Mark: The resurgence of physical formats and more live events. Music has become more passive in many people’s lives and streaming has totally flattened the whole experience. I’m excited there’s a chance of bringing the joy of discovery back and feel music on a deeper level.
Someone else’s work that you admire in music or beyond.
- Joe: Brat was one of the most powerful branding moments of the last few years. It showed how building a visual and verbal brand is something that can be hugely powerful for artists as well as organizations.
- Mark: The BBC identity for the Winter Olympics. It has such a lovely energy and warmth. The humanity that goes into the process of making something shows in the output of the work.
A book, movie or TV show you recently found inspiring.
- Joe: Book: I recently enjoyed Seascraper by Benjamin Wood. There’s some lovely writing in there about the magic of creating even just one original song.
- Mark: TV: Loved watching Pluribus. Big Vince fan for the camera work and sound design. It’s such a stand-out way to get people thinking about big themes like the impact of AI and what it means to be human. The world-building is brilliant.
An artist you admire outside the world of music.
- Joe: David Chase. Great art is different every time you encounter it. It stays permanent but makes you reflect on how you have changed. I’ve rewatched The Sopranos many times in my life and take away something different from it at each life stage. I can’t imagine the focus and clarity of a vision that he must have had to create that work and steer that ship.
- Mark: I appreciate artists who use light in interesting ways. Olafur Eliasson, James Turrell, Anthony McCall. It’s amazing to be able to create space and change its perceptions with something you can’t even touch.
Your favorite fictional character.
- Joe: Father Jack Hackett
- Mark: Richard Parker from Life of Pi
Someone worth following on social media.
- Joe: I love James Marriott‘s posts and newsletters.
- Mark: Mr. Bingo. So long as you’re not easily offended.
Your main strength as a marketer/creative.
- Joe: Taking big complex things and turning them into something clear and memorable.
- Mark: Helping people to feel comfortable in the often uncomfortable ‘play’ stage of a project.
Your biggest weakness.
- Joe: Visual beauty. That’s what Mark is for.
- Mark: The placement of apostrophe’s. It’s one weakness anyway.
What you’d be doing if you weren’t in the business of building brands.
Joe: Probably trying (and failing) to be a scriptwriter for TV. Or mowing the lawn in parks, I’d love to ride one of those things all day.
Mark: Writing and producing music (badly) and hounding Joe daily to finish the lyrics—while working the bar at TGI Fridays.
2 Minutes With is our regular interview series where we chat with creatives about their backgrounds, creative inspirations, work they admire and more. For more about 2 Minutes With, or to be considered for the series, please get in touch.
