2 Minutes With … Andy Harvey and Will Williams, Co-Founders of COMMUNION Studio

Andy and Will are co-founders of COMMUNION, a creative studio set up to help brands meet radical change. They work with clients including Italian fashion house Zenga, Rosewood Hotels, the U.K.’s Crafts Council, New Foundation Farms and GSK Next.

Earlier, Andy worked in-house for Burberry’s creative team before stints at agencies forpeople and Moving Brands. Will was previously global head of brand at Hunter, brand director at Fiorucci and creative director at forpeople.

We spent two minutes with Andy and Will to learn more about their backgrounds, creative inspirations and some recent work they’ve admired.

Andy and Will, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now. 

• Andy: I grew up in a small town in Wiltshire. It’s not an exaggeration to call it a cultural wasteland. Since then, I’ve lived in London for 20 years, but recently moved back to Wiltshire. Now I live a mile from Stonehenge, which is surreal.
• Will: I grew up in a small village in Essex on a classic suburban cul-de-sac. I now live in Forest Hill, South London, in a classic London apartment.

How you first realized you were creative. 

• Andy: Like a lot of kids, by drawing record covers and band logos, with no clue what design or typography was. This became a gateway to discovering music, gigs, mix tapes, graffiti, fashion and design.
• Will: Drawing trainers and graffiti as a kid, around age 11.

A person you idolized creatively early on. 

• Andy: The Designers Republic and their offshoots Build and Universal Everything which really interested me after I discovered graphic design. They had their own creative voice, and I didn’t realize how precious it was to have such prominent non-London influences.
• Will: David Carson who started a magazine called Ray Gun. He blew up graphic design and publishing design. I love it when people find a new paradigm. 

A moment from high school or college that changed your life. 

• Andy: Finishing school with options in front of me, I was happy to get away from some small-minded attitudes and explore the world.
• Will: My tutor, who convinced me not to quit and do A-levels and stay on the graphic design course. I might have been an accountant otherwise.

A visual artist or band/musician you admire. 

• Andy: Jeremy Deller. He is subversive and political, yet joyful.
• Will: Joy Division. I still cannot believe what they achieved so young. And the soundscapes and atmospheres they created are extraordinary and timeless yet super modern. And by extension, Tony Wilson, a total legend—RIP.

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring. 

• Andy: The Defiant Ones and The Last Dance on Netflix gripped me recently, as did the book Liberation Through Hearing by Richard Russell. People who follow single minded paths in life fascinate me, especially their dedication to the long-term.
• Will: Mo Gawdat on Diary of a CEO. Such positivity, love and joy. We need more of that in the world.

Your favorite fictional character. 

• Andy: I adore the Japanese Yuru-chara trend for giving places and regions a mascot. Nyango Star is my all-time favorite. An apple that’s been inhabited by the spirit of a dead cat, and he kills it on the drums.
• Will: Nolan-era Batman. He just totally kick ass.

Someone or something worth following in social media. 

• Andy: Besides COMMUNION Studio?  @futureworld.
• Will: @dankartdirectormemes.

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on.

• Andy: I was part of the team that created Burberry Bespoke, a personalization service for trench coats. It was genuine innovation—this was 2011, before mobile shopping was understood, and brands were only just beginning to understand how to engage with Facebook. We created a rich online experience, using technology that had barely been proven, to create a service no other brand had attempted. The site doesn’t exist now, but this WSJ video gives a sense of the ambition.

• Will: The Hunter SS15 Fashion show. It was a collaboration between Alasdhair Willis, myself, Mat Maitland and Gainsbury and Whiting. And I will forever love Mat Maitland for not killing me as a three-minute film eventually became a 10-minute epic.

A recent project you’re proud of.

• Andy: Our collaboration between Zegna x Norda is a highlight. The collab brought together two brands who value innovation and sustainability. We took five athletes to explore the trails of Oasi Zegna, and worked with incredible talent on the film and stills, Achille Mauri and David Gomez Maestre.
• Will: I would say the Zenga AW21 show. It was our first major project, conceived during a lockdown and executed incredibly by the Zenga team. I love it when brave, ambitious things make it to the real world and I would say our “(RE)SET” dolls house set design is certainly an example of that in my view.

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago.

• Andy: The Apple iPod Silhouette series was genius. Simple, joyful, iconic.

• Will: Along with David Carson, I was obsessed with the German typographer Jan Tschichold. Also David James. I used to work in a shared studio with DJA, and seeing him work up close for Prada was very inspiring. Incredible thinking rendered beautifully as campaigns and the most relentless quality control I’ve ever witnessed.

Someone else’s work you admired lately. 

• Andy: I recently had the privilege of watching the founder of Flamingo Estate, Richard Christiansen, give a talk on his journey setting up the brand. Flamingo Estate are building desire around a very thoughtful product ecosystem. The brand also has a hilarious origin story. 
• Will: Alessandro Michele’s Gucci. A unique vision, full of joy and fun. Inclusive and ever changing.

Your main strength as a creative person. 

• Andy: Vision setting and storytelling.
• Will: An open-minded energy and an ability to join the dots intellectually.

Your biggest weakness. 

• Andy: Settling on ideas.
• Will: Admin! 

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

• Andy: Something outdoors and free. Possibly a trail-running, hippie musician living in the Mojave desert on a tiny regenerative farm.
• Will: I would think something creative, maybe in film or architecture. Or a professional cyclist if I had ANY ability!