Abi and Richard Taylor of Brandon Consultants on 20 Years of Collaboration in Work and Life

It's all about empathy and a willingness to listen

Abi and Richard are co-founders of Brandon Consultants.

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

Abi and Richard, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

• Abi: I grew up in the quiet town of Stafford—best known for Alton Towers and pottery—under the watchful eye of my father, a man who was not only a designer of 3D modeling software, but also deeply creative. These days, Rich and I live in the even sleepier (but far more remarkable) village of Mobberley in Cheshire, surrounded by our three beautiful daughters and rescue hound, Winnie. We’ve had our share of adventures and pit stops over the years, including London, Dubai, Leeds, Halifax and Holmes Chapel—yes, the home of Harry Styles.
• Richard: I spent my formative years in the Middle East, where my father was a civil engineer building the infrastructure of Riyadh, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi.

How you first realized you were creative.

• Abi: I would spend hours sketching and assembling outfits for my Barbies. It was less about play and more about creation. Then came my all-consuming love affair with stationery. Highlighters, gel pens, tabbed folders. I didn’t just do homework, I curated it.
• Richard: Growing up in the Middle East and traveling quite a bit, I was exposed to lots of different cultures early on. I was once British Airways’ third most-travelled boy in their kids club. This was in the ’70s and ’80s when hardly anyone from the U.K. traveled far. It opened my eyes to a world of creativity. I was also obsessed with the Porsche Carrera’s typography when I found one of the badges that had fallen off a car at the side of the road. That adorned my bedroom wall for many years. 

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

• Abi: My GCSE design technology project. I imagined a menu for a seaside restaurant, inspired by the sleek elegance of a yacht. I threw myself into it: technical drawings, 3D sketches, whittling wood, painting. My final menu featured three sail-shaped plates mounted on a hand-carved wooden stand. It was the moment I realized what I wanted to do with my life.
• Richard: Going to Newcastle University had the biggest impact on me. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I did what every clueless young lad did at the time: a generalist BA degree in business management. I realized that I had a love for marketing and influencing people’s behavior through art.

Your most important creative inspirations, and some recent stuff you love.

• Abi: There’s a lot to be said for getting outdoors and being inspired by nature. I also feel hugely inspired by the creative team at Brandon; by our clients, who push us to new creative boundaries; and by my kids, with their unadulterated views of the world.
• Richard: The beauty of typography has always been at the heart of why I got into this industry. It’s an art form in itself. In recent months, I’ve enjoyed a return to simplicity for the humble outdoor poster, and the impact it needs to make in a nanosecond. Be that recent campaigns from British Airways, Heinz or McDonald’s. 

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

• Abi: If I think about projects that I still take great joy in seeing around the studio and out in the real world, a few spring to mind.
• Richard: Our work last year with Sneak Energy Drinks on their Soho Sex Shop activation. We fused game play and sex to bring new, none-gaming audiences into the brand.

Someone else’s work you admired lately.

• Abi: The Complete Creative Director by Mick Mahoney, which is a comprehensive but simple manual of advice. This book sets out a list of key qualities you need for this role. Identifying myself in many of them gave me the confidence boost I needed. 
• Richard: Kraft Heinz has been working hard at leveraging the Heinz brand in the U.K. The packaging design, advertising and collaborations are a joy to see.

Your main strength as a creative person.

• Abi: So much of being a good team leader is about empathy. It’s a hugely underrated skill in a creative director. 
• Richard: Many of my peers have called me the most creative suit they know. I’m the bag-carrier in the room who helps the creative and strategy teams land ideas.

Your biggest weakness.

• Abi: A lack of confidence and imposter syndrome.
• Richard: I have little to zero patience and get frustrated by the lack of speed to achieve a goal. And I have no time for anyone who lacks hunger. People who just coast through life and work drive me mad. My parents were both entrepreneurs and gave their all for me—and I am the same. 

A mentor who helped you navigate the industry.

• Abi: Sophie Le Calvez, who was my design director when I worked at Landor. A strong, feisty woman with a quick mind. She also taught me that you can juggle a career in creativity with having a family. 
• Richard: Abi. We met when she was a junior designer and I was a new business manager in the same agency. Since then, we’ve by and large worked at the same agencies before leaving WPP in 2012 to escape London. We started Brandon Consultants as a lifestyle business in the attic of our terraced cottage just outside of Halifax over 13 years ago. And we are only just getting started. 

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

• Richard: My parents ran restaurants and pubs, so I’d probably have ended up in that trade. Although I also played and coached tennis and dreamed of being one of the best. I’d have settled for being one of the best coaches and traveling the world watching tennis.
• Abi: Running my own doggy day-care business.