MullenLowe U.S. has launched a dedicated design studio off the heels of its own Cannes Lion-winning agency rebrand, the agency shared exclusively with Campaign US.

MullenLowe Design Studio will be led by João Paz and Fabio Brigido, the heads of design at MullenLowe East and West, respectively. The studio unites the existing design practices within the agency’s Boston, New York and Los Angeles offices.

Paz and Brigido oversee a team of 20 creatives including graphic designers, motion designers, film editors, illustrators and typographers.

A launch video for the studio was created using a printer in the MullenLowe office, which Brigido noted aims to capture the “hands-on” nature of the agency’s approach to design.

“In the age of AI, going with the lowest of lo-fi ideas is also a statement of the importance that we give to creative thinking and craft,” Paz added. “It’s not just about what’s hot in the technology world, it’s about ideas.”

The launch follows a recent trend of ad agencies opening practices dedicated to design, which Paz and Brigido noted reflects the growing demand for the expertise among clients.

“While design was a really-nice-to-have for a while, it’s not anymore — it’s a must-have,” said Paz. Agencies without a design practice are “starting the game already behind a point,” he added.

Bridigo pointed to media fragmentation and the need for increased speed around creativity required by clients today as two big reasons for the increase in demand for design.

“Today, you need designs to build things systematically so you have a cohesive brand showing up across the board,” he said.

Paz added that MullenLowe Design Studio has the advantage of being part of a creative agency versus a standalone design studio, where “projects may take a long time — up to a year or two years.” Within the ad world, “we can’t afford that,” he said.

“Brands need to react, and the ability to put things together that are well-crafted but in a timely manner is very important,” he added.

The fact that MullenLowe created an award-winning rebrand in-house “speaks to the trust that leadership has in our design capability,” Paz said. “There are other agencies opening design practices, but their brand was not created by them — it was created by a design studio that they hired.”

According to Brigido and Paz, the idea of launching a design studio within MullenLowe U.S. was spurred by their collaboration on leading the global agency rebrand in 2023.

Of the studio launch, Paz said “it was a perfect combination of leadership seeing the importance and vision, and the fact that Fabio and I had already been growing this want to work together and to cross disciplines.”

MullenLowe Design Studio aims to merge traditional advertising and design practices. Paz and Brigido did not come from graphic design backgrounds but started off as art directors.

Paz noted, “We understand the importance of the conceptual work — we come from that side — but passion for the craft is what made us both start leaning more toward design.”