Several is a small Branding and Design agency with a full-package offering. The core team met whilst studying at Hyper Island where they boldly carved out their own career opportunity. Today, Several elevates brands into the deeply intertwining world of physical and digital. In this two-part blog series, we find out how evolving innovations are changing the game for client collaborations, how the team is building an inspirational culture, and first-hand tips on how to start an agency.
Building a strong identity
“The definition of Several really sums us up nicely,” states Nils Andersson Bunge, founding partner of Several. “’More than two but not many’. We’re all about close and true collaboration among several creatives and with several clients. And yes, our Spotify playlist name is ‘Several songs.’”
Clients of Several have the opportunity to access a team of designers and communication specialists all firmly on the same page when it comes to the branding offering: to build a strong identity based on the company’s core using a solid design process.
This is where Several’s ‘design as a service’ solution becomes a great way to kick off the process. Clients can choose flexible time options at a fixed rate, with any unused hours able to be saved for the upcoming month.
The team met at Hyper Island when they were students of the Digital Creative program. It includes Kajsalisa, Johanna, and Nils at the Stockholm office, while Anne and Sanna are based in Copenhagen. Each creative player helps makes Several’s ecosystem excel at handling creative processes and production with technical expertise, strategic insight, and visual finesse.
Real-time collaboration
So, what makes Several stand out? Evolving innovation according to Nils, a former pro ice hockey player who reached the highest honour of representing Sweden’s national team, but whose career was cruelly cut short by concussion.
“We’ve built our agency and its processes around this evolution. We don’t like waiting days for feedback on a PDF. Our approach encourages real-time collaboration among designers, strategists, and clients, creating a sense of shared ownership in our projects.”
A perfect example of this was the Cervera Gift Card project. “Working on the same file in real time, one team member created an updated visual identity, another created a user flow and sketched up the required frames and what they needed to contain, and a third built all the frames and prototyped them.” With a tight deadline, it was all hands on deck to build from all angles at all times.
The result? Check it out for yourself here. The learning? Nils explains: “The true learning was that even though there is a UX-expert doing the UX, the visual-person and the technical person often have a lot to bring to the table in the other person’s field. Instead of sitting in silos, only using the competence of the individual, we instead used the collective intelligence to make the end result even better.”
Design as a shared passion
Nils refers to the quote, “People support what they help create”, said by an industry leader during his days as a Digital Creative student at Hyper Island. “It’s the North Star of what we do here. It guides how we work right down to the specifics. We want our collaborators to feel like a crucial part of the team and/or a project. They need to feel empowered to know they can make a difference.”
Nils describes what led the individuals of Several’s team to Hyper Island: “Design was the passion we all felt but hadn’t fully embraced. To achieve this, we each became drawn to Hyper Island.”
A self-made career opportunity
We understand that stepping into Hyper Island can bring a mixture of excitement and nerves for the experiences that lie ahead. Nils summarises his time at Hyper Island by comparing his expectations prior to entering the Island versus his reflections post-graduation: “I walked in anticipating codes and lessons in Adobe and left with a better understanding of people,” says Nils.
As part of the course, students are offered the opportunity of a 30-week internship. But the future major players at Several spotted another opportunity: to set up their own agency whilst studying. “Hyper handed us real challenges, but in a ‘still-learning’ environment, which we took to heart.”
Nils recalls taking the alternative route of not pursuing an internship as being scary, but also as a moment to be fully embraced. “I figured that the worst-case scenario was that I might be six months behind my classmates, but at the same time, I would have had the experience of starting an agency. It was a risk worth taking,” he explains.
The internship eventually served as our trial run, and Nils and his classmates were able to gain some traction. “We saw it as a sign to push forward after graduation,” he says.
Tips for starting an agency
Thinking of building an agency from the ground up? Then seek advice from those who have been there and done it. Here are top tips from Nils, Kajsalisa and Johanna from Several’s Stockholm contingent:
– Trust yourself but stay humble. Confidence is knowing you’ll learn, not knowing it all.
– Seek variety in your colleagues. Diversity can always help spark creativity. But make sure you all have the same core values and goals.
– Take small initiatives all the time. That will put you where luck can find you.
Reflecting on their words, Nils adds:
The story continues
If you found this blog insightful, stay tuned, because we’ve got more to come from Several. The next instalment will cover culture. We’ll find out the differences between the pro ice hockey culture and Hyper Island’s culture, and find out how Nils used those learnings to create the culture at the brand and design agency during the next chapter in his learning journey.
