About us
Ah, the early 90s… great times. It’s when The Surgery took its first breath as the child of three ambitious design and digital lads from London; ‘PC’ Paul Cohen, Nick Cordell and Robin Nicholl.
Zoom forward to 2015, and The Surgery expanded to bring IC consultancy into the business driven by client need.
We’ve grown up since then and moved to the country, a fabulous, converted barn space in West Sussex. We’re an agency with a difference. Okay, hold on, you’ve heard that line a billion times, right? But you see, the thing is, we really are an agency with a difference.
Let us show you what we mean
Our eclectic bunch of ‘Surgeons’ (all 20 of us) really do care about each other, the work we do and our clients. We’re a proper blend of wise heads and the next new best things. Decades of experience all mixed up with people who know their way around a TikTok.
It’s a blend that works
Our clients come back to us not just because we’re award winners in design, digital and internal communications, although that does rather help. It’s mostly because of that blend thing. It means we can provide design, copywriting, content services, internal communications strategy and campaigns alongside unique behavioural and psychology expertise, all under one big old barn roof.
We understand our clients’ why
We’ll audit, research, research and then do more research so we understand the challenge and create the best solution. We look at everything through our ANTI-BORING (trademark pending) lens. It helps to make the complex simple, meaning you get to engage with your audience at a real, authentic, people-to-people level.
Talking of people
We love seeing our people grow, develop and learn. We give them space and encouragement to try stuff out, to go for it and then learn from it. We celebrate the small stuff, the birthdays, the anniversaries, the life stuff. It’s all about that work-life balance. We might work from the barn or remotely from our homes, cafes, and even campervans. But we always make sure we get together, too. Because we have fun, our clients tend to as well.
We’re totally committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion and eliminating discrimination. Not just because it’s our legal duty but because it’s the right thing to do. Our social impact and the footprint on the environment we leave behind us matter, too. We work locally with community groups and help global brands and charities do some good around the world.
So… let’s kick boredom up its boring old backside, and let’s create something beautiful together!
Our mission
We want to create a world where boring is banned… forever!
Why we do what we do
Because we love engaging people through creative solutions that tackle real-life challenges.
What we do
We banish boring through killer IC campaigns, empowering EVP and employer brands, daring design and dynamite digital solutions.
How we do it
By making the complex simple.
Barn to Boardroom is back and better than ever!
Our 10th-anniversary event (where did that time go?) on 3 July 2025 will be extra special with an exciting twist to our usual agenda.
This year, we’re inviting senior leaders to join us so you can hear firsthand what they need from internal communications, their comms challenges and issues, and how you, as an IC, HR, or Employer brand specialist, can help solve them.
To really explore the topic, delegates at B2B10 Leaders Unplugged will have the chance to team up with like-minded peers and colleagues to create a live, on-the-go big idea to smash the challenges the panel of senior leaders have proposed.
Of course, all the bits you know and love from Barn to Boardroom will still be on offer.
That means plenty of time to collaborate, learn, network, and catch up with the latest news and trends in internal communications (over street-style food and a glass of fizz, too!).
We get so many brilliant reviews each year, which is probably why tickets go so quickly!
To book yours today and save £100 with our early bird offer, head to the link in our bio.
We can’t wait to see you there!
#barntoboardroom #internalcommunications #employeeengagement #leadercomms
Poor mental health can affect all us at any time of year and for a host of different reasons. So, this #BlueMonday we decided to ditch the blue and go all out colourful! It brought a bit of fun to the day and by sticking the picture up in our kitchen it will act as a reminder for us all to take care of our mental health 365 days a year!
For the record, Caian won the prize with their bright and colourful hat!
We love working with the CAA and were excited when they asked us to refresh their Safety Sense leaflets with a modern, clean look and clearer content for GA pilots. We developed a consistent design across the series, using bold colours and engaging graphics, with each leaflet rotating through 26 unique colours.
One of the highlights was the Aerobatics Safety Sense Leaflet, a favourite project for our designer, Sam. “I loved working on this leaflet. It was exciting to visually explain such a technical topic and create illustrations that really brought the content to life,” Sam said.
The collaboration with the CAA paid off—higher download rates and great feedback from the GA community!
Goodbye 2024, hello 2025! We had a great boring busting month in December… here’s a few highlights!
📋 After three calls, one storyboard and 20 emails all it took was a 30 minute meeting in person to crack a tricky brief
🤖 Our designers magicked up a cool new brand logo for a Sci-Fi book saga (it was a really difficult job for the client to choose their favourite!)
🎷 Organised a client’s Christmas party, complete with a roaming band that everyone loved
💪 We nailed a new IC strategy with a brilliant workshop for a new client
🏆 Created a whole new bespoke safety award trophy
🎥 Delivered a new PowerPoint animation in just three days (phew!)
🎄 All while having lots of Christmas fun and games too!
So, thank you 2024. You were awesome. Now we’re ready to tackle 2025 so hit us up with your projects and let’s get boring banned for good!
#DecemberWrapped #GraphicDesign #InternalComms #DigitalAgency
Yesterday, we wrapped up the year in style at our Christmas Party!🎄✨
The team came together to eat, drink, and battle it out in our annual Christmas curling competition 🥌. Plenty of laughs (and a bit of healthy competition!) to see off 2024.
Wishing you all a magical festive break, and we can’t wait to work with you in 2025.
Merry Christmas from the Surgeons ❤️🎄
We are wrapping up the year with a bang at our Christmas party today! 🎄🎉
A huge Merry Christmas to all our amazing clients, partners, friends of the Surgery, and the incredible Surgeons. We’re so grateful for your support this year and hope you enjoy a well-deserved festive break with your loved ones.
Enjoy this festive minimation by our talented animator Luke – fingers crossed Santa avoids any fireplace mishaps and delivers all his gifts on time! 🎁🔥
Wishing you all a joyful and restful holiday season! ❤️🎄
#MerryChristmas #FestiveSeason #ChristmasParty #MotionGraphics
Big shoutout to our amazing designer, Beth, who turned into our very own festive elf this December! 🎄✨
From bauble decorating to holiday movies, nail painting, and Christmas charcuterie, she filled our days with cheer and creativity.
Beth, you’ve truly sprinkled magic over our office and made this December unforgettable. Thank you for being our Christmas fairy! 🌟🎁
