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.
A fantastic experiment done by our Creative Director, Nick, for #WorldDesignDay
Nick shared:
It’s International Design Day this Saturday (I`m sure you`re all aware!), and one topic heating up discussions in Design, as in any industry, is the impact of AI. So I did a little experiment: I provided the same design brief to a human and a robot. I prompted several online AI engines using an actual logo brief that Surgery tackled a few years ago. The client was Hawk-eye, a Sony Group company renowned for its ball-tracking technology in Wimbledon and the English Premier League.
On the left is a human`s thought process and visual execution. On the right are a few of the many results received from the robots. I’d like to think the humans won on creativity, but our AI friends sure beat us on speed and price. But we all know the adage: Good, fast, cheap. Any two, but never all three. But I would say that wouldn’t I?
While thinking about Ai, I wondered what Chat GBT would think about it. He/she said: “Human designers can tailor logos to evoke specific emotions, capture brand essence, and resonate with diverse audiences. Their empathy enables them to connect deeply with clients` visions and translate them into visual representations. While AI offers efficiency and automation, it lacks the innate understanding and artistic flair that make human-designed logos truly exceptional.
Good robot!
Next up is designer, Sam Jones.
Usually found…?
"Following Everton FC`s league table progress and having a kickabout."
In design mode…?
"Making use of my in-house and agency side experience to knock up some killer designs."
Discover more about our team of Surgeons and how they could help you via the link in our bio.
#meettheteam #graphicdesign #creativeagency #designer #design
We LOVE working with clients who are trying to make the world a better place. We’re proud to play our part, however small, in helping to drive sustainability by amplifying our clients’ messages to the world. We’re committed to our local communities too (creating a website free of charge for our nearby foodbank is very rewarding!)
If we can help you achieve your goals in whatever area you work in, drop us a line today.
#earthday #sustainability #graphicdesign #designagency
Next up is our Animator, Luke Jones
Partial to…?
"A scotch egg. Reviewing the Great British picnic favourite is my thing."
And when he`s not mid-bite…?
"Creating animated videos and short movies for our clients."
Check out our animation showcase (link in bio) and see if there is anything we can help you with 🎞
#meettheteam #creativeagency #animation #motiongraphics
In a post-pandemic world, virtual work events have become all the rage, but, as with anything in life, there are good bits and bad bits.
Check out our blog on virtual events; the good, the bad and the Wi-Fi woes, via the link in our bio.
#virtualevents #blog #internalcommunications #employeeengagement
Digital Account Manager, Fran O’Maolain, is Surgeon number 15.
Fond of…?
"Sci-fi and fantasy!"
In the digital realm?
"I`ve got a pretty wide knowledge of the cyber landscape and use that to unpick briefs and keep to a tight deadline and budget."
Drop Fran a message or an email if you have a brief you`d like to talk about: fran@ineedsurgery.com
#meettheteam #digitaldevelopment #projectmanagement #employeecomms
We have a little announcement to make!
In a secret squirrel assignment, we nominated our brilliant Internal Comms Director and all-round lovely person Carly Murray for the Internal Communicator of The Year Award at the prestigious Internal Communications and Engagement Awards!
We found out last week she has been deservedly shortlisted. She had no idea we had nominated her until today 😊 We’re very proud of her and all that she does and is. The awards ceremony is scheduled for the summer, so go Carly!
#Internalcommunications #employeeengagment #ICEAwards
Si Andrew, is the Surgery`s Employer Brand and Research expert.
At home…?
"Cooking up a mean plant-based roast, walking the pooch and scaling the climbing wall. Each extra potato makes it harder…"
With his EVP hat on…?
"Helping clients define what makes them special, then supercharging it to attract and retain the very best talent."
Get to know Si and the team better via the link in our bio.
#meettheteam #internalcommunications #employeeengagement #evp #employerbrand
