We’re going to get an earful from the style guide police, but let’s go ahead and throw caution to the wind to let you know that two agencies that prefer to use lower-case have some moves afoot.
First, let’s start with design shop frog. Did you know that the agency is 50 years old and was founded in Germany? And that they were responsible for Apple’s design language in the early/mid-1980s? They have opened up a studio in Mexico City, making it 14 offices around the globe.
Further, instead of building it from scratch, frog hired the entire team of designers, strategists and technologists from established design firm 23 Design.
“As a door to the rest of Latin America, our presence in Mexico will allow us to better serve existing clients and make our offerings available to a broader, more diverse set of organizations,” said Andrew Zimmerman, president of frog. “With a rising interest in high-quality design and a growing appreciation for the value it delivers, frog can play a key role in elevating design in Latin America.”
Clients that frog looks to be picking up are the likes of more well-known brands like Nike, Facebook, scads of Mexico-based brands, and a nice chunk of startups.
23 Design’s founder, Luis “Lulo” López, will lead the new effort as creative director and general manager.
“With frog, we’ll be better suited to positively influence private and public organizations and improve the way people experience their everyday lives,” said López. “Our entire team is incredibly excited to bring local expertise to a true leader in the design world—one we’ve admired for so long.”
Meanwhile, another lower-case creative and experiential shop, Portland-based dotdotdash, is opening up shop in New York City.
We’re partial to the robotic popcorn machine the agency created for Amazon Studios. Still, the agency also has some nifty work for The North Face, Adidas and others in the mix, including a launch for the former at Paris Fashion Week.
“We’re poised to do more ground-breaking work, as we continue to shape the evolution of experiential marketing,” said dotdotdash CEO Kyle Bañuelos, perhaps going a little heavy on the ad-speak. “The breadth of mediums and toolsets we use across multiple consumer touchpoints allows us to help brand clients connect with their audience in authentic ways, aligning with customers’ preference of experience-driven, interactive advertising.”
Former Fake Love svp Sam Ewen will take the reins as dotdotdash East managing director. For his part, Ewen has over 20 years working with brands like GE, AT&T, Pfizer, NARS, HBO and others.
“I could not be more thrilled to join the creative minds of dotdotdash,” enthused Ewen. “As an admirer of dotdotdash’s work for the last four years and seeing their growth and dedication to the creative craft, I feel honored that they have put their trust in me to help bring their work to life in a new market.”