Category: News

Every great story needs the right setting. For Eighty3 Design, that setting has a name.

We’re thrilled to introduce The Warehouse Brierley Hill, our exciting new home and the space we’ve been pouring our hearts into. This isn’t just somewhere we come to work. It’s a place we’ve thought carefully about, designed with intention, and built to reflect everything Eighty3 stands for. From the colour palette to the typography and patterns woven throughout, every detail has been considered. Because where you create matters just as much as what you create.

Our vision for this space goes well beyond a studio. We want The Warehouse to be a genuine creative hub for the community. Somewhere ideas are sparked, collaborations begin, and people feel genuinely welcome. We’re rooted in the heart of the Black Country, and that community spirit runs through everything we do. This space is our way of putting that front and centre.

None of this would have happened without the Eighty3 family. Every single person who rolled their sleeves up, got stuck in, and helped us make this move a reality deserves a proper thank you. One month in and it already feels like home. That’s entirely down to the brilliant people around us.

If you haven’t visited yet, consider this your invitation. We mean it when we say our doors are always open. Whether you fancy a look around, a brew and a chat, or you’re ready to start a new project with an agency that genuinely cares, we’d love to welcome you. Come and find us. We’re not going anywhere.

Eighty3 Design has a new face in the studio, and this one comes with a bit of a head start. Elijah Cottingham has joined the team as a junior creative, taking on a part-time role focused on marketing and content creation. He also happens to be the eldest son of directors Dan and Rebecca, so it’s fair to say he already knows where the biscuits are kept.

Bringing fresh eyes and genuine enthusiasm to the role, Elijah is stepping into agency life with the kind of energy that makes a real difference. Content creation and marketing are areas where creativity counts for everything, and we’re excited to see how his perspective shapes the work we produce for our clients.

There’s something special about welcoming someone into the business who has grown up around it. Elijah has watched Eighty3 grow from the inside, and now he gets to be part of what it becomes. That combination of personal investment and fresh thinking is a proper asset, and we’re looking forward to seeing him find his feet and make his mark.

So if you spot a new name on our content, or notice a bit of extra spark in our social posts, that’ll be Elijah. Welcome to the team, lad. Let’s get to work.

The Wolverhampton Wanderers Foundation Shoebox Appeal is one of those things that reminds you what the festive season is really about. Not the mince pies or the tinsel. The people. And this Christmas, we were absolutely made up to play our small part in it.

Over the past month or so, the team here at Eighty3 have been pulling together bits and pieces to fill as many shoeboxes as we could. Toys, treats, little gifts. The kind of things that might seem small to us but mean the world to a child waking up on Christmas morning. On Saturday 19th December, we dropped off fourteen bags in total at the collection point. Fourteen bags. Fourteen kids aged between 0 and 16 somewhere in our community who will have a gift this Christmas because of the generosity of some brilliant people.

We are genuinely proud to be based in the Black Country. It is a place with proper heart, and initiatives like the Wolverhampton Wanderers Foundation Shoebox Appeal show exactly why. The Foundation does incredible work in the local community throughout the year, and the Shoebox Appeal is one of the most straightforward and powerful ways to get involved. You collect some bits, you drop them off, and somewhere down the line a young face lights up. Simple as that.

A huge thank you to everyone who donated to our collection. You know who you are, and you are ace. And an equally big thank you to the Wolverhampton Wanderers Foundation for organising something so genuinely wonderful. We will absolutely be back next year.

We’ve officially entered the world of competitive duck racing. Beardy Duck, Eighty3’s very own rubber contender, has been dropped off at Mary Stevens Hospice ahead of his big debut at the Black Country Duck Race this Sunday 9th July at The Waterfront, Brierley Hill.
Yes, really.

As a proud Brierley Hill business, supporting local causes matters to us. Mary Stevens Hospice does incredible work for people across the Black Country, and the annual duck race is one of their most beloved fundraising events. When the chance came up to sponsor a duck and get involved, it felt like a no-brainer. We named him Beardy Duck. We have no regrets.

Hundreds of rubber ducks will be taking to the water this Sunday, all racing in the name of a genuinely brilliant cause. Beardy Duck will be among them, and we’ll be there on the bank cheering him on. Whether he glides gracefully to victory or gets overtaken by a duck with better aerodynamics, we’ll be proud of him either way.

If you’re local, come on down to The Waterfront and join in the fun. It’s a proper Black Country day out for a cause that deserves every bit of support it gets. And if you spot a duck with a beard, that’s our lad.
Good luck, Beardy Duck. Don’t let us down.

There’s a fresh face at The Warehouse, and we’re proper made up about it.

Beth is a Media and Communication student at Birmingham City University, and she’s joining the Eighty3 team for ten weeks as part of her work experience placement. She’ll be getting stuck in with our marketing team, picking up real-world skills across a range of live projects, and getting a feel for what agency life is actually like. Spoiler: it’s a lot more fun than assignment deadlines.

When we asked Beth what she was most looking forward to, she put it brilliantly: “I’m really looking forward to actually getting some work experience in a business environment and seeing what it’s like working on different projects as part of a team, rather than just working on assignments by myself.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. There’s a big difference between studying the theory and doing the thing for real, and this placement is exactly the kind of hands-on experience that makes a difference when you’re starting out.

At Eighty3, we’ve always believed in giving talented people the chance to learn and grow within a proper working environment. We know how valuable it is to get in amongst real briefs, real clients, and real deadlines early on. Beth brings fresh energy and a genuine enthusiasm that we think is going to be a brilliant addition to the team over the coming weeks.

So, Brierley Hill, say hello to Beth. We’re delighted to have her with us, and we can’t wait to see what she gets out of her time here. Watch this space.

There are moments in agency life that go well beyond briefs, deadlines, and design work. This is one of them.
Our designer Emily Smith recently completed a five-day mental health first aid training course with the wonderful Wendy Garrett of Garrett Learning. The course, accredited by MHFA England, covered some genuinely tough subject matter. Important stuff, though. The kind of knowledge that can make a real difference to the people around you.

Emily put herself forward for the training off her own back, which tells you everything you need to know about her. She’s one of those people who genuinely cares. She brings a warmth and a level of maturity to the Eighty3 studio that, frankly, we’d be lost without. Our vision statement is “To create opportunities that fulfil potential” and when Emily showed an interest in taking this on, it felt like exactly that kind of moment. She was the right person at the right time, and we couldn’t be more proud of her for seeing it through.

Wendy Garrett, who led the course, had this to say: “She was a wonderful delegate. I hope she has taken away a lot from the course.” High praise from someone who really knows her stuff.
Mental health matters. It matters in life, and it matters in the workplace. Having someone in the team with this level of knowledge and this much genuine compassion is something we don’t take lightly. Taking care of the Eighty3 family is something Rebecca and the team feel strongly about, and knowing Emily is here with the skills to support that means a great deal.

We’d recommend MHFA England’s mental health first aid training to any business, no matter the size. It’s practical, it’s powerful, and in the right hands, it’s transformative.
Our mantra is Positivity Through Creativity. But the office mantra right now? Be More Smithy. Well done, Emily. We’re dead proud of you.

Exhibiting at events is one of those things that sounds straightforward until you’re standing in a conference hall surrounded by pull-up banners and wondering if you’ve brought enough business cards. When Eighty3 Design headed to the Entrepreneurs Circle Getting and Keeping Customers Convention, we decided to do things a bit differently. And honestly? It paid off.

Rather than setting up a standard stand and hoping people would wander over, we created an experience. A colouring wall. An interactive game with a leaderboard that had people genuinely competitive about their fastest times. Lucky cats. The kind of stand that makes people stop, smile, and most importantly, remember you. In business, being the company people actually recall when they get back to their desks is worth more than any stack of leaflets.

The response was brilliant. People weren’t just stopping for a chat, they were coming back. Asking where they could access the game again. Telling their colleagues about the colouring wall. We walked away with a long list of new contacts, some great conversations, and a few hard-won lessons we’ll be carrying into every exhibition we do from here on.

Give your team members ownership of something and they will always surprise you. Be yourself and stand out in your market. Keep smiling, because positive things genuinely do happen. Always have a roll of gaffer tape handy because there will be technical gremlins. It is extremely difficult to eat lasagne with just a fork. And people absolutely love a lucky cat.

The Entrepreneurs Circle convention reminded us why getting out from behind the studio and in front of people matters. It is loud, it is busy, and it is a brilliant opportunity to show the world who you are. We showed up as ourselves, had a proper good time, and came home knowing it was worth every minute of the drive.

We did it. Four million steps completed. Over £750 raised for Buses4Homeless. And a whole lot of sore legs around Brierley Hill this week after our charity step challenge.

A few months back, we pledged to walk four million steps as a company to raise money for the incredible work Buses4Homeless does supporting people experiencing homelessness. Four million sounded ambitious at the time. Achievable, but ambitious. Turns out, when you get a team of designers committed to a cause they actually care about, those steps add up faster than you’d think. Lunch breaks turned into walking meetings. Evening strolls became competitive. Someone definitely started taking the longest possible route to the kettle. Whatever works.

The halfway point came quicker than expected. One million steps down, three million to go, and we were buzzing. But it’s that final push that tests you. The novelty wears off. Your knees start complaining. The weather stops cooperating. But here’s the thing about doing something for a cause that genuinely matters: you keep going. Because Buses4Homeless doesn’t get to clock off when it rains or when motivation dips. They show up every single day for people who need support, and the least we could do is keep walking.

Buses4Homeless does remarkable work converting double-decker buses into safe, warm spaces for people experiencing homelessness. They provide shelter, hot meals, support services, and dignity to people who desperately need all of those things. Every step we walked, every pound raised, it goes directly toward keeping those services running. That’s what kept us lacing up our trainers even when we really didn’t fancy it.

The charity step challenge reminded us what we’re capable of when we work together toward something bigger than ourselves. This wasn’t about individual achievement. It was about the whole team pulling together, cheering each other on, celebrating milestones, and staying focused on why we started in the first place. That’s the kind of teamwork that makes Eighty3 what it is. Not just in fundraising challenges, but in everything we do.

Over £750 raised might not sound like a fortune, but for a charity like Buses4Homeless, every single pound makes a tangible difference. Hot meals served. Shelter provided. Support delivered. Real impact for real people. We’re incredibly proud to have contributed to that, and genuinely humbled by everyone who donated, shared our fundraising page, or sent encouragement along the way. You lot are brilliant.

If you’d still like to donate, the link is in our bio. Every contribution helps Buses4Homeless continue their vital work supporting people across the region. And if you’re thinking about taking on a charity step challenge yourself, do it. Your legs will hurt, but your heart will be full. Worth it every single time.

We’re absolutely made up to introduce our new designer, Emily Smith, as the latest full-time member of the Eighty3 team here in Brierley Hill.

Emily is no stranger to us. She’d already been working with Eighty3 in a freelance capacity before Christmas, quietly getting stuck in and proving exactly what she’s made of. So when it came to the interview process, it was no surprise that she sailed through with flying colours. Some things are just meant to be.

What really speaks volumes is the fact that Emily didn’t wait around to make her mark. Before her first official day had even arrived, she’d already contributed live work for some of our brilliant clients, including EVBI Projects. That’s the kind of attitude we love around here. No fuss, no fanfare, just proper, quality work delivered with care.

At Eighty3, we’re a small but mighty team based at The Warehouse in the heart of the Black Country, and every new addition matters. Emily brings fresh energy, real talent, and the kind of enthusiasm that makes the whole agency better. We’re proud of what we’ve built and even prouder of the people who help us build it.

2021 is looking bright. There are challenges ahead, no doubt, but with Emily now officially on board, we’re more than ready to face them head-on. Welcome to the team, Emily. You’ve already earned your place.