Bristol, December 10th, 2020

Green Chameleon is a full-service creative agency, standing with almost ten years of tested expertise, crafting memorable brand experiences for a diverse roster of causes.

Whether packaging, branding, web design or video production, the team at Green Chameleon delivers award-winning work that’s built around an approach that’s both creative and strategic.

In an interview with TIA, Nathan Riley, the agency’s co-founder and design director, described the creative culture at the agency and the challenges of attracting and retaining talent.

He highlighted the positive features of working in Bristol, where the agency is based, and gave some advice for new startups trying to take their first steps.

To kick things off please can you describe us a little bit about your city and why is a great place to work?

Bristol often comes runner up to some of bigger cities here in the UK but for me it provides an unmatched combination of city living whilst also being small enough to not feel lost in, not to mention being only a few minutes from the countryside.

With our studio being right in the center of the city, we’re only a short walk from the Harbourside and more importantly; countless independent restaurants, pubs and food stalls.

I’d say the creative scene is pretty strong too and although there aren’t loads of huge agencies here I think the mixture of smaller, more specialized studios is what makes it unique. Organizations such as Glug and WEDF put on talks and events regularly too (pre-covid).

Could you explain to us briefly what’s your role as Design Director at Green Chameleon?

My role here at GC is really varied; it’s a mixture of dealing with clients and new business, overseeing and providing direction on projects (alongside our CD, Tom Anderson) but most importantly to me is that I’m still very hands on and take a design lead role on many projects – I’m very conscious of the fact that there is still so much I want to learn in the way of creative execution so I’m not taking my foot of the pedal any time soon.

We are living the most important pandemic in recent world history, what challenges were you facing before the spread of COVID-19 and how are you dealing with them right now?

We weren’t facing any huge issues before the pandemic, the biggest challenge we had is that we were in the process of a major studio rebrand but actually during COVID we’ve thankfully been extremely busy with client work and have had to focus on growing the team and delivering the projects, as a result our rebrand has taken a back seat.

Things are calming down a little bit now and we’re gearing up to re-launch so watch this space!

How would you describe the creative culture of Green Chameleon?

It’s quite a hard thing to describe but I’d say our creative culture is supportive and driven; we’re a tight knit team and all very aligned on the aims of the studio and our own personal progression.

As individuals, I think we are all very motivated to learn and continually develop and our culture definitely supports this mindset. There is an element of having something to prove too – being a small team from a relatively small city we want to make our mark and show that the quality of our work can rival that of the biggest agencies worldwide.

Attracting and retaining talent is one of the constant pursuits that every great agency faces. What is your approach to motivating and developing talent?

We believe that good work attracts and keeps good people; sure we could probably be more profitable by taking on larger, often less interesting work but that’s not sustainable for growing the agency in the direction we want and to keep securing top talent.

In terms of personal development, we are very conscious of where each team member wants to progress to and do our best to work this into project briefs so that the studio and individual are both benefiting. Ultimately it just comes down to putting out great work, obviously this will help to land clients but equally important is attracting the right hires.

Of all the projects your agency has produced, which one are you most proud of?

That’s a bit like choosing your favorite child! I’m proud of everything we produce, regardless of the visual output or results; just navigating the trials and tribulations of working to a brief as a team and managing a client is something to be proud of. I would probably just take an easy answer if put on the spot and go with our latest project – an interactive, 3D heavy marketing site for letter.co

What would be your dream design project or collaboration to be a part of?

Creating a digital experience for a fashion/streetwear brand.

What advice would you give to a new nonprofit startup that is looking to establish a brand from scratch?

Find a designer that is passionate about the cause and let them run free on it; I’m certain that there are many of us out there that are keen to make the world a slightly better place through our design work so finding the right person is key.

As a designer, do you find that you notice little elements that others don’t?

I think being a designer you do interpret visual things in more detail than people outside of the industry; maybe we are slightly programmed to deconstruct how things are put together and as a result take note of the smaller details.

What new ideas in immersive experiences are you excited about?

I’m really excited about the idea of bringing physical spaces into digital immersive experiences; I believe that the traditional concept of scrolling websites with pages is something that will be replaced with more 3D in browser environments – perhaps a fashion brand has a virtual shop that you can walk around, with rooms and 3D garments instead of pages with images.

In this industry or in life, have you had any particularly influential mentors?

In hindsight I would loved to have a mentor in my early years, but starting the agency pretty much straight out of University I hadn’t even had a job in the industry let alone met a mentor. I suppose in a strange way my co-founders (Tom Anderson and Rollo Lewis) and I were mentors to each other; we didn’t have a clue what we were doing but were always there to support and advise.

Is it better to be good and on time or perfect and late with your work?

Perfect and late.

Thanks Nathan!

Learn more about Green Chameleon

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