Mark Townshend and Adrien Taylor launch new Christchurch-based design studio Not Another

A Christchurch-based design and branding studio has launched with a simple goal: “Build champagne brands on beer budgets.” Not Another is founded by Mark Townshend and Adrien Taylor — a former agency creative director and strategic director, respectively.

The pair are aiming to bring affordable design and branding to New Zealand small-to-medium-sized businesses with Not Another, thanks to a model which cuts out a lot of the unnecessary expenses in traditional agencies.

Says Townshend: “Adrien and I have stripped out all the inefficiencies and invest in what truly matters in developing the best brands: the best creative talent.”

The duo have designed a series of affordable branding kits which include everything small-to-medium sized businesses need to launch — or relaunch — their brands.

Says Taylor: “Our goal is to make agency-level design and branding accessible to those with big dreams rather than those with just big pockets.”

Although the Not Another studio is based in the coastal village of Sumner, Christchurch, its team is based around the world.

Says Taylor: “Mark and I have worked with incredibly talented creatives all over the world and we’re excited to bring their skills together to create top end brands for New Zealand businesses.”

Between them, Taylor and Townshend have set up — or helped establish the brands of — a number of businesses in New Zealand and Australia, including Offcut and Veriu.

Adds Townshend: “We’re small business owners ourselves. We understand small business and live by the motto: ‘Keep it real, make it epic.’

“In short, that means that we always base everything we do and recommend in a very real foundation of business imperatives, while producing results which are nothing short of epic.”