Yeah Nice doesn’t want to be a digital only AdNews or B&T, so say goodbye to the stupid ‘wins’ category of posts, and say hello to something I hope you can all appreciate a little more.
When I went knocking on Liquorice’s door, they were surprised this site wasn’t just a bot taking screenshots of new projects using Mechanical Turk for commentary. After all that was sorted, director Scott thankfully agreed to be the first studio covered in our new series of Q&As.
A serious question first. Super Nintendo or Megadrive?
Impossible to choose. Perhaps some kind of Sonic vs Mario death match would help me decide.
You recently welcomed Something Splendid to the team. What was the tipping point for both businesses to commit to joining forces?
In recent years we’ve been picking up more digital projects, many of which we’ve worked on in collaboration with Something Splendid. At the end of 2012 we had a number of big development jobs in the pipeline and at that point the guys from Splendid approached me and said we should consider joining forces.
I love working on digital projects and technology in general, and it had been my goal to build up the studio’s digital capability for some time. I really wanted to have expert branding and digital teams working together under one roof. We already had the branding team, and Something Splendid are pretty much the best in the business as far as digital goes, so I couldn’t say no.
James Yencken, Scott Bonanno and Jonathon Bellew.
As a studio with roots in dare I say ‘traditional’ design and communication, how’s the transition been to a strong digital portfolio? Has the way you work in-house changed at all, and have long-standing clients been receptive?
Many of our internal procedures had to be rethought. Processes that worked for print and branding projects didn’t always translate effectively to digital. The transition has been a challenge but it’s also been a great opportunity for the design and client service teams (and myself) to skill up and learn more about digital workflow.
Long-standing clients are really enjoying working with us on digital projects, and the extra capability has given us an opportunity to work with new clients looking for an agency with a broader range of services.
I loved the Cocktail Typer – its physicality in a digital end piece. How important are studio projects, and building things that live outside the keyboard and screen?
The guys at Something Splendid are masters at this stuff. Studio projects give us a chance to experiment with designs and new technologies that may not be feasible for commercial jobs. We’ve already got a few planned for this year so stay tuned.
Cotton overseeing the human workforce.
What is your go-to tech for building client websites? Disregarding any obligations to integrate with existing software, have clients ever influenced the tools of choice?
We’ve been developing a CMS called Aniseed which we’re using on the majority of our new site builds. It’s lightning fast (watch the header video load in at Lark Music) and extremely easy for clients to use. It’s also a breeze for developers — it’s awesome all round.
Sometimes clients come to us wanting to use a particular technology or platform without really understanding the limitations or cost implications. The groundwork we do in the early stages of our projects frequently involves educating clients so that they understand their options and are able to make informed decisions. It’s something we’ve always done but it’s even more pertinent now with digital projects.
It’s early in the year, what will 2014 bring for Liquorice? Any predictions on where clients and our industry are taking us?
2014 will be a big year for us. We’re still building up our digital team and we’re on the lookout for more great clients. We’ll have a new website soon too if all goes well. In my experience clients are increasingly looking for ways to get more out of their budgets and as an agency we’re helping them find smarter ways to invest their marketing dollars.
This was a genuine meeting, for about two seconds.
Finally, how did the “Liquorice” name come about?
P.S. I’m a little bummed I didn’t find a liquorice dispenser, à la Wayne’s World Mirthmobile style, at the studio’s entrance.
Firstly, we’re totally getting a liquorice dispenser. Secondly, I always get asked this question and I never have a good answer but here it goes… The first person I hired was a Norwegian friend from university; those Scandinavians really like their liquorice and he must have had it on his mind when the name came up in a brainstorming session — it just kind of stuck.
P.S. Turns out Sonic vs Mario has been done — it’s worth skipping to the end.
Yeah Nice thanks: Studio: Liquorice in Fitzroy, Victoria. Photos: Sarah Anderson