WMH&I (formerly Williams Murray Hamm) is a brand innovation, design and strategy agency based in London.

WMH&I
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryBrand Innovation, Design and Strategy Agency
Founded1997
Headquarters
Key people
WMH&I
Richard Williams, Chairman & Founder;
Garrick Hamm, Creative Partner;
Carol Lavender, Managing Director;
ServicesInnovation: Brand creation, growth business platforms, products and services, positioning, brand behaviour and services development.
Strategy: Positioning, brand behaviour, portfolio architecture, communication strategy.
Creative: Packaging, identity, naming, comms, in store activation, digital content and film.
Activation: Packaging roll outs, campaign activation, retouching, artwork, photography
Number of employees
30
ParentWrittle Holdings
Websitewmhagency.com

History

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Williams Murray Hamm (WMH) was founded in 1997 by Richard Williams and Richard Murray.[1] Garrick Hamm joined the firm a year later.[2]

WMH was acquired in 2006 by Loewy Group, a business that was itself acquired by Writtle Holdings in 2011.[3][4]

Richard Murray died in 2010.[5] Wybe Magermans was appointed to the board in 2016 and became the agency's Managing Director in 2019.[6]

In 2021, WMH merged with Identica, another design and branding agency, to form WMH&I.[7] Carol Lavender was named Managing Director and Magermans became the Growth & Development Director.[7]

Work and accolades

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WMH's work in Fast-moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) packaging for GSK's Horlicks,[8] Hovis,[9] McVitie's Jaffa Cakes[10] and Sainsbury's SO organics[11][12] and Sainsbury's Basics[13][14] led to the business being named Design Agency of the Year by Marketing Magazine in 2002 and 2004.[15]

WMH has won DBA Design Effectiveness Awards for its work on Here Organics, Sainsbury's SO organic,[16][17] Wild Brew (which also won a D&AD yellow pencil),[18][19] while Hovis and Clipper Teas won the DBA Design Effectiveness Grand Prix in 2002 and 2004 respectively.[20][21]

Other work includes 2003's redesign of the Barclays Bank identity,[22] 2004's relaunch for Fortnum & Mason,[23] via a brand book and repackaging exercise. The company has maintained an eight-year relationship with Syngenta, the Swiss agrochemicals business.[24] Other WMH clients include Beazley,[25] Way to Blue[26] and Jamie Oliver's store Recipease venture,[27] Burger delivery start-up Chosen Bun,[28] Magic Me,[29] JuiceBurst (Purity Soft Drinks),[30] Syngenta,[31] charity Ella's Home,[32].

More recent work includes the launch of Waitrose & Partners Free From range of foods, creation of completely new container shipping company, Ocean Network Express (ONE), and USA-based food producer Lamb Weston.[33]

In 2015, the agency was awarded the top prize at The Drum's inaugural Dream Awards[34] and gold at the Fresh Awards[35] for its packaging design for UK erotica brand Coco de Mer.[36] Additionally, WMH won gold in the body category at the celebrated Pentawards[37] for its work with beauty brand Prismologie.[38]

2016 saw WMH's return to win gold at the Design Effectiveness Awards (Design Business Association) for their interactive brand design work with JuiceBurst (Purity Soft Drinks).[39] The award-winning continued for its brand identity and packaging work for Coco de Mer winning the coveted D&AD Yellow Pencil Award,[40] the Drum Design Award,[41] Design Week Award (Package Design Category)[42] and Creative Review Annual where it was awarded 'Best in Book: Design'.[43]

Publications

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  • WMH updated The Little Book of Don'ts in Brand Design in 2004
  • Richard Murray wrote Churnmore A True Taste of Brand Management in 2007
  • The three partners delivered Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, a celebration of the company's ten years in business in 2009
  • To celebrate its 20th anniversary, WMH published Blood, Sweat & Ideas. A retrospective of the agency's work over the past two decades.

References

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  1. ^ "Incorporation date WMH".
  2. ^ Bedrossian, Rebecca (1 January 2005). "Williams Murray Hamm". Communication Arts. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Exclusive: Loewy acquires WMH | News". Design Week. 1 December 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Writtle Holdings Ltd acquires Loewy Group Ltd to create combined £100m marketing services group – Writtle". www.writtle.com. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Richard Murray: 1965–2010". Creative Review. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  6. ^ "WILLIAMS MURRAY HAMM LIMITED – Officers (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Williams Murray Hamm and Identica Join Forces In A New Creative Agency". Marketing Communication News. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Design Awards: Packaging (food)". Marketing Magazine. 23 November 2005. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  9. ^ "Branding Interview: Williams Murray Hamm, sub section: Bread Winners". 2 March 2005. Retrieved 2 March 2005.
  10. ^ "WMH repacks Jaffa Cakes for a bigger bite of market | News". Design Week. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  11. ^ "D&AD Awards 2006 Professional packaging design winner wood pencil Sainsbury's Organics/". Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  12. ^ "Putting a Prize on Effectiveness | BusinessWeek". Images.businessweek.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Creative Review: When Sainsbury's was out on its own". 25 August 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  14. ^ "Sainsbury's Basics as designed by Williams Murray Hamm grow fifty percent in one year". 27 November 2005. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  15. ^ "AGENCY 2002: Design Agency of the Year – Williams Murray Hamm". Marketing Magazine. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  16. ^ "Sainsbury's Basics as designed by Williams Murray Hamm". www.newswire.com.
  17. ^ "dba Insight magazine Winter Spring 2007" (PDF). www.dba.org.uk.
  18. ^ "D&AD Professional Awards 2001 – Yellow Pencil for Packaging Design: Wildbrew". D&AD.
  19. ^ "A fur day's work". The Guardian. 19 January 2002.
  20. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  21. ^ "Richard Murray". agIdeas. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  22. ^ "Barclays opts for WMH to develop cohesive image". Marketing Magazine. 26 November 2003. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  23. ^ "Team of designers restructures Fortnum & Mason brand | News". Design Week. 10 November 2005. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  24. ^ "News Wire". Newswire.
  25. ^ "CorpComms – News – 61 Risky Business". Corpcommsmagazine.co.uk. 27 April 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  26. ^ "A live neon identity for Way to Blue". Design Week. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  27. ^ "Branding for Jamie Oliver's retail store Recipease unveiled by Williams Murray Hamm". The Drum. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  28. ^ Simon Nias, marketingmagazine.co.uk, 12 June 2013, 12:41PM (12 June 2013). "Chosen Bun to launch world's first gourmet burger delivery business". Brandrepublic.com. Retrieved 25 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ "Williams Murray Hamm creates Plasticine identity for charity Magic Me". Design Week. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  30. ^ Montgomery, Angus (22 January 2013). "'Exploding' fruit drink packaging from Williams Murray Hamm".
  31. ^ "Syngenta: "FLOWERS PRO CONTROLS" Design & Branding by Williams Murray Hamm".
  32. ^ Matthew McIntyre (7 April 2014). "Williams Murray Hamm's 'pretty' campaign against sex trafficking | Desktop". Desktopmag.com.au. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  33. ^ Derrick Lin (14 July 2015). "PROJECTS YOU SHOULDN'T MISS: Lamb Weston New Visual Identity".
  34. ^ "Williams Murray Hamm scoops top prize at The Drum Dream Awards". The Drum.
  35. ^ "Fresh Awards Winners 2015, Packaging Design, Coco de Mer". Fresh Awards.
  36. ^ Derrick Lin (5 June 2015). "Showcase and discover creative packaging: Coco de Mer". Packaging of the World.
  37. ^ "GOLD PENTAWARD 2015 – BODY – WILLIAMS MURRAY HAMM". Pentawards.
  38. ^ "PRISMOLOGIE". The Dieline.
  39. ^ "Winners/ Beverags: Gold – JuiceBurst & WMH winners". Design Effectiveness Awards winners 2016. Design Business Association. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  40. ^ "Coco de Mer | Williams Murray Hamm | Coco de Mer | D&AD Awards 2016 Pencil Winner | Consumer Packaging Design | D&AD". www.dandad.org.
  41. ^ "Drum Design Winners Announced". The Drum.
  42. ^ "@Design_Week DWawards16 Twitter @WMHagency". Design Week Twitter.
  43. ^ "CR Annual – Best in Book: Design". www.creativereview.co.uk. 27 April 2016.
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