“A dream project!”: Studio Griggs’ Stephanie Griggs on crafting a style guide for Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Steph, always lovely to chat. We interviewed you last year about the launch of Studio Griggs. One year on, how’s it been so far?
Thank you for having me back! Always a pleasure to catch up. Yes – I officially launched Studio Griggs at BLE 2023, which feels like a fitting anniversary moment! This year’s BLE felt like such a positive show, and affirmed what a vibrant and fun industry we are in.

It’s been a whirlwind of a year. I feel lucky to have worked on some outrageously exciting projects since setting up solo, and my new clients have shared kind feedback that reassures me setting up my own business was 1000% the right decision! It was a scary leap to make, but absolutely no regrets.

Of course, it’s been quite a shift not being part of a wider team – and having to wear even more hats than usual as a business owner. To help break up my own company I’ve built a lovely community of fellow self-employed creatives, business-own owners and a trusted network of collaborators. Regular coffee catch-ups –both video call and IRL – have been a real support and I’d recommend any other independents interested to join us!

“My work is built on an adaptable, human approach, with relationship building, honesty and kindness at its core.”

I have also just moved into a beautiful new studio space, which feels like an exciting milestone. I’m currently spending more time than I should on interior mood boards and buying plants for Studio Griggs HQ. All invited up to Leeds for welcome drinks soon!

Count us in! And is there anything you’re doing now that wasn’t part of the plan when you launched a year ago?
I was reflecting on this recently. Broadly speaking, I think the ‘services’ that I set out to offer with Studio Griggs have formed the foundation of all my projects so far – being creative direction, creative strategy and brand development. But the briefs I’ve received, and continue to receive, have been very diverse – which suits me down to the ground! Being adaptive and open to new opportunities is a core part of my business plan to create growth in exciting and unexpected ways.

Varied scope aside, there is a golden thread that runs consistently through my work… That’s applying a deep passion for brand storytelling to shape how brands engage with their audiences, with and beyond visuals, on an emotional level. That’s a long-winded way of asking how will this creative make the audience feel?

One of my clients is in the luxury hospitality industry – which I really didn’t expect to enter when I set out – but it has provided an incredible learning platform and brought new dimensions to my knowledge of brand needs. Additionally, mentoring creatives and connecting students with real-world brand creative and licensing projects has added a rewarding, community-focused aspect to Studio Griggs.

One brief I could never have dreamt of working on was leading the delivery and direction of a Marketing & Merch Style Guide for Aardman’s new Wallace & Gromit film, Vengeance Most Fowl. There simply aren’t enough superlatives to describe how much I enjoyed this project!

On that, and without saying anything you can’t, can you tell us a little about the creative you put together for that?
Absolutely. I could talk for hours about it! A true dream project. I basically ate, slept, and breathed Vengeance Most Fowl for nine months, so it’s beyond exciting seeing the public reaction with each trailer that’s released. I’m also delighted to see that it has, deservingly, just got 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The buzz is massive – it’s the first Wallace & Gromit film in 16 years!

16 years! Wow! It looks terrific.
Well worth the wait in my opinion. I can’t wait to cosy up on the sofa to watch it at Christmas. And Aardman were – and continue to be – an amazing client to collaborate with. They brought me in on the creative process early on and I was lucky enough to kick off the project with a behind-the-scenes tour of the animation studio in Bristol, seeing some of the sets and stop-motion sequences being shot.

The patience, precision and dedication to the craft that the animators and filmmakers have is spellbinding. Nothing is rushed! I was able to see the film repeatedly from an animatic stage, which meant I was able to see the sequencing in real time and get a handle early-on for the characters, both old – that’s right, Feathers is BACK – and new, like Wallace’s latest invention, Norbot the Smart-Gnome.

I also met Aardman’s genius graphic artist, Gavin Lines, who showed me bespoke film graphics he had created for Vengeance Most Fowl, like the ‘Gnome Improvements’ van branding. It was so inspiring. I was buzzing with ideas by the time I left the studio!

I bet. What did the next steps of development on the guide look like?
From there, I spent a lot of time thinking about how a singular art direction for the guide could connect the many plot lines, environments and themes – and what the ‘master’ look-and-feel should be. I was honoured to get time with the film’s directors – Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham – to chat about their inspirations, vision and plot connectivity. It was gold dust being able to bounce early ideas off them both and get their feedback.

Visual language wise, seeing an early title treatment – which we based the final film logo lock-up on – inspired me to delve into vintage film-noir posters. Noir is somewhat of a pre-existing visual trope of Wallace & Gromit, captured perfectly in The Wrong Trousers. The angular shapes, moody colour palette and playful positioning of noir perfectly captures the edgier spirit of a certain villainous chicken, known to lurk in the shadows. Of course, this is Wallace and Gromit, so it was important to maintain humour and not go too serious, to reflect the lighter elements of the plot. One way we did this was by playing with scale via Feathers’ larger-than-life silhouette. This resulted in a lead graphic that was used to promote the film at Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June amongst other things.

Love that!
Thanks! And typography was important to think about too. In the end, we developed two bespoke Wallace & Gromit typefaces, which is very exciting. One that emulates Wallace’s handwriting, reserved for direct quotes only, and another that takes influence from sign-writing – so blockier, more industrial and very much in keeping with Wallace & Gromit’s environment.

The whole project was super collaborative, and my fabulous designer on the project, Michelle, was my right arm throughout – as well as Aardman’s super talented brand and marketing design team. I can’t wait to see more of the assets out in the wild, it’ll be a proud moment!

This may sound like a daft question, but what makes Wallace & Gromit an exciting brand to create for?
Personally speaking, Wallace & Gromit was a real bucket list brand to work with. I, like many, grew up with the duo a staple brand in my household. Watching it on TV every Christmas – and in between on VHS – as well as saving up for tokens to get the iconic promotional products. As soon as my children were old enough, I introduced them too – just on streaming sites rather than a tape!

It’s a truly beloved brand – the humour, warmth and relatability mean that there is a broad spectrum of hungry, engaged and dedicated fans. Narrative and theme wise, there is an angle for all ages to relate to. As a toddler, my son was captured with the idea of the moon being made of cheese and taking a rocket there to have a nibble of it. Consequently his second birthday cake was Wallace & Gromit picnicking on a moon made of cheese!

With that in mind, audience is something that I came back to as first port of call when working on each of the Wallace & Gromit briefs I’ve been fortunate to be given by Aardman this year. One of those was creating a creative strategy for the brand – another dream project! My task was to provide a framework that will help Aardman set a design and asset-based critical path that meet the wants of today’s Wallace & Gromit audience.

I took a holistic view of the existing assets & brand offering – which has been brewing beautifully over the last 35 years – to build a strategy that will help futureproof the beloved brand and inspire new commercial avenues. This kind of a brief is a real sweet spot for me… My career has been spent marrying creative and commercial, so for me the two are always aligned, each underpinning the other.

You’ve also collaborated with Sanrio on brand development for Mr Men Little Miss – including work on new characters. What it’s like bringing ‘newness’ to such an iconic, long-running IP?
Mr. Men Little Miss will always have a special place in my heart! It was the first brand I worked at when I entered the licensing industry as Brand Coordinator, many moons ago, leaving there as Brand Manager. I was delighted to be asked back this year, over a decade later to help develop two new characters – Mr Fib and Little Miss Surprise, and the brilliant ‘Discover You’ publishing series. This focuses on exploring children’s emotions, wellbeing and mental health through themes such as Kindness, Worries, Sadness and Celebrating our Differences.

The Mr. Men and Little Miss brand thrives on a combination of newness, and nostalgia. It’s iconic and long-running, but it’s the consistent relatability and brand evolution via creation of new characters and content that make it so. Theme and content trends come and go, but children and adults will always relate to the emotions and personalities of the Mr Men and Little Miss characters. This – in combination with globally adored stories, colourful illustrations and imaginative world-building – provides a constant stream of inspiration and ideas for publishing, content, product and partnerships.

I adore working on the brand because of this never-ending appeal, and I’m thrilled to have just resumed collaboration with the Sanrio team as Brand Consultant, to support on brand and concept development.

You mentioned earlier that you’ve also helped craft the brand identity for a luxury hotel. What can you tell us about this? How does it differ from your work on ‘licensed brands’?
I’ve been working for a year or so now with a very talented founding team on the development of a small luxury UK hotel, due to open in 2026. As Brand Creative Director in the team, my consultancy role is to shape both a visual and digital identity for the brand and then align this with a guest appropriate comms strategy, for what will be a very special experience. I’m excited to share more when I can!

While the hospitality industry is a new workstream for me – with lots of nuances to consider – there are several similarities to brand-building in the entertainment space. Successful licensed brands have a strong identity and established expectations. Approaching a hospitality brand with the same clear sense of what makes it authentic and compelling is vital, and of course holding the audience centrally is key… Particularly at the luxury end of the market.

I’m learning a lot! My work is just a small part of the project, and I am thoroughly enjoying bearing witness to the incredible structural, architectural, interior design, planning, gardening, landscaping, building and heritage work that’s going into it… The list goes on. The team’s skillset is very diverse and it’s so much fun to be a part of.

Wallace & Gromit, Mr Men Little Miss. A luxury hotel… The work is incredibly varied!
I love the variety! It’s the way I have always worked… I led the design team at Roald Dahl for eight years and in that time I was dealing with a real mix of briefs from all departments – publishing, theatre, content, partnerships and licensing. This naturally crossed many industries, and I thrive using creative to problem solve challenges coming from all brand touchpoints and avenues.

So, while the work I have done so far this year is varied – spanning a movie style guide, a creative strategy, a packaging style guide for the East Asian market, art packs, publishing development and a brand identity – each project offers a unique challenge that I can use my golden thread of how we want the audience to feel, think or do, to apply the right creative response.

You also spoke earlier about engaging with universities on a few projects. What was that like – and do you feel the industry can do more to engage young creatives with licensing?
I think my passion has come from wanting to share the industry knowledge, realities, career tips and viable options that I didn’t hear as a student. The brand licensing and fandom industry is a richly rewarding career path for a whole host of creative practices, yet it’s not commonly known about at higher education level.

My connection with Leeds Arts University started with me as an art foundation student there many years ago. Last year I was invited to give a guest lecture on Brand Extensions to their BA (Hons) Fashion Branding course, which I loved!
A few months ago, I was invited back to set a live brief for second-year students, challenging them to create brand guidelines for Studio Griggs. One particularly talented student, Freya, went on to join me for a summer internship, where she further developed her concepts. Meeting passionate and skilled students like Freya reinforces my belief that there’s much more we can do to engage and inspire the next generation of creatives to join the industry.

“Wallace & Gromit was a real bucket list brand to work with.”

I would encourage brands where possible to consider reaching art students – via colleges and universities – through internships, live briefs, guest lectures and other hands-on learning opportunities to raise awareness of the creative side of licensing and help keep it vibrant, dynamic, and infused with fresh perspectives.

Before we wrap up, what do you feel is the key to success creative collaborations between yourself and your clients? What makes this work to an extent that repeat business is possible?
I’ve found that my ideal way of working with clients is when I am brought in as an extension of the team – with less of a formal ‘service’ approach to collaborating and more of an open and honest, lets-thrash-ideas-out-together approach.
Creative solutions don’t always appear from a linear process and I find a flexible and tailored approach gets the best results.

I’ve spent the lion’s share of my career working in house for brands. This experience means I can provide a unique approach to servicing creative needs with a shared point of view of a brand-side briefer. I’m always happy to use my real-world case studies as in-house Creative Director, to build or refine a brief with my clients first – which could start with a challenge, need or even a simple thought starter like: ‘What’s our brand offering missing and how can we solve this?’

Most importantly though, my work is built on an adaptable, human approach, with relationship building, honesty and kindness at its core. Happily, I’m now getting repeat work as an ongoing partner with clients that share the same approach. This means everything to me!

Steph, always a pleasure. Thanks again!