After two decades in the creative industry, London-based creative agency Weareseventeen has undergone a comprehensive rebranding, emerging as simply "Seventeen" with a fresh visual identity that celebrates the individuality and uniqueness of its team members. The transformation marks the company's evolution from a two-person moving image studio to a full-service creative agency with a team of 22 professionals.
The rebranding process took an entire year to complete and reflects the agency's journey from its humble beginnings as a duo-run motion studio to its current status as a multidisciplinary creative powerhouse. The company realized that while their internal structure and capabilities had dramatically expanded over the years, their external brand identity hadn't kept pace with these changes. This disconnect prompted the decision to undertake a thorough rebrand that would accurately represent their current offerings and team structure.
The most immediately noticeable change is the simplified name, dropping "weareseventeen" in favor of the more streamlined "Seventeen." The new logomark maintains a connection to the agency's motion graphics roots through its dynamic design. In animated applications, the numbers "1" and "7" dramatically separate before colliding back together to form a fluid, rounded shape that defies easy categorization. Associate Creative Director Longbin Li developed this concept through countless sketches of the number 17, gradually reducing the design to its most essential form.
Li explained the creative process behind the logo's evolution, noting how the loose sketches began to resemble a head and nose before transforming into something entirely different. "Since then it has continued to take on many interpretations: some see a house with a light on, others an elephant," Li said. "It's this fluidity of interpretation and thought that the studio is keen to embody and embrace." This ambiguity and openness to multiple readings became a core principle of the new brand identity.
The agency's new positioning statement, "Odd Minds," encapsulates their philosophy and approach to creative work. The word "Odd" represents their commitment to non-conformity and originality, while "Minds" acknowledges the diverse collection of creative professionals who contribute to the agency's success. This philosophy extends beyond just a tagline to become a guiding principle for how they approach projects and present themselves to clients.
Perhaps the most distinctive element of the rebrand is a collection of personalized icons created for each of the 22 team members. Creative Director Gary Roberts explained the process: "We asked each person to reflect on the different sides of their personality, their obsessions and fascinations, and distill that down into a singular thing. Ideally something metaphorical and surprising, the odder the better." Once each team member had selected their personal symbol, illustrator Hugo Bernier brought these concepts to life using his characteristic buoyant and ethereal artistic style.
The resulting icon collection is wonderfully eclectic, featuring everything from a rubber duck and a steaming mug of tea to a bowl of ramen noodles. More abstract representations include a wobbly line that might represent a sound wave and a precarious tower of rocks balanced on top of each other. These icons appear throughout the brand identity, adding personality and human connection to corporate communications and marketing materials.
Company partner Jade Annaw described the comprehensive rebranding effort as "our collective soul made visible," emphasizing how the new identity captures not just the agency's professional capabilities but also the personalities and quirks of the individuals who make up the team. This human-centered approach to branding reflects a broader trend in the creative industry toward authenticity and personal connection.
Alongside the visual rebrand, Seventeen launched a completely redesigned website that prioritizes user experience and calm navigation over information overload. Li explained the design philosophy: "We wanted to create moments of calm and silence, a deliberate contrast to the noise felt through information overload." The homepage features a central tower of colored blocks, which Li refers to as "capsules," each containing a different project.
The website's navigation system is elegantly simple: hovering over each capsule reveals a project title, and clicking takes visitors directly to detailed case studies. All capsules are connected by what Li calls an "infinite thread," a visual metaphor that carries deeper meaning. "It's a through-line that symbolizes something that can be woven, extended, or unspooled over time, perfect for a living archive," Li explained. This connecting element reinforces the idea of continuity and growth that defines the agency's evolution.
The timing of this rebrand reflects the challenges facing many creative agencies in an industry characterized by rapid change and constant flux. By focusing on what remains constant – the individual talents and personalities of their team members – Seventeen has created a brand identity that can adapt and evolve while maintaining its core character. The rebrand serves not only as a public announcement of their expanded capabilities but also as an internal celebration of how far the agency has come from its modest beginnings.
The comprehensive nature of this rebranding effort, from the simplified name and dynamic logo to the personalized icons and thoughtfully designed website, demonstrates Seventeen's commitment to authenticity and individual expression in an increasingly homogenized creative landscape. The year-long development process has resulted in a brand identity that truly reflects the agency's current reality while providing a flexible framework for future growth and evolution.
