Brothers and Sisters is Tattoo Good to be True

Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes and London agency Brothers and Sisters are exploiting that to their employees advantage. They have always encouraged their staff to work on creative and inspiring projects outside of their 9-5 work life but they've now made that encouragement into an official program; The 20% Project.

The agency is encouraging creatives to spend one day per working week on their own ideas and projects. They can then pitch their ideas to the agency chiefs and if they like it they get as many Thursdays as they need to craft their idea into the finished article. Whether it's an app, a film, a product, a website or something else entirely it is, says Brothers and Sisters, about giving creatives "room to experiment. To fail, to succeed, to learn, to evolve". Below, Andy Fowler, ECD at the agency, takes us through the idea and where it stemmed from, before Helen Robertson explains the thinking behind her 20% Project.

How did the idea for 20% Projects come about?

Andy Fowler: We want to have a varied creative output, always surprising and interesting, never predictable There are so many great ideas bouncing off the walls at Brothers and Sisters and it frustrated us that we didn’t have time or money to make many of them. We realised that if we ring-fenced the time of our creatives we could guarantee that we'd make loads of cool stuff on a regular basis.

How important is it for creatives to have creative, non-advertising projects on the go?

It's extremely important for their sanity to explore projects that don’t have boundaries, to be able to experiment with different types of ideas and craft.

Are there any boundaries to what Brothers and Sisters creatives can pitch to 20% Projects?

AF: Not really. So long as we like the idea, we will make it together. It can be a book, film, app, website, product, piece of personal storytelling, a performance, anything really.

Do you think that creative thinking can be sharpened and harnessed by undertaking ventures such as this?

AF: Definitely. It's motivating for creatives to know that their employer believes in them enough to invest in their ideas. And it keeps them motivated and fresh.

Who makes the final decision about what projects get picked up by 20% Projects?

AF: Myself with a little help from a couple of others.

What other ideas does the scheme have on the horizon?

AF: A location based storytelling platform, our own interactive character world for young kids, a project that explores emotion around music listening habits.

Helen Roberston, a digital designer at Brothers and Sisters, has always had a love of Battersea Power Station and tattoos, and decided to combine those two passions for her 20% idea; The Battersea Tattoo Project, made in collaboration with photogrpaher and filmmaker Mike Whelan. She cast her net for the best Battersea Power Station tattoo design and then set about getting it inked onto her skin. You can see outline of the project in the film above but there will also be a one week pop-up exhibition towards the end of June which will incorporate film, photography, design and illustration from her 20% idea.

Why do you think 20% Projects is a good idea?

HR: You always hear designers, myself included, complaining about not having enough time to do their own work so to be able to do these projects during agency time and with the support of the rest of the team is kind of a dream come true.

How important is it to you to be working on creative ideas outside of your day-to-day role?

HR: I think all designers, particularly those working in advertising, often feel the need to be challenged creatively which unfortunately doesn't always happen with the day-to-day client work. Personally, I don't feel too restricted in my role but I always get a lot of pleasure from creating something of my own, even if it's just a little bit of hand-drawn type done in my lunch hour.

Where did your love of Battersea Power Station first come from?

HR: I saw it for the first time about 6 years ago and was just sort of overwhelmed by it. It appeals to my design taste completely (I'm also a big fan of the Tate Modern), and I kind of love that something so functional can also be so beautiful. I've always wanted to visit the control rooms but despite many phone calls the closest I've got is abseiling down the side of it.

How many other tattoos do you have and are any of them as unusual as this one?

HR: I've got some Thai writing on my foot, a japanese design on my bum that started appearing when I was 13, a pin-up girl on my ribcage and a gypsy head on my wrist. Probably the most unusual though are Daniel and Penelope, a couple of deer silhouettes who live on the back of my legs. The names have absolutely no meaning.

There’s an upcoming pop-up exhibition relating to this project; can you tell us a little more about that?

HR: Well some really great photography and video came out of this project courtesy of Mike Whelan, and we really wanted to showcase that along with the diverse range of submissions that we received during the early stages of the project. We're also in talks with some fellow Battersea-loving musicians who we'll be working with to help make opening night a very special occasion but that's all I can say for now…!