2019! A year in the KOTA studio

January 8th 2020

By KOTA

It’s been a fantastic 2019 for KOTA, having launched a number of successful brands and projects. We also moved into our shiny new office in Clerkenwell and celebrated our 5 year anniversary with trips to Chicago and Amsterdam. KOTA got a total of NINE (!) awards this year as well!

Check out the month by month breakdown of 2019 happenings below.

January

We expertly crafted a new online presence for this vibrant bar group.

We were tasked with translating the fun, kitsch look and atmosphere of the Simmons Bars venues into a new online platform. Featuring the retro items found within the interiors while remaining simple to navigate. Our signature cut-out montage style was requested especially by the client to bring their brand to life.

We crafted this beautiful looking site for a popular Lebanese restaurant chain.

We brought the vibrant aesthetic of Comptoir Libanais restaurant group through into the website design, really capturing the essence of the brand and atmosphere of the venues online.

February

We got this film production company ready for their Oscar nomination with a brand new digital look.

Lightbox challenged Kota to deliver them the best website of the film production industry, a task we tackled with plenty of creative flair.

We delivered a modern and elegant platform for these pioneers of sports data.

We were commissioned to design and build a brand new platform that would align with Opta Pro’s refreshed branding and modernise their online offering. The website was content-heavy, with a large multimedia section, as well as multiple events with historical archives.

March

We helped this social media agency translate their new branding into a new website.

To celebrate a brand refresh, we were commissioned by Wilderness to come up with a user-friendly, contemporary online platform that matched their new identity. We helped them showcase the content in a simple, yet visually beautiful fashion. This was one of our fastest projects – we turned the design and build of this website around in only 6 weeks…high fives team!

April

We got super creative to showcase the work and culture of this awesome retail design agency.

We were challenged with creating a platform that would keep Design4Retail ahead of the game in the creative industry, whilst expertly showcasing their eclectic case studies, which ranged from shop and concession designs, pop-up spaces and brand development. Refresh the page a few times to see a cool feature!

May

We partnered with the worldly renowned non-profit organisation on their latest campaign to encourage people to do #OneKindThing.

We were tasked with creating the digital platform which was part of a nationwide campaign of British Red Cross, showing that even the simplest things can change the lives. The site had to encourage visitors to participate, with a clear call to actions and simple user journeys. We enabled BRC to tailor the content to each campaign, to ensure the best performance.

June

We got creative tuning up the websites for some of the more unusual industries.

We were approached by a family business, Peter Thompson Group, serving fresh meat and poultry from London’s Smithfield Market. We also created a new platform for a leading tissue paper company, Accrol.

We welcomed two new team members and quickly made them feel part of our KOTA tribe.

Alex, the youngest member of KOTA, is our Marketing guru by day and a professional Netflix binge-watcher by night, while Matt is a creative mastermind behind some of our projects – when he’s not playing footie, that is.

July

We helped a London-based consultancy make data look better than ever.

We created a new website for Starcount, a leading data consultancy, which specialises in the use of data-driven tools to help companies grow. Founded by Edwina Dunn, inventor of the Tesco Club card, Starcount’s innovative technology uncovers patterns in the vast array of information generated by 1.3 billion online consumers. We built a fast loading new platform to showcase their expertise and services.

August

We created a campaign pack full of impact for Jamie’s new book, VEG.

For the 3rd year in a row, we created the campaign for Jamie Oliver’s latest book – VEG. Penguin Books have rolled out the campaign internationally, across various platforms from out of home billboards and digital displays to all forms of social media and online advertising.

September

We designed and built a micro-site for a leading film & broadcast cloud platform.

Meta approached Kota to build a new website that showcased their unique products and to create an online experience that portrayed the style, ease and clarity of their software.

October

We went on a team trip to Amsterdam and enjoyed every minute of it.

After a hella busy summer, it was time to take some time off and freshen up our minds. What better place to do that than Amsterdam – full of great cultural references but fun enough not to geek out!

November

We gave a brand new look to a data consultancy company.

Cynozure approached us to completely transform their brand identity and brand proposition. We worked closely with them to create a brand strategy and proposition that differentiated them from the competition in the industry, focusing on a people-centric organisation that collaborates with brands to transform the power of data, contributing to a better future for all.

December

We created a stunning animation for this luxury jewellery brand.

We enabled Annoushka Jewellery to tell the story of an ancient forest decorated with starlight and fine jewellery, to inspire and enchant their customers for Christmas. It was rolled out on their website and across social media channels.