ATTIK’s co-founders scoop gold
THE founders of creative agency ATTIK, founded in Leeds, have notched up another honour after being awarded the Association of Colleges (AoC) Gold Award.
Simon Needham and James Sommerville, both graduates of Batley School of Art, were nominated by Kirklees College for their ongoing contributions to design.
The AoC Charitable Trust presents the awards to a select number of former college students each year in recognition of the vital role of further education in their careers and their continuing achievements in their chosen fields.
The pair, whose enduring creative partnership began at Kirklees College, studied the National Diploma in Typography, Photography and Graphic Composition from 1984 to 1986 at the Batley School of Art, now part of the college.
In 1987, they received a £2000 grant from the Prince’s Trust Business Programme and joined forces to launch their design studio.
The agency has since seen global success and has operations in Leeds, London, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Mr Sommerville said: “For both of us, attending college was difficult. Beyond taking classes and performing our studies, it required us to believe in ideas and prospects that were well beyond our real-world experiences, up to that point.
“Participation in academia definitely legitimised the pursuit of our beliefs, allowing us to meet under the best of circumstances and united us in the goal of achieving success.”
Today, ATTIK‘s clients include Coca-Cola, adidas, Sony, Lexus, Scion, Virgin and Heineken UK.
In 2004, Mr Needham and Mr Sommerville were invited to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace in recognition of ATTIK’s contributions to design.
Mr Sommeville is well known on the design and business lecture circuit internationally and is an active member of The Prince’s Trust Enterprises, acting as an adviser and serving as an ambassador for the Trust, while also leading ATTIK’s practice in Europe.
Mr Needham, who is now mainly based on America’s West Coast, has led the agency’s expansion into multiple disciplines within the communications industry, from strategic brand planning and film direction to print, broadcast and web design, picking up various international advertising industry honours along the way.
