After running their own studios, Daniel Freytag and Greig Anderson recently decided to pool their talents to create Freytag Anderson. They explain why two heads are definitely better than one.
Four years ago, Greig Anderson founded Effektive. A year later, Daniel Freytag was getting Berg up-and-running. Now, they’ve decided to merge the two studios to create new venture Freytag Anderson – pioneering an intriguing new collaborative approach. One month in, Anderson explains why, in his experience, two heads really are better than one.
Tell us about Freytag Anderson: what are your goals and ethos as a new studio?
Do good work and get paid (well) for it. We really do try to keep things simple – at the end of the day we’re in the business of helping people communicate better, which demands a straightforward approach. Our studio is based on collaboration – we understand that our success is reliant on the talent of the people we work with, including our clients.
Why have you merged your two studios?
We’ve been working together for some time so it was really just a formality to put everything under one banner. Plus, it was a good excuse to have some fun creating a new image and to develop a new identity suited to the ethos of the business.
How did you get to this point?
We’ve individually been working towards this for a long time, and it felt like the time was right. Finding someone to share the highs and lows with was the hardest thing – everything else was just academic. We’re lucky in that we’ve both worked with some great designers and studios in the past. We’ve both kept note of what works and what doesn’t – and of course we’ve added our own unique twist!
What can you achieve together that you couldn’t as two separate studios?
At a very base level it’s a case of two heads are better than one. Also, it’s no fun celebrating a project win on your own. Perhaps most importantly, working together gives you the energy and spark needed to crack that elusive idea.
At a very base level it’s a case of two heads are better than one
After running their own studios, Daniel Freytag and Greig Anderson decided to pool their talents to create Freytag Anderson
What was the most challenging aspect?
Timing – making sure that everything was just right before we pressed the button. We spent a lot of time working on articulating what we do and how we do it.
How big is your studio?
There are currently five of us, but our collaborative approach allows us to grow depending on each project’s requirements.
Tell us about your studio space...
We are based in Southblock, a creative hub in Glasgow’s Merchant City. We’re all about a flat hierarchy, so we work together around two long desks. The arrangement of the office building is all based around conversation and collaboration which encapsulates our ethos perfectly. Oh, and it has a coffee shop and table tennis table!
What’s the most unexpected thing to come out of this new venture?
We were surprised how fully our clients embraced the collaborative model. From the outset, everyone could see the value in building a creative team around the bespoke requirements of each project.
This article originally appeared in Computer Artsmagazine
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