Liquid
Liquid is a Liverpool-based creative agency group (founded 2000) that provides cultural strategy, creative execution, and brand scaling services to enterprise and mid-market clients in fashion, sports, lifestyle, and retail through an Expert Collective of senior freelance talent.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersLiverpool, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Liquid does
Liquid (legal entity: Liquid Agency Ltd) is a Liverpool-based creative agency founded in 2000 by Steve McGauley, operating as a privately held group organised around three sub-brands: Liquid Lab (cultural insights and brand strategy), Liquid Create (creative and activation execution across design, photography, video, social, and experiential), and Liquid Brands (independent brand development house for scaling founder-led, dormant legacy, established, and talent-led brands). The company serves enterprise and mid-market clients primarily in fashion, lifestyle, retail, sports, and wellness, with a documented roster that includes Levi's, Barbour, Berghaus, Mitchell & Ness, Tessuti, Leeds United FC, Liverpool ONE, Scotts, Candy, and Southport Flower Show. Its operating model is an 'Expert Collective' that combines a lean in-house team with a global network of culturally connected freelance thought leaders, assembling bespoke teams for each client brief rather than staffing projects from a fixed full-time bench.
The business model is professional services: project-based engagements invoiced on hours worked or fixed quotes, with optional Service Level Agreement (SLA) retainer hours purchased annually and unused within 12 months cancelled. Stated hourly rates for additional amendments are £70 per hour (creative) and £90 per hour (technical or investigation), with a 50% deposit required before project commencement. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales with no intermediaries or resellers; client acquisition is supported by an organic content channel (Lab Notes blog), Instagram and LinkedIn presence, and a portfolio of published case studies. Distribution is UK-centric (Liverpool HQ, London office), though the Expert Collective model claims global reach through its talent network.
There is no proprietary technology platform. The company's stated infrastructure is human talent curation rather than software; no API, no integrations, no patents, and no AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. In October 2025, the agency announced a major expansion and rebrand to Liquid Create, accompanied by the appointment of Rhodri Evans (former Head of Marketing at Gucci) as co-director, positioning the group as an expert collective built for the modern era of brand building with formal brand scaling services. The company remains founder-led with no disclosed institutional investment, no parent company, and no public funding rounds in the source material.
Liquid firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Liquid
- Legal name
- Liquid Agency Ltd
- Website
- https://liquid25.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Liquid is a Liverpool-based creative agency group (founded 2000) that provides cultural strategy, creative execution, and brand scaling services to enterprise and mid-market clients in fashion, sports, lifestyle, and retail through an Expert Collective of senior freelance talent.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Liquid industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative and Brand Agency Services
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)
Keywords
Where Liquid is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Liverpool
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Liquid business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Creative and Strategy Services: Project-based professional services including brand strategy, creative execution, digital media, video/photography/animation, copywriting, PR and marketing, advertising (online/offline). Revenue invoiced based on hours worked or fixed project quotes. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and retainer arrangements available.
- Brand Scaling Services: Independent brand development house services for scaling founder-led brands, dormant legacy brands, established brands, and talent-led opportunities. Includes commerce, creative, and capital expertise.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Hourly rate for additional amendments |
| Subscription | Annual | Service Level Agreement (SLA) / Retainer |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Liquid product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Liquid is an expert collective creative agency that sells brand strategy, cultural insight, creative execution (design, photography, video, social, experiential), and brand scaling services to enterprise and mid-market brands. It delivers these through a lean in-house team working with a curated global network of culturally connected thought leaders, assembling bespoke teams per client brief across sports, fashion, wellness and lifestyle verticals.
Product overview
Liquid is an expert collective creative agency that provides a unified platform of three integrated sub-brands: Liquid Lab (cultural insights and brand strategy), Liquid Create (creative execution across design, photography, video, social and experiential), and Liquid Brands (brand development and scaling services). The group operates through a unique model combining a lean in-house team with a global network of culturally connected thought leaders, enabling bespoke teams to be assembled for each client brief across sports, fashion, wellness and lifestyle.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Liquid Lab Cultural insights and brand strategy platform that connects brand objectives to impactful execution through cultural insight and a global network of industry thought leaders, delivering actionable strategy that turns vision into market-moving outcomes.
- Liquid Create Award-winning creative and activation studio with 25 years of partnership with world favourite brands, providing integrated solutions across design, photography, video, social and experiential.
- Liquid Brands Independent brand development house bringing together expertise across commerce, creative, and capital to drive and accelerate growth for scaling founder-led brands, dormant legacy brands, established brands, and talent-led opportunities.
- Liquid (Group) — Expert Collective Expert collective built for the modern era of brand building, providing solutions across insights and brand strategy, creative and activation, and brand scaling services for sports, fashion, wellness and lifestyle sectors.
Quantifiable outcome
- Tessuti Liverpool store exceeded all footfall projections by over 20%
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Liquid
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Liquid technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Liquid partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Rhodri Evans (ex-Gucci)coreRhodri Evans, former head of marketing at Gucci, joined as co-director alongside founder Steve McGauley to lead the new 'Liquid Create' model. Brings extensive luxury fashion marketing expertise to guide the agency's expansion and rebrand.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Liquid competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mother London: Independent, full-service creative agency founded in London, known for culturally resonant work for fashion and lifestyle brands. Closely comparable to Liquid in business model, independent structure, and creative-led culture.
- Ragged Edge: Independent London branding and design agency working on brand strategy, identity, and naming for ambitious consumer and lifestyle brands. Comparable to Liquid Lab / Liquid Brands in brand strategy focus.
- Mother Design: The design arm of Mother London, offering brand identity, design systems, and creative work. Comparable to Liquid Create on creative and brand scaling dimensions.
- Design Bridge and Partners: Global brand design and strategy agency (formerly Superunion and The Partners), serving premium consumer and lifestyle brands. Comparable to Liquid in brand strategy depth and lifestyle client roster.
- Anomaly: Independent creative agency with offices in multiple markets, blending advertising, brand strategy, and design work for premium consumer brands. Comparable to Liquid in its non-holding-company structure and brand-building orientation.
- The Brooklyn Brothers: Independent creative agency with London and NYC presence, focused on culturally led brand-building for fashion, sport, and lifestyle clients. Direct competitor for the same enterprise client verticals Liquid serves.
- Koto Studio: Independent brand and creative studio with offices in London and elsewhere, focused on brand identity and strategy for consumer and tech-forward brands. Comparable in independent structure and brand-first creative orientation.
- Uncommon Creative Studio: Independent creative studio founded by former Mother and Droga talent, focused on brand-building for ambitious challenger and heritage brands. Comparable to Liquid in independent model, design-led creative output, and premium lifestyle client base.
Broad incumbents
- Wieden+Kennedy: Iconic independent creative agency with global offices, famous for Nike, Levi's, and culturally influential campaigns. Highly comparable brand portfolio (especially Levi's, a Liquid client) and creative reputation.
- Droga5 (part of Accenture Song): Premium global creative agency known for culturally charged campaigns for brands like The New York Times, Under Armour, and Amazon. A larger incumbent in the same creative-led, culture-first space Liquid targets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Liquid social profiles
Digital presenceLiquid financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Liquid leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Liquid subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Liquid funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Liquid M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Liquid
What does Liquid do?
Liquid is an expert collective creative agency that sells brand strategy, cultural insight, creative execution (design, photography, video, social, experiential), and brand scaling services to enterprise and mid-market brands. It delivers these through a lean in-house team working with a curated global network of culturally connected thought leaders, assembling bespoke teams per client brief across sports, fashion, wellness and lifestyle verticals.
Is Liquid a public or private company?
Liquid is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Liquid founded?
Liquid was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Liquid based?
Liquid is headquartered in Liverpool, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Liquid make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Creative and Strategy Services are the primary driver. The others are brand Scaling Services.
Who are Liquid's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mother London, Ragged Edge, Mother Design, Design Bridge and Partners, Anomaly, The Brooklyn Brothers, Koto Studio and Uncommon Creative Studio. Broad incumbents are Wieden+Kennedy and Droga5 (part of Accenture Song).
Does Liquid have an API?
No public API is recorded for Liquid.
What industry is Liquid in?
Liquid's product category is Creative and Brand Agency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAAAA, Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies. Its SIC code is 7330.