What Hey! What? does

Hey! What? is a strategic branding and creative agency founded in 2018 by Hamish McWhirter and based in Bristol, United Kingdom. Operating as a private limited company (Hey! What? Ltd, registered in England and Wales), the studio offers an integrated suite of services spanning brand strategy and identity, graphic and digital design, motion graphics and 3D animation, packaging design, illustration, website development, and branded photography. Production is built on industry-standard creative tooling — Adobe Creative Suite, After Effects, Blender, and Cinema 4D — with proprietary processes around joint-based character rigging and multi-platform animation output for social, web, TV, festival stage visuals, and out-of-home formats.

The agency serves a deliberately curated vertical mix led by music, festivals, and nightlife (Glastonbury Silver Hayes, Massive Attack, Atlantic Records/Maisie Peters, Love Saves The Day, DMC, Eats Everything, Quarters Nightclub) and food and beverage brands (Miss Millie's, Oowee, Spill Tea, Bristol Beer Factory). Secondary verticals include venues and attractions (Bristol Beacon, Royal Parks Half Marathon) and hospitality (The Sheep & Penguin). Its revenue model is project-based professional services delivered as bespoke brand, design, animation, packaging, and web engagements; client acquisition is sales-led, driven by a portfolio website, organic social (LinkedIn, Instagram), industry event presence (notably OFFF Festival), and referral. The firm is bootstrapped and founder-owned, with a Managing Director, Creative Partner, Account Director, and a small multidisciplinary production team of approximately eight people.

As of 2024 the studio is investing in leadership and process maturity: Amy Gettings was appointed Managing Director and Dan Kealey joined as Account Director, a sister-agency partnership with Duchess Media extends the firm into social and PR-enabled website work, and new service lines in social media filters (Snapchat, TikTok) and sustainable FMCG packaging have been added. There is no external investment, no patent or proprietary technology moat beyond craft expertise, and no disclosed revenue or AI/ML capability in the data.

Name

Hey! What?

Legal name

Hey! What? Ltd

Website

https://heywhat.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hey! What? is a Bristol-based branding and creative agency offering strategy, design, animation, packaging, and web services to music, festival, food & beverage, and hospitality clients across the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Branding and Creative Agency Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Graphic Design Services (541430), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creative & Brand Campaign Development (BPAFAAAB), Packaging & Brand Identity Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAN)

Keywords

• Creative branding services
• Graphic design agency
• Motion graphics production
• Packaging design services
• Brand strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Project-based creative services including branding, design, animation, illustration, and packaging design. Work is delivered across branding projects, campaign creative, social content, website development, and merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hey! What? is a Bristol-based strategic branding and creative agency delivering end-to-end creative services spanning brand strategy, identity design, motion graphics and 3D animation, packaging design, illustration, website development, and photography. The studio works as a project-based creative partner for culture, music, food & drink, hospitality, and experience-led brands, producing campaign creative, packaging systems, animated visuals, and digital properties from concept through to delivery.

Product overview

Hey! What? is a strategic branding and creative agency based in Bristol offering a unified suite of creative services: Branding (strategy, identity, guidelines), Design (graphic, digital, out-of-home), Animation (motion graphics, 3D via Blender/Cinema 4D), Packaging (food/drink/FMCG), Illustration, Website Development, and Photography. The agency works across culture, music, events, food & drink, and hospitality sectors, serving clients from independent startups to global brands including Glastonbury, Bristol Beacon, Atlantic Records, Oowee, and Miss Millie's. Services are delivered as bespoke project work rather than a modular software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding Services Strategic brand development including brand strategy, brand identity creation, brand guidelines, and brand positioning for culture, music, and experience-led brands.
• Design Services Graphic design spanning logo creation, 48-sheet billboards, festival posters, food and drink packaging, social content, and digital design for websites and promotional materials.
• Animation Services Motion graphics and 3D animation production using After Effects, Blender, and Cinema 4D for social media, TV, festival stage visuals, out-of-home campaigns, music visualisers, and DJ visuals.
• Packaging Design Packaging design for food, drink, and FMCG brands covering print finishes, die-cuts, tactile varnishes, spot foils, and sustainable/compostable packaging materials from concept through to shelf.
• Illustration Services Character and graphic illustration for brand identities, editorial use, packaging, and animation character design including joint-based rigging for motion.
• Website Design and Development Website design and development with UX reimagining, CMS implementation, drag-and-drop asset libraries, and performance-optimised builds.
• Photography Services Branded photography production for portfolio showcasing, social content, and marketing collateral.

Quantifiable outcome

• Spill Tea landed first supermarket listing in under two years after brand launch
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Duchess MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister agency partnership for website projects. Hey! What? collaborates with Duchess Media (social and PR agency) on client website deliverables, combining creative design with social media and PR expertise.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Studio Output: UK-based independent creative studio offering branding, design, motion, and digital experiences for culture-driven brands. Comparable to Hey! What? across music/festival clients, motion graphics, and integrated creative services.
• Robot Food: UK-based creative agency specializing in food, drink and FMCG branding, packaging design, and brand strategy. Highly comparable to Hey! What? for the overlap in food/beverage clients (Oowee, Miss Millie's, Spill Tea) and packaging capabilities.
• BrandOpus: London-based brand strategy and creative agency working across packaging, brand identity and campaign development. Overlaps with Hey! What? on FMCG/food branding and brand campaign work.
• dn&co: London-based branding, packaging and motion design agency for ambitious brands. Comparable to Hey! What? for the combination of brand identity, packaging, and animation work for culture and consumer brands.
• Made Thought: London creative studio delivering brand identity, design, motion, and digital for cultural and consumer clients. Comparable to Hey! What? for the integrated creative services and culture-adjacent client base.
• Carter Wong Design: UK design agency focused on brand identity, packaging and creative campaigns for ambitious brands. Overlaps with Hey! What? on branding, packaging, and campaign execution.
• Koto: London-based branding and design agency offering brand strategy, identity, motion and digital. Comparable to Hey! What? for its full-service creative model and focus on challenger/experience-led brands.

Broad incumbents

• Moving Brands: Established London-headquartered brand experience agency offering strategy, identity, motion, and digital. Overlaps with Hey! What? on integrated creative services and motion design, but operates at a much larger scale across multiple offices.
• Uncommon Creative Studio: London-based independent creative agency with expertise in brand strategy, identity, and campaigns. Comparable to Hey! What? on culture-led brand work but operates with significantly more scale and global clients.

Emerging players

• BigSmall Studio: Smaller UK creative outfit working with culture, music, and hospitality brands. Useful peer for scale comparison given similar team size and creative positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hey-what
• Instagraminstagram.com/heywhatstudio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hey! What?