Added dimension for design agency Elmwood
Adoption of AR alone is expected to grow to over two billion users. Steve Gatfield, chairman of Elmwood
A DESIGN consultancy has completed the acquisition of a London-based digital design agency as it looks to increase its virtual and augmented reality capabilities.
Leeds-based Elmwood has acquired Framework Creative, an agency specialising in the design and production of virtual brand experiences using the latest technologies such as augmented and virtual reality.
Elmwood believes the rise of AR and VR is likely to provide new ways to help clients activate and amplify their brands.
Steve Gatfield, chairman of Elmwood, said: “AR and VR are the new frontiers of immersive experience.
“Adoption of AR alone is expected to grow to over two billion users by 2020.
“As designers of brand meaning, we are hungry to harness their immense potential to redimensionalise experience and deepen engagement, especially as physical products transform into interactive media.”
Framework Creative, which was founded by Roddy Robertson and Sam Fazakerley, becomes part of Elmwood’s London studio and will continue to operate as a standalone business.
Jonathan Sands OBE, owner of Elmwood, said: “As one of the few remaining independent global design consultancies, I am incredibly proud that Elmwood – in its 40th anniversary year – can continue to invest in its own future through targeted acquisitions.
“We’re tripping over the future, and we’ve been looking to make an acquisition such as this for some time.
“The guys from Framework have actually been living in our London studio for several months as a sort of courtship to ensure we both like one another.
“The energy that they have brought us is infectious and we are actively collaborating on a number of high profile projects.”