Bleat talks to Rich Dempster co-director with Matt Austin of design agency Vast.
When was Vast born?
2003
How many staff are on the team?
12, including Vast Direct
You’re changing offices and we’re glad to see you’re only going round the corner. Why the move?
Happily, we’re expanding as a result of winning some new contracts. We’ve also set up Vast Direct to cater for existing and prospective clients’ growing photographic requirements and we needed our own studio space.
We have outgrown Round Foundry Media Centre and our own building gives us a bit more independence without losing the things we like about the Round Foundry.
Our new studio is a cool space and the whole area is somewhere that our staff are proud to be part of.
Tell us about the new business wins, good news at any time but never more so than in these tougher, highly competitive times.
In a general sense, our client base comes from two very different sectors: fashion and property/regeneration and we have won business in both areas.
In the last year, we’ve been appointed by Hull Gateway (part of Hull City Council) to create place-making branding for a huge regeneration programme called Newington St.Andrews.
We won a 4-way pitch for Invest in Nottingham (the council’s inward investment team) to brand and promote Southside, a new business district in Nottingham City Centre
On the fashion side, we have won several new clients including Gabbici, ONETrue Saxon (part of the Pentland group), Moda In Pelle, Gossard and Duck & Cover.
What attracted you to the building on Water Lane?
Matt and myself are both ex-Attik who were the tenants of the space before us, so moving in here feels very much like keeping it in the family. And it’s right next door to the pub
Our landlord – err, you - pointed out what a good idea it would be for us to take a bigger unit and, as igloo is also our client, we felt we couldn’t say no!
In truth, once the practical boxes were ticked, the decision came down to liking the look and feel of the building, there being plenty of expansion space, where we could logically divide the space between the two businesses and affordability.
We’ve made friends with lots of people here from working in the Round Foundry and we will still be bumping into them regularly. Probably in the pub.
Did you work at Attik when the business was located here? How long did you work there?
Matt and I were part of the senior creative team in Huddersfield, but left in 1995 to set up our first design business. I was there for nearly six years; Matt for four years.
What do you like about being based in Holbeck Urban Village?
It’s unique. We like its independence, its proximity to the city centre and easy access for clients with plenty of parking. We like the array of bars and restaurants. It’s easy for our guys coming in on the train. I think it’s a draw for both clients and staff.
More and more, something good or fun is going on around here. On an increasingly regular basis there are seminars, art spaces, a summer party and quirky things like Wonderwood which together make the place interesting.
What’s next for Vast?
We’ve just published the eighth edition of Shufti (as in, ‘let’s have a’). Despite the northern English name it’s a lush collaboration of creative talents telling a timeless Italian love story.
Shufti has been a ‘calling card’ of the highest order for us, giving us a breakthrough with some of Britain’s leading fashion heavyweights. It’s really made a difference in getting us noticed by brands that are on our dream list of clients and, on the back of Shufti, we’ve had meetings recently with Paul Smith, Henri Lloyd, Lee Cooper and Hackett.