AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS — Premium brand and experience design studio ShopTalk has joined DEPT, one of the fastest-growing digital agencies in the world. With clients including Arm, Heinz, Innocent, and Piëch, ShopTalk specializes in combining talent and technology to create impactful brand experiences. The London-based agency will bolster DEPT’s creative practice in the UK while opening up DEPT’s full-service offering to ShopTalk’s existing client base.
“At ShopTalk, we’re passionate about using brand and creative as powerful commercial tools for companies large and small, lifting them to great things,” said Paul Ferry, director and co-founder of ShopTalk. “What really resonated with us at DEPT was the boutique level of service that they offer their clients, but with the talent, expertise, and scale to provide brand experiences akin to that of a global network agency.”
“DEPT has been making waves in the creative industry for some time now,” said James Wood, creative director and co-founder of ShopTalk. “It was inspiring to spend time with their teams across Europe to witness how they combine marketing, technology, and creativity to deliver next-level brand experiences. We’re so excited about this next step for ShopTalk.”
ShopTalk has a number of long-standing clients including enterprise technology provider Arm, where it acts as brand guardian over all elements of design. For Swiss electric car manufacturer Piëch, the studio has created a brand and digital-first design system that perfectly balances the company’s European heritage with its tech mindset, to appeal to the next generation of sports car enthusiasts. For Heinz, ShopTalk ensured brand consistency across its global website for over 5,700 products in 18 markets.
“Paul, James, and their team have built an awesome team culture and deliver premium brand experiences and top-notch creative, while staying fast and flexible,” said Dimi Albers, global CEO of DEPT. “The team has tons of experience and will bring our branding and experience design work to the next level.”
The studio will be co-branded to SHOPTALK/DEPT and will continue to operate under the leadership of its founders and existing management team. Founded in Amsterdam in 2015, DEPT has quickly grown across the globe, from 150 people in The Netherlands to more than 3,000 people in seventeen countries across five continents, working with brands including Google, Philips, eBay, Patagonia, ASOS, and Diageo. ShopTalk is the fifth agency to join DEPT this year following multidisciplinary creative agency Dogstudio, US-based growth marketing agency 3Q Digital, renowned creative studio Hello Monday, and data science and engineering firm, Raybeam.
