Above & Beyond was created with one goal in mind; to achieve design excellence – AND deliver excellent outcomes.
OUR MANIFESTO
We want to be the creative partner our clients trust to get things right. That means combining strong ideas, considered thinking and high standards of execution — whatever the scale of the project. The way we work is shaped by four simple principles.
AN INDEPENDENT STATE OF MIND
We’re an independent design studio with no hidden agenda and no unnecessary layers. We work in a way that is right for the client, the project and the outcome — and we choose to work with people who value the same standards we do.
IT BEGINS AND ENDS WITH CREATIVITY
Creativity sits at the heart of everything we do. We’ll always look for the stronger idea, the more interesting route and the better way to solve the problem — and we’ll encourage our clients to come with us.
NO HALF-MEASURES
If we take something on, we care about getting it right. That means asking the right questions, challenging where necessary and taking responsibility for the outcome — not simply doing the minimum required to complete the brief.
TRUE ATTENTION TO DETAIL
The details matter. From the first idea to the final artwork, we believe the difference between good work and great work is often found in the things other people overlook.
THE STUDIO
Every project is led by me, Christopher Ball — a designer with more than a decade of agency experience working with leading brands.
Over the years I’ve worked on projects for the NHS, Yotel, Waitrose, Balfour Beatty, Dunlop, Seiko and many others.
Above & Beyond gives clients direct access to senior creative expertise without the layers of a traditional agency. I stay close to the brief, the thinking and the client relationship from start to finish.
Starting the studio was the realisation of a long-held ambition to build something of my own — while creating the kind of direct, collaborative relationships with clients that I value most.
I don’t believe every project should be delivered by one person, though. When the brief calls for it, Above & Beyond brings in trusted specialists across strategy, copywriting, development, film, animation and illustration. Senior creative direction stays close. Specialist capability scales around the project.
WHO WE WORK WITH
We don’t define a good client by size, sector or geography. What matters is ambition, trust and a genuine belief in the value of good creative work.
We work best with businesses that want more than an extra pair of hands — clients who value senior thinking, open collaboration and relationships that can grow over time.
Big or small, established or emerging, local or international: if the ambition is there, we’re interested.
“Above & Beyond conceived the entire identity of The English Wine Shop, from the logo to the englishwineshop.com website and the packaging, and I was delighted with the whole process. They have also designed every Arrowsmith Winery label, the Ballerina label among them, as well as the winery's website and all our business cards, and they have taken on a great deal of design work for my other company, Temperature Indicators. They are an exceptionally talented studio; consistently providing concepts that are creative and thoughtful, then seeing each project through to execution with complete professionalism. The standard of the work is outstanding, and I recommend them without reservation.”
Tim Arrowsmith, The English Wine Shop and Arrowsmith Winery