Helena Traill on building a successful agency, co-design principles and doing things differently

The Strategy & Creative Podcast

In this Strategy & Creative Podcast episode, I interview Helena Traill, an acolyte and proponent of creative co-design and the founder of the growing creative design agency Nooh Studio.

In the show Helena shares her unique journey from art school to agency owner - bucking the trend of seeking creative employment at some large enterprise - and how her vision for collaborative design is the foundation for the agency's meaningful work for clients and its growth.

This episode is awash with valuable lessons and a fair few personal anecdotes that will resonate with anyone interested in strategy, growth, positioning, and the stories behind successful ventures.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Reaching potential through Co-Design: Helena lays out the impactful process of co-design with clients, citing design sprints and stakeholder collaboration as key elements. She provides a real-life case study of working with young individuals on a brand project, demonstrating the iterative nature of co-design and how everyone gets involved.
• The journey to Nooh Studio: Helena narrates her path from a graphic designer working on a personally meaningful book to founding Nooh Studio, an agency focused on collaborative design and storytelling. Learn how a childhood comfort blanket named "Nunu" inspired the agency’s name and branding.
• Efficiency of co-design in healthcare: Helena discusses her work on a healthcare design consultancy with the NHS, emphasizing how co-design leads to more efficient and clear decision-making processes in healthcare storytelling.
• Challenges and triumphs: Helena opens up about the challenges she faced, including working with ADHD and using a team of virtual assistants. She also reflects on the critical advice that helped her succeed in sales and networking.
• Engaging personal content: Despite her preference for detailed storytelling on LinkedIn, Helena's personal video updates have proven to be effective in growing her audience.

This episode is a must-listen for creative minds seeking to leverage co-design for impactful change or exploring new ways to deliver distinctive content and visual work.

Follow Helena on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenatraill/

Check out Nooh Studio’s website: https://noohstudio.com/