Watermark Creative celebrates 26 years in a transformed industry with new website

Watermark Creative is one of Australia and New Zealand’s most respected agencies in the creative sector. This month the team celebrates an admirable 26 years in business made possible by the diverse talents of its people and their successful collaborations with marketeers, advertising, brand and design agencies.

Watermark Creative is celebrating 26 years with the launch of a new website: https://watermarkcreative.co/.

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Watermark Creative’s three directors are all creatives in their own right – Phillip Small, Dean Proudfoot and Dave Way. With studios in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, the business is structured to draw on individual strengths. Watermark Creative’s teams are recognised for their ability to harness the richness of working collaboratively and it is this point of difference that sets them apart.

Says Phillip Small, director of Watermark Creative’s Sydney office: “The business community’s acknowledgment that creativity is now a commercial imperative has radically shifted perceptions about creativity’s application. That’s a pretty exciting opportunity for everyone in the sector as we’re seeing creativity’s incredible reach and diverse expression positively impacting everyday products and services not only commercially, but socially and culturally.

“As a creative business, it’s great to see a more trusting relationship with creativity emerging, but more importantly it’s an amazing experience for us to be able to facilitate the creative development of each artist that chooses to be part of our collaborative structure.”

Says David Way, Watermark’s Auckland based director: “We’ve learned that we have a unique ability to express ideas and stories and that this is something that transcends technology and medium. Today, brand storytelling and experiences are playing out in exciting spaces. Similarly, where we began with acrylic paints and air brushes, digital sculpting and augmented reality is now the status quo.”

Way points out that commercial artists are fast understanding the value and versatility of their skills in a quickly fragmenting market. He says that Watermark Creative is passionate about providing a highly collaborative studio environment that fosters creative individualism and encourages people to stretch beyond their capabilities to produce effective work that adds value to client campaigns.

Says Way: “We’re focused on providing an environment where people can be nurtured creatively and grow independently within the business. There are too many forms of expression for an individual to master. The key is finding people that ‘get it’ and do amazing things with their talent. Of course, if you share a vision with your team, as we do, then their skills can help realise your vision and theirs. It is this future that is really exciting.”

While launching a new website and celebrating seven recent award nominations at this year’s NZ Best Awards to be announced on October 6, Watermark Creative is also bearing a refreshed name moving on from Watermark Ltd.

The new site showcases the extensive portfolio and talents executed by the agency from large advertising campaigns using multiple artists, to beautiful packaging projects created by individuals, animated TVCs involving teams from storyboard artists to final art, and the agency’s fast growing expertise in interactive apps.

Says Small: “Brands are looking for different ways of communicating their unique message. As passionate artists and commercial illustrators, we are continually developing creative strategies to add value to brands.”

Says Way: “With a strong interest in creative technologies we’ve been able to grow this side of the business. Moving forward with interactive and emerging technologies we’re in a unique position to handle projects with a broad range of visual treatments using our growing team of talented illustrators.”

Says Dean Proudfoot, director, Watermark Creative: “We have a team of people who are truly passionate about what they do. To be part of that is an absolute pleasure. They not only push themselves but they push each other to take their work to new levels, setting the bar higher each time. For us to achieve excellent business outcomes, we must co-exist in a deep professional respect with each other and with our clients. At Watermark we pride ourselves in having this foundation of respect underpinning everything we do.”