Our Early Days: The Debut Singles

By 1993, Spiral had already made a name locally as a solo act, operating as a sole trader business for a year or so. By the time Spiral became a limited company, we had a grand total of three people working in the business (one of them being me, of course) – a power trio with a handful of clients who had put their faith in us.

Back then we were working from very basic offices above a printers in Leeds. The future looked rather uncertain, but very exciting. All our kit was second hand, but we were very much the shiny new digital agency staffed, as we were, by people with hair and a waistline under 32 inches (ah… those were the days).

I recall having one very clear aspiration: to make clients happy by delivering great design work and a service they could rely on 24/7. Sure, I was probably young and idealistic, but that ambition was fundamental and saw us through thick and thin. It still underpins the business today.

Moving On Up: Developing The Spiral Sound

We were keen to let people know about our creativity and marketing skills, so we busked for business and knocked on so many doors asking for work. Luckily, one of those knocks led to our first great client: Central Motor Auctions. As our first good, regular gig, the steady stream of design work they gave us (from auction booklets to adverts) bolstered our portfolio and turned it from a promising EP to a full-blown album! In time, it opened the door to many other great collaborations with the likes of the University of Leeds and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). It felt like people were starting to hear us.

Those early clients put a lot of trust and faith in us. The stand-out work we did for them in turn showed them that our plucky little outfit, Spiral, would go far – especially when our biggest fans took us along with them as their own careers developed. Very soon we were enjoying headline spots with names like Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Mail, First Bus and RSA.

Working with some of these clients helped us refine and improve our offering. We soon benefitted from a purpose-designed, professional studio with all the right kit in it too – after years of managing in an often tricky, sometimes shared, space. Our fanbase grew to include organisations like LinkedIn, Virgin, Legal & General and The AA.

Of course, there have been challenges along the way – COVID being one of the biggest. But our grassroots beginnings coupled with everything we’d learnt along the way meant we took the opportunity to roll-out an effective WFH and flexible working set-up that we still use today. Commercial creativity, mixing thing up, igniting clients’ enthusiasm and empowering our own team – this was the Spiral sound right from the very beginning.

Signs Of The Times: Staying At The Top

Over our 33⅓ years, the industry has changed out of all recognition from the drawing board and marker visuals (I still remember the smell of those markers!) to AI assisted design apps. But that signature Spiral sound has stayed consistent. Of course, technology has affected the way we approach things, dropping new ways of thinking and working into the mix. There was a time when even Macs, emails, mobile phones and PDFs were brand new tech for the Spiral team. Arrangements may have evolved, and tempos certainly have increased, but Spiral’s steady beat has stayed strong.

A solid backline of core values has helped us keep on track too. This has helped us address important new priorities, like accessibility, the environment and DE&I – and manage the impact they have on the work we do.

All Together Now: It’s All About The Band!

Spiral has had some fantastic line-ups over the years. Talented people with their own very specific skills and experience in design, copywriting, video, animation, HTML and coding (even Adobe Flash – anyone remember that?). Each one of these individuals have been instrumental in helping us produce hit after hit, blending their own sound with that unique Spiral back beat.

The main creative voice comes from our very own Rob Maxfield – something of a legend here at Spiral and with our clients. Rob’s been our front man since 1997 – and a few of the current line-up (Nik ‘Brandmaster Flash’ Moran, Steve ‘Techno’ Coombs and Chris ‘Lil Word‘ Mawson) have shared the limelight with him for well over ten years. We’ve found that the longer we play together, the tighter the performance and the more seamless the delivery.

Spiral is built on the strength and long-term commitment of our team – and the robust partnership this allows us to develop with our clients.

Track Records: Our Big Hits

Like all great outfits, Spiral has some stand out hits in their back catalogue. Projects where chances were taken or when we presented an novel idea and the client loved it and went with it. Our Best Of… album would definitely contain:

• Some Creative Nu Skool Rap: The time we wrapped the entire front of an office block with a massive advert as part of a national campaign.
• A Colleague Engagement Floor Filler: The time we turned a repurposed steel mill into a funfair style environment as part of our client’s company-wide change programme.
• A Digital Transformation Anthem: The time we lead the recruitment drive for one of the UK’s biggest universities, pushing boundaries and engagement levels.
• A Colleague Campaign Remixed: The time we sent photographers all over the UK for a top bank, snapping their colleagues doing what they loved to show how their company benefits helped them do it.

Remasters: The Next ⅓ Century

Spiral’s creative rhythm has stayed strong throughout its 33⅓ years. Yes, we’ve gone from four simple tracks to complex multi-channel productions – but our ability to remix and reignite innovation with smart creative solutions has never changed. We always love playing to an appreciative audience and picking up new fans along the way!

For any great band, Side 2 often contains some surprises and Spiral will be no different. We hope our next 33⅓ years will play out to be as creative and engaging as Side 1. In fact, with the addition of newer team members – Gavin ‘Fasthand’ McEwan, Jess ‘Ice-B’ Bentley, Dan ‘Bam-Bam‘ Craven and returning band member Jacob ‘Dizzy Sheets’ Thornton-Molineaux, we’ve already got plans for some exciting new material and a full UK tour.

We remain inspired by creativity, cultural trends and whatever delivers the best results for our clients. We will always take the lead nurturing new talent, investing in our people and the next generation through our thriving work experience programme. Spiral is actively mixing the past, present and future to keep on revolving and evolving – and to keep on creating that brilliantly distinctive Spiral sound.

Bonus Tracks

And just for a bit of fun – here's what’s been playing in the Spiral studio over the years: