Nooh’s Journey: 1 Year Since our Re-Brand

It was only a year ago that we became nooh Studio, but our business spans from much before that. Over the years, we have honed our skills, becoming experts in co-design. To celebrate one year of officially being nooh, we wanted to take time to share the nooh difference.

Where it began

What would eventually become nooh Studio, actually started in 2015. With founder, Helena Traill, embarking on an Art Foundation course at Central Saint Martins. Graduating with a first class degree in Graphic Communication Design, Helena worked as a freelancer initially. Interning at Vogue and Pulse Films, and working with the Warner Media Innovation Team, she also dipped her toe into the world of healthcare design and utterly loved it. During this time, Helena also completed the University of the Arts London, Creative Business Accelerator (UAL accelerator) in partnership with Google Startups. 

Everything changed in 2019, when as part of her studies, Helena published 100 Stories of Cancer. A deeply personal project, where Helena shared stories from people who have had their lives impacted by cancer; including her own family's story.

100 Stories of Cancer

The 100 Stories Book highlighted to Helena what was important with design and why storytelling is so important. 

In 2021, Helena launched Helena Traill Design Ltd after seeing the darker side of the creative industry. Inspired to do better for clients, work in an ethical and human centred approach, the limited company was formed. 

Less than a year later, the team had grown to a full time team of 4 designers all with the same goal, passion and drive. To show this, Helena Traill Design Ltd officially rebranded and we introduced, nooh Studio to the world in November 2022.

While Helena might not work by herself anymore, 100 Stories of Cancer is still just as important and has become the blueprint that nooh now base all of our work on. By being able to immerse ourselves in the emotional world of someone else, we can reflect on our own stories and experiences. nooh knows first hand that telling of and sharing of stories creates powerful communities.

“This revelatory, moving and ingeniously structured book will make readers think and become readier to talk about cancer, a subject that is, for many, still wrapped in silence. It is a book for anyone whose life has been affected by the disease directly or indirectly – a book, in other words, for everyone.” - Kate Kellaway, The Guardian

We are proud to be a design-led storytelling agency, and we have a tried and tested nooh way of thinking that can transform and grow your charity, business or brand.

What is the nooh® way of thinking?

We are a creative agency focused on community; we work with organisations to engage with their target community in a meaningful way. 

We want everything we do to be authentic to you, impactful and effective. We do this by making sure we understand your story and the stories of those you work with or for. We will then help transform your visual identity, helping you to build a brand that tells your story in the best way possible. Equipping you with a toolkit of everything you could need to brand your organisation, we will then drive your growth curated personal brand storytelling campaigns to the right people.

“The art of co-design is about sharing power, building relationships, and crafting together a more inclusive future.” – Hannah, nooh Studio Manager

At nooh studio, being design thinking experts means that our work stands out with beautiful and creative marketing and design. We’re really proud of the work we do with clients and in fact, we think our clients prove how our community focused brand and design approach is working.

“In a world distracted by tricks and stunts, it was a relief to find someone who understands the profound importance of telling complex stories through everyday words and pictures.” – Michael Corley, Stop Superbugs

While we have only been nooh in name for one year, today, we are celebrating all the change we have been able to create through design. Through years of deeply listening to our clients, creating and supporting local communities and helping businesses revolutionise the way they tell their story; helping more people to tell their stories, in a nooh way.

Feel free to book in a call with Helena to say hi or follow along by subscribing to our newsletter for monthly updates.

Behind our brand story

Before you head off, here are some of our frequently asked questions we have been asked along the way…

Q: Where did the name come from?
A: This is the top question we get asked! And other than the great puns “a nooh brand”, “happy nooh year”, there is a backstory. Our founder Helena’s childhood blanket was called noo-noo. So it’s half of that with an H on the end! The name and feeling of the blanket echoes through our branding. With squares as patterns to match the design, messaging that talks about thinking ‘inside and outside the box’ and the idea of finding comfort, connection and community through storytelling. 

Q: Why the lowercase ‘n’?
A: Because it typesets much nicer and is symmetrical (a neurodivergent founder thing!).

Q: Why are you specialists in co-design and collaboration?
A: Co-design isn't just a method; it's a movement where we honour lived experiences, value diverse perspectives, and share in the art of storytelling. We know that working together and collaborating produces the best results for innovative design and storytelling.

Q: What is a design sprint and why do you do them?
A: A design sprint is more than just a brainstorming workshop, it’s a dynamic 90 minute session where people come together from communities and design professionals come together to build relationships and explore their ideas. It’s a fun, exciting, creative whirlwind that we bring to all our projects.

Q: Do you work for specific sectors?
A: We have found our process does work best for certain sectors, like sport, health and wellbeing, charities and youth. And this is where we have built up lots of case studies. However we are not limited to this, we work with lawyers, interior design businesses and lots of startups. 

Q: Where is nooh going? 
A: We get asked this question all the time. While nooh doesn’t exactly have a 5 year plan, we know how we want nooh to feel. We want to be creating a big impact, telling stories and improving communities through communication, connection and collaboration. We hope that we can continue to do what we do best, share stories, and do that for more clients than ever before.