Description
Driven by the same progressive spirit that has defined the agency for over four decades, BBH (Bartle Bogle Hegarty) today unveils a refreshed visual identity that honours its storied heritage while sharpening its focus on the future of creative excellence.
Since its 1982 founding by John Bartle, Sir Nigel Bogle, and Sir John Hegarty, the agency has operated under a singular, defiant mantra: “When the world zigs, zag.” This philosophy, famously paired with the iconic black sheep in their inaugural Levi’s campaign, remains the cornerstone of the brand’s DNA.
BBH still believes that creativity and difference are the biggest drivers for commercial growth. So to move the brand on, without moving it off, BBH’s Felipe Serradourada Guimarães and Adam Buckland, supported by the rest of the agency, set out the vision.
At the heart of the new identity are three bespoke typefaces, created in collaboration with Studio DRAMA, the London-based type studio behind the Heinz typeface. Each one honours one of BBH’s three founders, capturing a distinct creative instinct that continues to shape the agency today:
BBH Bartle: designed for clarity, with broad, confident letterforms
BBH Bogle: built for conviction, echoing the heavier pen strokes of the original BBH logo
BBH Hegarty: crafted for creativity — expressive and unconventional, embodying the spirit of the Zag
The BBH Hegarty font also features custom characters known as ‘Zag’ glyphs, allowing users to express their difference in subtle but unmistakable ways. Used thoughtfully, it turns every word into a small act of rebellion.
Chris Nott, Co-Founder & Type Director at Studio DRAMA shared: “BBH is one of those rare brands that every creative grows up admiring, so being trusted to shape its first new typeface in 44 years was a huge honour. From day one, this felt like a true collaboration. Together we set out to build a contemporary British grotesque that respected BBH’s heritage while giving it room to push forward. Each cut was designed with one of the founders in mind, and the ‘Zag’ alternates let us hardwire the black sheep mindset directly into the font. Used sparingly, they allow the type to break convention in all the right ways.”
Reinforcing BBH’s belief of accessibility to creativity, the typefaces have all been made available for free as open-source Google fonts. Since going live, the typeface has seen a combined total of 4 million downloads worldwide.
To bring its defining mantra to life, BBH has taken the slogan “When the world zigs, zag” and made it physical, visualising it through a series of bespoke 3D Zags created for clients and key stakeholders.
Built in 3D by BBH’s Design Department’s Sophie Harper and gifted motion by BBH’s Motion Lead, Oded Shein, the Zags transform a line of copy into a living brand asset - dimensional, expressive, and unmistakably BBH. Ever-present across the new identity, they make the power of difference tangible, injecting human creativity into the heart of the new identity and turning a long-held philosophy into something you can see, share, and hold.
Felipe Serradourada Guimaraes, ECD at BBH shared: “The BBH brand hasn’t been touched since its inception in 1982, so we had a lot of pressure on us to get this right. We needed to modernise the brand, whilst still honouring our iconic heritage.”
He continues; “In a time of uncertainty, BBH is showing stability. Stability as a business but also in our beliefs - we are doubling down on Zag in the face of the sloppy AI sameness, evolving the meaning behind the BBH brand and power of difference.”
The new VI was teased to employees with custom, limited edition fleeces, designed by BBH’s Design department and realised by BBH’s production department in collaboration with Senior Design Consultant, Limma Ali. The black fleeces are pared back, featuring ‘BBH’ in the new typefaces embroidered on the chest pocket and a small, yellow ID tag, usually used for sheep, clipped on the hem.
Filmed on location with a flock of heritage Radnor sheep in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The specially commissioned film, directed by artist filmmaker Gilly Booth, incorporates stunning aerial cinematography by Cinearth. This 44 second film was created in homage to the original BBH Levis advert made 44 years ago.
The new identity has been adopted globally with a new global website, created in-house in collaboration with Creative Developer, Oliver Brown.
This professional campaign titled 'NEW VISUAL IDENTITY' was published in United Kingdom in February, 2026. It was created for the brand: Bartle Bogle Hegarty, by ad agencies: BBH and BBH London. This Integrated medium campaign is related to the Agency Self-Promo industry and contains 9 media assets. It was submitted 35 minutes ago.
