Design View With… Global design agency Harrison
Harrison is a global agency that creates distinctive spaces, and memorable brand experiences, through architecture, interior design and branding.
Founded by Philip Harrison 35 years ago, it now has studios in the UK, the US, and Australia.
Philip Harrison wanted the freedom to “explore and exploit” his potential, and nurturing and developing the team remains a major part of the company’s culture.
The founder always believed that building a best-in-class design business, “would be best served by giving opportunity and the freedom for the people who joined Harrison to grow.”
We spoke with CEO Keith Anderson and Claire Siderfin, creative director of branding, UK, to find out more about the studio’s work, its culture and its core beliefs.
What strengths does the studio derive from being global?
Keith Anderson: I feel strongly that being global is our superpower. It creates a worldly view, one that can help inspire and create change, allowing us to build our understanding, experience – and most of all, creating shared experience.
By being able to flex our resources across three studios, three continents, and multiple time zones, we essentially have a 36-hour office which comes together to meet one deadline. Every project can be a baton that is handed amongst teams to expedite deadlines.
This collaboration and sharing of knowledge provide a business advantage to Harrison and our clients.
Claire Siderfin: Working as a global team allows us to learn from each other. We can look beyond our own culture and communities to see what is happening around the world, both learning and teaching different nuances that we otherwise wouldn’t know.
We have feet on the ground in many communities, and each studio has special relationships with a network of local business and craftspeople to connect with and recommend to clients.
What are the core pillars of your studio culture?
Keith Anderson: Our philosophy begins in simplicity: clarity of thought, curiosity of mind, and kindness of spirit. Through design, we define a greater meaning, shaping direction from uncertainty and beauty from intent.
We are not merely designers. We are the purveyors of stories, partners in vision, and creators of connection.
Claire Siderfin: Everyone has a voice and is encouraged to learn and explore the world around us. Our directors have decades of wisdom and experience to pass down to colleagues, but in turn we look to the freshness, energy and agility that younger designers bring to the company to learn from and be inspired by.
Keith Anderson: We believe great design starts with humility. Not just in what we make, but how we get there. It begins with listening. With people. By asking the right questions and not pretending to have all the answers.
Claire Siderfin: We are respectful of clients’ dreams and ambitions, the journey they have been on, their history and their stories. Within hospitality especially, many brands started as a dream from one individual to start a business, and it is up to us as custodians of that brand to really help bring the soul into the experience.
We are honoured to be working with some amazing entrepreneurs and businesses to help them evolve and reinvent themselves. No brand is the same, and our approach considers this at every step.
What are the key traits you look for when hiring new employees?
Keith Anderson: Once we have established the passion for creativity, we look for ambition, drive, and care. It’s good to dream big, to aspire to lead and to want to build their career. We always look for curiosity and determination to deliver the design intent, through every signature moment, detail and touchpoint.
Claire Siderfin: There are two things that I look for:
Empathy – Without the natural ability to care and understand human behaviours, social interactions, and peoples’ differing mindsets, you can’t make experiences as meaningful and relevant as possible. Designers that are empathetic bring a wonderful charm and sensitivity to every experience they plan and design.
Logic can be taught, typography skills can be finessed, design techniques can be crafted, but, without empathy, you’ll never start from the right place; the businesses, guests and communities you are designing for.
Artistry – Without a profound ability to translate strategies and stories into wonderfully unique and imaginative brands and spaces, you’re only ever working around the periphery of what is truly possible.
Designers who are strong artists, illustrators, even poets, seem to possess something very special. They have a positive and infectiously inspiring outlook on how a brand could express itself and look for inspiration far away from what has already been done before.
Artists craft and express a brand’s world better than anyone.
How important is it to understand the psychology of the people you’re designing for?
Claire Siderfin: This is by far the most important stage of any partnership, no matter how big or small.
We always immerse ourselves in our clients’ worlds, their challenges and their ambitions. Alongside this, we undertake thorough research into who their customers are, their need state and the wider context of their lifestyle, life stage, and future.
We are out and about every week, sitting amongst clients’ guests and employees, forever inquisitive. I often find myself out of the studio more than in it and encourage colleagues to do the same.
Keith Anderson: We listen, we understand and then we design. With the purpose of connecting emotionally, the magic lies in the stories we bring to life.
Storytelling is our throughline, threading meaning through every decision, detail, and design. We aren’t just creating spaces, they’re experiences that create deep, lasting connections.
Can you give some specific examples of how that approach has shaped one of your projects?
Keith Anderson: Harrison had the privilege of working closely with an elegant, upscale restaurant brand in Dallas, Texas, the legendary III Forks. With a rich heritage which began near the confluence of three branches creating the Trinity River in Texas, this thread is delicately woven into the brand expression.
Working with local metalwork artists, the striking exterior design made up of interlocking panels in groupings of three to reinforce the brand name whilst capturing attention and embodying an understated luxury.
The subtle accentuations of the III Forks name extended to the artwork and upholstery, as well as going beyond architectural design, encompassing the full branding and guest experience from the new logo to custom flatware, staff uniforms, a curated music selection and to-go packaging, ensuring a cohesive look and feel.
Claire Siderfin: In the UK, The Zetland Arms is a fantastic example of how we really got under the skin of a building, the area, the clients.
We peeled back the layers to uncover hidden secrets and stories which would allow us to create rich and layered designs, cohesively weaving together centuries of history into one identity which would resonate with a modern audience. This can be found in the materials used, the botanical prints, the reclaimed oat and hand-glazed tiles.
Looking ahead to the next 12 months, what are you most excited about?
Claire Siderfin: We have some exciting projects in the studio at the moment and lots of conversations happening globally around how we can help clients grow beyond their own shores. That being said, we are as much excited about small local projects as we are about helping large F&B groups navigate future strategic growth.
Keith Anderson: It’s this passion, drive from within the team, and exceptional dedication which translates into projected sales growth for the next year in alignment with our average 20% growth trend over the past four years.
We have just launched our inaugural whitepaper, a piece of work spearheaded by creative director Sarah Jenkinson – Redefining Global Hospitality, the cultural crossroads of the US & UK.
Showcasing our deep understanding of cultural nuances, it explores multiple touchpoints from how people dine, socialise, what they expect and even how they are served.