Creative Salon Loves… BBH’s First Rebrand Since 1982

“When the world zigs, zag.” More than 40 years on, that mantra still drives BBH. Paired with its iconic black sheep, a symbol of creative independence and non-conformity, it’s what has kept the agency standing out from the advertising crowd.

That spirit hasn’t dimmed under Publicis Groupe. Long after founders John Bartle, Sir Nigel Bogle, and Sir John Hegarty left the building, BBH has unveiled a refreshed visual identity designed to honour its heritage while doubling down on its promise of creative excellence.

“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,” explains Felipe Serradourada Guimaraes.

The vision for the refresh has been led by Felipe Serradourada Guimarães and Adam Buckland while being supported across the agency and by typeface consultancy Studio DRAMA to reflect the belief that creativity and differences are the main drivers for commercial growth.

The three typefaces introduced aims to pay homage to each of the founders:

• 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

To channel the spirit of the ‘Zag’, the refresh has incorporated custom characters that have become known as ‘Zag’ glyphs. Tools designed to help people express their difference and turn everyday words into small acts of rebellion. Released free as open-source Google fonts, they’ve already racked up four million downloads.

The glyphs are visualised through bespoke 3D Zags built by Sophie Harper from the agency’s design department and animated by motion lead Oded Shein to make the branding more expressive.

Guimaraes adds: “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.”

And because no self-respecting ad agency launches a new typeface without a little merch, there’s swag too: limited-edition black fleeces, embroidered at the chest and finished with a small yellow sheep ID tag clipped on for good measure.

The fleece features in the visually stunning black and white brand film that has also been produced - directed by artist filmmaker Gilly Booth. Filmed on location with a flock of heritage Radnor sheep in Pembrokeshire, Wales, it also incorporates stunning aerial cinematography by Cinearth.

The new identity can now also be spotted across the agency’s global website.

BBH’s knack for mining over 40 years of creative boldness to craft a brand ready for the future is a mark of real strength. It’s unmistakably BBH. And under CEO Karen Martin and global CCO Alex Grieve, the agency’s best days are still ahead.