After more than 20 years of working together, bringing Sutton Creative into the Studiotech group marks a natural evolution of a long-standing partnership. We spoke to Director Ed Vickery and Technical Director Tim Ashley about what it means for the business and for their clients.
What made making the partnership with Sutton Creative official feel like the natural next step?
“Honestly, it didn’t feel like a big leap,” Ed explains. “It just felt like the obvious next step. Sutton Creative have been such a key part of what we do for over 20 years. Our work is only ever as good as the people making it, and Andrew and the team are the best at what they do. We’ve worked together for so long that bringing it in-house just made sense, it strengthens something that was already working really well.”
What makes the partnership between Studiotech and Sutton Creative work so naturally?
“A lot of it comes down to how similar we are in how we think and work,” Ed says. “There’s a shared mindset, wanting to push things, challenge the usual way of doing things, and create work that stands out. We’re both quite comfortable being a bit disruptive in the industry, and that makes collaborating feel pretty effortless.”
“A matched history in the signage industry and the diversity of skills and materials employed in the production of illuminated signage gives us an inherent understanding of how those disciplines can be utilised in the development of bespoke luminaires, architectural lighting, and feature structures,” Tim adds.
At what point do you usually start collaborating with the Sutton team?
“Usually during the concept development stage,” Tim explains. “Producing initial sketches and having discussions about materiality and buildability is the only way to ensure that the solution we present to the client is deliverable.”
What excites you most about what this partnership can now offer clients?
“In reality, we’re still doing the same kind of work,” Ed says, “but now we’ve got more control over how it’s delivered. That means we can be more efficient, more joined up, and ultimately more competitive. If we can do things smarter and pass those savings on, that’s a win for clients as well as us.”
“Having Sutton Creative as a group company allows for an even closer collaboration of knowledge and ideas, which will lead to more innovative creativity in the development of future projects,” Tim adds.
Together, this next step marks a stronger, more integrated way of working; combining creative thinking, technical expertise, and early collaboration to deliver smarter, more efficient solutions for clients.
