Brand writing

As a strategic brand writer, I specialise in defining and expressing brand voice.

I collaborate closely with strategy and design leads to translate foundational thinking into distinctive verbal identities, brand stories, and brand positioning that’s fresh and effective in its sector.

Selected case studies

Bringing a 200-year-old university into a new era

I collaborated with Johnson Banks to give University College London (UCL) a new brand voice, translating strategic traits into practical writing guidance.

Creating an empathetic voice for parents in progress

I collaborated with Manifest on a dramatic shift in brand voice for global baby products brand MAM.

Making pediatric care feel like home

I collaborated with independent creative director Stuart Gough on brand voice and launch copy for New Jersey-based Hometown Pediatrics.

Outthinking, outsmarting and outlasting rivals

I collaborated with Territory Studio to give cutting-edge cybersecurity firm Binary Defense a brand voice packed with both attitude and warmth.

Dejumbling insurance with mischievous wordplay

I collaborated with Taxi Studio to develop an award-winning brand voice for fintech challenger Yoloh.

Shifting perspective with a poetic wobbly mirror

I collaborated with NB Studio and SEA to create ‘Conversion’, a two-metre-high fairground-style distorting mirror.

Celebrating 50 years of the Virgin brand

I collaborated with Virgin and Thames and Hudson to write Virgin By Design, a coffee-table book charting the 50-year evolution of the Virgin brand.

More work at a glance

Helping Bite Back capture the voice of a generation

I collaborated with youth activism organisation Bite Back to bring its spiky, witty and provocative brand voice – as defined by Wolff Olins – to life. This included a full rollout across the brand’s online presence.

This was followed by an interactive digital experience – developed in partnership with NCS – to immerse young people in the world of Bite Back, and inspire them to challenge a food system set up to fool us all.

“Nick’s creative efforts ensured that our new narrative and tone of voice shone from every single page.”
Zoë Kelland – director of movement, Bite Back 2030

Helping TikTok connect with its community

I collaborated with Wolff Olins to help define, refine and roll out TikTok’s new verbal identity. The challenge was making sure the brand sounded as authentic and playful as its billion-strong community – transforming corporate announcements into culturally fluent content that felt genuinely TikTok.

This included everything from stress-testing voice principles to rewriting social posts, brand descriptors, internal HR comms and newsroom editorial.

More recently, I’ve worked with TikTok as a contributing editor for Creative Review, providing insights and advice for agencies and brands to engage with the platform more effectively.

“We worked on a detailed global verbal identity project for TikTok that required both flair and attention to detail. Nick brought bags of both.”
David Stevens – senior strategy director, Wolff Olins

Giving global healthcare a human touch for GSK

I collaborated with Wolff Olins to develop tone of voice guidelines for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as part of its global rebrand, helping the pharmaceutical giant speak with warmth and purpose.

Built around three core principles – we write to motivate, we write to unite, we write to relate – this included a comprehensive framework of before-and-after examples that rated how well each principle was executed, with detailed explanations of what changed and why.