The Outline: UK’s first swear map, algae biocells, and a fictional museum - 31/07/2026
Welcome to your weekly digest of noteworthy stories, announcements, and interesting tidbits from across the design industry. From AI-confounding regional dialects to next-generation bio-design experiments to run electronics, we’ve got a great spread this week.
Here’s a breakdown of what caught our attention across studios, streets, and archives this week.
Business News
Former Mr B & Friends ECD Steve Richardson and Jonte Goldwater launch strategic brand agency Lucky Few
Former Mr B & Friends Executive Creative Director Steve Richardson and strategic lead Jonte Goldwater have officially launched Lucky Few, a strategic brand agency arriving with a deliberately compact proposition: fewer clients, closer relationships, and direct access to two industry veterans. Built to strip out traditional agency bloat and geographic boundaries, Lucky Few operates a native virtual model that layers AI-enabled workflows and custom client portals with senior agency experience. The borderless setup connects UK, European, and Australasian talent directly to briefs, working upstream with leadership teams on commercial positioning, brand culture, and visual identity.
Moore Kingston Smith invests in new St Albans office to support future growth
Advisory and accountancy firm Moore Kingston Smith has agreed to a long-term lease on two floors at Jubilee Square, a landmark new development in the heart of St Albans city centre. By the end of 2026, the modern office space will become home to its 150-strong St Albans team. The investment supports the firm’s ongoing expansion across the region, establishing dedicated space for its specialist hospitality and leisure practice alongside its growing non-profit sector centre of excellence.
Appointments
ISBA Director General Simon Michaelides joins History of Advertising Trust Board
The History of Advertising Trust (HAT) has appointed Simon Michaelides, Director General of ISBA, to its Board of Trustees. The appointment comes as both organisations celebrate significant milestones—HAT marking its 50th anniversary as the primary archive for British advertising history, and ISBA celebrating its 125th year representing UK advertisers. Michaelides brings extensive commercial leadership experience to the board as HAT continues to digitise and expand access to its vast collection.
Stacey Bates-McCue promoted to Board of Directors at Fluid
Entertainment creative agency Fluid has appointed Licensing Director Stacey Bates-McCue to its Board of Directors as the studio enters its 30th year in business. Having joined Fluid ten years ago, Bates-McCue built its licensing division into a core revenue driver, delivering major global campaigns and brand extensions for leading entertainment properties. Her promotion to the board reinforces Fluid’s focus on strategic brand licensing and character-driven creative work.
AgencyUK appoints former NHS specialist Bebhinne Jennings as Graphic Designer
Independent healthcare agency AgencyUK has expanded its creative team with the appointment of graphic designer Bebhinne Jennings. A Shillington graduate, Jennings previously worked within the NHS as a qualified Prosthetist and Orthotist designing custom artificial limbs for patients. Her clinical background and firsthand medical experience bring a unique, human-centred perspective to the agency’s B2B healthcare campaigns and medical device visual communications.
Design Museum Director Tim Marlow OBE Awarded Honorary Doctorate by Kingston University
Tim Marlow OBE, Director and Chief Executive of the Design Museum in London, has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Art & Design by Kingston University in recognition of his outstanding contributions to design, arts, and public culture. Delivering his acceptance address, Marlow urged greater recognition of design as an essential problem-solving tool for global challenges such as sustainability, tech shifts, and community wellbeing. The honorary doctorate also marks a 25-year educational partnership between Kingston School of Art and the Design Museum, which includes their collaborative MA Design Curating programme.
Design Bits
Dalziel & Pow Brings Scottish Craft Heritage to Covent Garden for Islander Flagship
Global design studio Dalziel & Pow has designed the first London retail location for Edinburgh-born bag and accessory brand Islander, situated near Seven Dials in Covent Garden. Celebrating authentic Harris Tweed® heritage, fine leather, and traditional Scottish tartan, the interior features an interactive workshop space equipped with flexible assembly tables. The experiential layout invites shoppers to physically select tweed patterns and hardware to customise and construct bespoke bags on-site.
Jacob Hodgson Wins 20th 3DReid Student Prize with Ecological Framework Proposal
Architecture student Jacob Hodgson of the Manchester School of Architecture has been awarded the 2026 3DReid Student Prize for his Part II project, “Credit Landscapes”. Selected during the competition’s 20th anniversary edition, Hodgson’s winning scheme critically re-evaluates current policy metrics surrounding Biodiversity Net Gain calculations, proposing an ambitious ecological framework that aligns landscape restoration with sustainable urban development.
Modern Toss and University of Sheffield Turn National Swear Census into Interactive Map
Satirical art duo Modern Toss has teamed up with sociolinguist Dr Chris Montgomery from the University of Sheffield to transform the UK’s first national swear word census into an interactive, push-button UK Swear Map. Unveiled as part of Modern Toss’s 21st anniversary exhibition ‘Having an Exhibition yeah?’ at London’s Drawing Room gallery, running from 14th August to 6th September, the artwork spotlights endangered regional insults such as Liverpool’s “blert”, Belfast’s “ballix”, Leeds’ “pillock”, and Portsmouth’s “dinlo”, highlighting how local slang persists despite AI voice systems struggling with regional accents.
Herb Lubalin Study Centre Announces 40th Anniversary Open Flat File Speaker Series
The Cooper Union’s Herb Lubalin Study Centre of Design and Typography is marking its 40th anniversary with the launch of Open Flat File, a dedicated lecture series. Bringing the archive’s digital publication to life, the programme invites prominent guest practitioners to select a single physical object from the 80,000-item collection, present a public talk on its significance, and design a limited-edition commemorative poster.
Desk Curiosities
Biodesigner Lucia Giron collaborates with Cambridge researchers on algae biocells
London-based biodesigner Lucia Giron has partnered with researchers at the University of Cambridge to develop a series of functional algae-powered Biocells designed for everyday consumer electronics. The project harnesses microscopic electrical currents generated during plant photosynthesis using cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), translating emerging biological energy generation into tangible, user-friendly product forms.
Museum of BAM reimagines Birmingham history through fictional artefacts
Independent creative initiative BAM! BAM! has announced The Museum of BAM, a conceptual exhibition taking over Birmingham’s nook gallery in Kings Heath. Blurring the boundaries between authentic civic archives and fabricated local folklore, the installation displays genuine historical relics alongside convincingly forged objects, including an archival exhibit depicting actor Michael Keaton as a 1970s local West Midlands radio DJ.
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