Bristol agency Fanatic has acquired Studio Kin, combining brand and creative expertise with established digital, technical and performance capability.

The move marks the next stage of growth for Fanatic and supports its ambition to build a more connected model for what an agency can be.
Founded by partners Ian and Milly Collis-Smith in 2001, Fanatic has spent the past 25 years working across brand and digital. Today, it is a team of 32, with capabilities spanning creative, technology,
search, marketing, data and performance.

The agency works locally, nationally and internationally in the hospitality, technology and environmental sectors, with brands including Benihana, Gordon Ramsay, Wessex Water, Truespeed
and British Solar Renewables.

Studio Kin brings further depth to the creative side of the business, particularly in brand strategy and identity. Founded by James Ratcliffe and Simon Day, Kin followed eight years spent building and
leading Bristol agency Rhombus Studio to a team of 10. The senior-led studio built around the belief that the best brands are created through deep collaboration between teams and clients.

Studio Kin has focused heavily on purpose-led organisations and businesses looking to make a positive impact. The studio created the identity for Western Forest, the first new national forest in 30
years, helped evolve Bristol Beer Factory into the brand it is today and worked with Housing Matters, Caring in Bristol, Shelter and a range of other partners on the Renter’s Rights Campaign.

That shared belief in collaboration was a major part of what brought the two businesses together, with a clear opportunity to reconnect Fanatic with its design roots, bring its services closer together and give creativity a bigger role across the agency.

The ambition is to raise the creative bar across every touchpoint, so wherever someone experiences a client’s brand, from a website to an email, a social post or a campaign, it feels beautifully designed,
unmistakably on brand and emotionally engaging.

By bringing teams closer together and building deeper relationships with the businesses they work with, Fanatic can look at challenges from different perspectives, find better answers and create new
opportunities for growth.

Fanatic and Kin worked together on We Back Bristol, the city-wide giving movement co-founded with Bristol Beer Factory, Team Love, Pony Group and Bianchis to help charities and grassroots
organisations thrive.

Kin led the brand and creative direction, while Fanatic brought the digital and technical expertise to build an experience that combined strong UX with an engaging visual identity. It offered an early glimpse of what the combined team could achieve.

“What excited us about Fanatic was never just the breadth of what it can do. It was how connected everything could be. A great brand is more valuable when the website, UX, search and marketing around it are all working with it. And all of that becomes more valuable again when you know the client’s business well enough to understand what they actually need. That’s where the real opportunity is.”
James Ratcliffe, Creative Director

The move strengthens Fanatic’s creative offer while supporting its wider growth plans, connecting brand and creative thinking more closely with its established digital, technical and performance
expertise.

“The best client relationships we have are the ones where we become integral to the business. We understand what they’re trying to achieve, we know the challenges and we’re trusted to say what we think will make the biggest difference. Bringing Kin into Fanatic gives us even more expertise to put behind those relationships. For me, that’s what Agency 4.0 is about. Not selling more services, but connecting the right people around the problem and helping the
client perform better.”
Ian, Director

The combined team will operate as Fanatic, with James Ratcliffe and Simon Day joining the agency’s senior leadership as Creative Director and Client Director respectively. The acquisition forms part of Fanatic’s wider growth plans, while retaining the close client relationships, specialist expertise and collaborative culture on which the business has been built.

About Fanatic
Fanatic is an independent Bristol agency built around the idea that great work happens when creative, digital, technology and performance are connected. Founded in 2001 by Ian and Milly Collis-Smith, the 32-strong team works with ambitious brands locally, nationally and internationally, including Hawksmoor, Gordon Ramsay, Artfarm and Benihana. Fanatic combines specialist expertise with close client relationships to help businesses solve problems, find opportunities and grow.

About Studio Kin
Studio Kin was founded by James Ratcliffe and Simon Day as a senior-led brand and creative studio, built on the belief that the best brands are created through deep collaboration. Its work has focused
on purpose-led organisations and businesses looking to make a positive impact, including Western Forest, Bristol Beer Factory, Housing Matters, Caring in Bristol and the Renter’s Rights Campaign. Kin now joins Fanatic to bring greater brand and creative depth across the agency.

About Fanatic

Digital Growth Partner