Steve Barradell and Guy Boyle are Graffio Arts. We like to solve business problems and we’ve solved quite a few over the years. We are experienced at moving across disciplines to find the right solution for the right situation. We have worked as Educators, Creative Directors, Data specialists, Marketeers, Mentors and Business Consultants.

This Isn't Business as Usual

We are interested in the use of media technology-how ideas and information flows through systems. Steve's focus is structure, process and the flow of data through business. Guy focuses on the meaning of information within an organisation and then wider society as industry communicates within its culture. This combined approach and our collected experience allows us to tackle work within a variety of fields.

As our name suggests we are a creative company and this fundamentally influences our approach to problem solving. We are living through a time of rapid technological, cultural and environmental change. New approaches are required to face new challenges in industry and beyond as we develop future systems.

This really isn't business as usual, our world is changing forever.

Creative process in business environments can appear unorthodox, but our approach is informed and rigorous. This allows us to tackle seemingly familiar topics with fresh eyes as we foster agency and innovation. We do so, unbound by increasingly performative conventions, as we investigate potential solutions from first principles, drawing from a variety of appropriate disciplines.

We cannot sleepwalk into the future. If we are to design fit-for-purpose human centred systems, we need to be wide awake as we do so.

Experience

Over the last 25 years we’ve helped a variety of individuals, companies and global brands, including:

Adidas, Barclays, BBC, Bench, The Body Shop, Boots, The British Museum, Canon, The Carphone Warehouse, Cartoon Network, Cath Kidston, Clarins, Conde Naste, Daks, The Design Council, The Design Museum, Diesel, Disney, EMI, Esquire Sport Magazine, Exposure, Fate Face, Fed Ex, Fred Perry, Givenchy, Gieves & Hawkes, Godiva, Habitat, Halifax, Haribo, Harrods, House of Fraser, Hedkayse, HMV, Kookai, Levis, Marks & Spencer, MGA, National Gallery, Polycom, Procter and Gamble, Qualitest, Royal Court Theatre, Selfridges, Schuh, Shell, Sony, Superdry, TATE Enterprises, Ted Baker, Three Mobile, Tower Records, TKMaxx, Travis Perkins, UNIQLO, United International Pictures, Virgin, VMWare and Vodafone.

The Evolution of Graffio Arts

The nature and scope of our work has evolved over time from helping artist's merge their creative and business practice to extensive work on business and brand development to the creation of targeted initiatives.

Our experience in business, education, technology and creative process combined with a determination to communicate this experience has resulted in the development of educational programmes for industry. We are finding that our ability to investigate, break down and communicate complicated or confusing problems is proving incredibly valuable to those we interact with.

It is now apparent that our future as a business is tied to our developing cultural and technological landscape and the challenges that this presents for industry.

Initiatives

If there is one problem to solve we find a solution. If there are 100 problems to solve, we set up an initiative to tackle them on an ongoing basis. Gallery Without Walls, The Culture Delivery service and now Institute (a physical space) and Institute Research Lab (a virtual space) are examples of some of the frameworks that we have developed.

From Understanding to Solutions

Institute Research Lab: Understanding Technology

Institute Research Lab. is focused on developing a broad understanding of the nature of contemporary technology, fostering individual understanding and agency in an increasingly complex technological ecosystem. The lab's business programmes nurture the ability to understand business priorities, define objectives and make informed strategic decisions.

While Institute provides a physical space providing services across the scope of industry, Institute Research Lab is an online environment focused on empowering businesses to move forward under their own steam through dynamic educational programmes.

Institute: Applying Technology

Institute works with business to transform this understanding into fit-for-purpose business systems. We have consistently found that those that have completed an educational or consultancy programme with us can more accurately identify their business challenges and quickly transform this knowledge into results with our solutions partners.

Institute is a Loughborough based co-work and collaborative workplace providing a host of services for industry from the start of a business, the development of it's systems through to it’s emergence into the world as a brand.

AI+

For two years, we worked in collaboration with Loughborough College on the AI+ Digital Innovation for Business Programme. Funded by Innovate UK the course is a thorough examination of knowledge, information, data and…AI. The award winning twelve week course has been delivered to 120 regional SMEs. AI+ is now moving forward as a paid programme for industry innovators. New cohorts begin in January 2027.