Why we Love MCR.
A restless energy influences everything we do at Wodehouse: creatively ambitious, commercially grounded and never afraid to do things a little differently.
Manchester has always been a city that makes things happen.
Inventive, independent and constantly evolving, it is a place where industry, art, music, architecture and ideas have always rubbed shoulders.
We love the contrasts.
There are the canals, warehouses and cobbled surroundings of Castlefield, where industrial Manchester has found a confident new life. Dukes 92 remains a favourite place for lunch, a meeting or a drink after work — particularly when Manchester performs its occasional party trick and the sun comes out.
There is the art and architecture of Manchester Art Gallery and the historic Athenaeum, reminding us that creativity, craft and visual culture have been woven into the fabric of the city for generations.
A short walk away, St Ann’s Square offers a more elegant side of Manchester: handsome buildings, stylish shops and a slightly calmer pace among the surrounding arcades, restaurants and city streets.
Then there are Ancoats and the Northern Quarter, where Manchester’s independent spirit is perhaps at its most visible.
Elnecot is one of our favourite examples: great food served with imagination in surroundings that feel unmistakably Mancunian. Nearby, independent cafés, bars, restaurants, shops and creative businesses fill streets where there is nearly always something new to discover.
And no tour of our Manchester would be complete without a visit to Alistair at Vinyl Resting Place in Afflecks Palace. It is the kind of gloriously packed record shop where browsing for ten minutes can easily consume an afternoon — and where the conversation and recommendations are every bit as valuable as the records themselves.
That combination of food, music, art, design and independent enterprise is what we love about MCR.
There is always a design vibe somewhere: in an exhibition, a shop window, a piece of packaging, a hand-painted sign or the typography on an old building. Inspiration does not only arrive while sitting in front of a screen. It comes from conversations, colours, architecture, music, menus and the changing character of the streets around us.
Manchester respects its history without becoming trapped by it. It can be serious about business without taking itself too seriously. It supports big ideas, independent thinking and people prepared to get on and make something. That feels very Wodehouse…
Manchester energy. Wodehouse thinking.
We bring the same mixture of creativity, practicality and independent spirit to every project we undertake. From campaign strategy and branding to design, digital communications, print and direct mail, we create work that looks good, communicates clearly and works hard for our clients.