How to survive, thrive and go again in animation, with Animade

Goodness, is it really nine years since we ran this feature on Animade and its groovy studio in London's famous Old Street creative district? Now the company has turned 16, it's had a glow-up, refreshed its branding, and put together a new reel that really highlights Animade's focus on character and personality, which has been core to the company's approach since it was founded in 2010.

Given that about a fifth of small businesses fold in the first year, and three-fifths never reach their third birthday, staying the course for 16 years is a huge achievement worth celebrating. When we caught up with the founders, Ed Barrett, Tom and Jen Judd, we were keen to find out what they've learned over the years and perhaps identify some points that other creatives with similar ambitions will find useful.

Here are seven key things we think Animade has done right, despite the trials and tribulations it has faced in the UK creative industry.

1. Complementary skills

The core skills and interests of its founders also form the foundations of Animade's business: technical ability, animation, and business development expertise. Around them, creatives, producers and account directors constitute a core team that enables the company to get things done.

"Both Ed and I studied Animation at the RCA," explains Tom Judd. "I liked experimenting with coding and the crossover between animation and the interactive space, while Ed's passion for breathing life into inanimate objects has been instrumental in shaping the studio's renowned 'motion with character' philosophy. Jen's background is in business development, and under her leadership, we've built enduring client partnerships and a creative workplace where our team thrives."

2. A clear sense of purpose

Animade is known for its character work above all else. The studio sells this hard on its website, and it's a message that reaches and resonates with its clients – and, boy, has it got some big clients (read on). "Bringing personalities to life, finding the wit and warmth in a brief, making something that feels genuinely alive rather than just well-executed – that's where we do some of our best work, and clients tend to find us because of it," says Jen Judd.

"Our ethos focuses on animation being the life we add to our designs, and therefore is the character. With that mindset, a character can be a dot on a screen or a sophisticated 2D or 3D creation, but it's the way we make each design move that weaves the Animade thread through our work," adds Ed Barrett.

And here's a fun fact. The name Animade came about when Tom Judd noticed how Vimeo had taken the word 'video' and swapped the D for an M. He did the same with the word 'animate', substituting a D for the T. The result was a name that suggests the careful crafting of motion, and that's exactly what the company is all about. At first, he used it for a blog where he curated animation work he liked. Two years later, in 2010, it became the perfect name for their new animation studio.

3. Build a network of trusted creatives

Most successful studios do this. In 2026, Animade has 15 full-time employees. The permanent core team then collaborates with specialist producers, animators, and illustrators who share Animade's standards and have become their trusted network of talent. These freelancers have learned how Animade works and can slot in whenever they're needed, enabling the company to tackle large projects while remaining relatively agile.

"It means we can scale up for ambitious, complex projects without compromising on quality or culture, and then come back to our core when the project's done and avoid carrying unnecessary overhead. This works because of the relationships," says Jen Judd. "In some cases, we've worked with the same freelancers for a decade or more."

4. Big tech clients

Technology giants are currently driving the world economy, so perhaps it's no coincidence that Animade has built much of its success on working for big tech firms. Apple, Meta, and Google are three of the company's four major clients, with LEGO as the fourth.

Maintaining relationships with such large organisations takes constant dedication. "We are never complacent. No matter how long a relationship has been in place, or how many successful projects we may have delivered for a client before, we always bring our best to every single collaboration. We aim to show up, do what we say we'll do, communicate well, be efficient, deliver on time, and be a friendly bunch," says Jen Judd.

Animade has grown and developed alongside clients in this sector. Solving the problem of how to communicate complex ideas and innovations, Animade has accumulated insight into how tech firms explore and iterate, and how the identities of these companies are fluid – often defined by technological change. As AI chatbots come to the fore, Animade is well-positioned to capitalise on new opportunities.

5. Short-form animation and interactivity are the way forward

Since Animade was founded, there has been a generational shift in the audiences many of the company's clients are targeting – GenX is receding, Millennials remain central, with GenZ on the rise. Though a factor, this hasn't really altered the Animade approach.

"Super short-form storytelling and sharing on social platforms is something we've leaned into from the start, as we could fit them in around projects, and ultimately that meant we could keep the quality high doing short-form content," says Ed Barrett. "I think that still aligns with GenZ audiences and shorter attention spans. It's helped hone our skills for client projects, especially social campaigns and brand systems, the latter benefitting greatly from clear and concise visual communication."

Animade has also developed a specialism in creating animations that are compatible with interactive applications. Using formats like Lottie and Rive, which enable the conversion of Adobe After Effects animations for responsive layouts, Animade has expertise in designing characters that can star in campaigns and also serve as the basis for interactive products. This intersects neatly with the aims of many of the company's tech clients, mentioned above.

6. Be ready to rebuild, and don't panic

Animade was founded during the tail end of the subprime financial crisis. The company has survived Brexit, the economic impacts of COVID-19, and the ongoing energy and cost-of-living crisis. With all of that as a backdrop, Animade's toughest year was 2023, leading to the difficult decision to downsize. Letting talented people go was heartbreaking for the founders, but it was the only way to ensure the business's sustainability.

What's less talked about, according to Jen Judd, is the rebuilding process. When a company lets staff go, those who remain look for signs of what happens next, and trust levels are low.

"For us, that meant being genuinely transparent, having real conversations, sharing the numbers, good or bad, month in month out, being open and honest about what had happened and why, and giving people the space to feel however they felt about it. There's no shortcut. You just have to keep showing up, keep being open, and give it time," says Jen Judd.

More broadly, the creative industry is always uncertain. Work comes in waves, and you're always either too quiet or too busy. "Not overreacting to those shifts, not panicking in the quieter moments or overstretching in the busy ones has been one of our biggest learnings," adds Jen.

7. It's the passion that matters most

What will the next 16 years look like for Animade? "If the last 16 years in commercial animation have taught us anything, it's that you don't really know what you will and will not be able to commit to creatively, or what opportunities and tools might surface that will shape the future of the business," says Ed Barrett.

And he continues: "One thing that has stayed true for 16 years is our love of sharing joy and creating character through connective, emotional, timeless, highly considered animation and design, made by incredible people at the studio we're all proud to be part of."

If you're a budding creative interested in animation, that same passion is what studios like Animade are looking for: "A degree of nerdiness for creativity centred around motion and design, a want for creative and professional growth and perhaps most importantly, a good fit culturally," explains Tom Judd. "We're a close little team working on big projects, and that cultural alignment is the secret sauce that enables us to be effective working remotely, but also gelling really well when we're together for projects and events."