Why hot new Belfast studio Allies is bringing back the rock 'n' roll spirit to design

With its fearless attitude and collaborative approach, Allies is challenging the design industry to rediscover its creative edge.

Written By: Tom May

11 March 2025

Emma Hetherington and Kevin McCaul, founders of design studio Allies, stand together with a large suspension bridge visible behind them

In a renovated print works in central Belfast, something exciting is brewing. Two young design industry notables, Emma Hetherington and Kevin McCaul, are today launching Allies: a new studio aiming to reinvigorate the creative landscape with a potent cocktail of fearlessness and fun.

Following weeks of teasing social media posts based around a morse code motif, the launch has generated substantial anticipation within Ireland's design community. Allies has emerged fully formed, with established clients, a premium workspace and a meticulously crafted brand identity.

Shared vision

The two founders have harboured ambitions to create something different for years. Having worked together previously at another local agency, Emma and Kevin found they had a shared vision.

And it's not just other Belfast studios they're taking on. At the heart of their ethos is a reaction against how the design industry as a whole, in their eyes, has lost its creative spark.

"A lot of studios are very penny-counting, minute-tracking operations," Kevin stresses. "It's really service-based work where creativity gets lost because designers are just looking at the deadline. Every single second is being counted and tracked, and that depletes the work massively."

Two people sit on a striped bench outside the Nine Squared storefront in Belfast, with three spherical pendant lights and large windows above them

Emma Hetherington and Kevin McCaul, founders of Allies design studio, on the stairs of their red-walled Belfast workspace beneath a restaurant sign

In contrast, Emma says, "We're here to have fun with the work. We've seen how creative talent in so many studios isn't nurtured enough: they're treated as workhorses. But you're not going to get the best from creatives when they're burnt out."

"Creative is creative: we're not saving lives," Kevin reasons. "We're making cool work. But in many studios, the fun aspect is greatly depleting, and creatives are either getting bored or leaving. The way we see it is...if you're not having fun, you're not doing good work. And if you're not doing good work, you burn out."

Collaboration is central

And here's one more thing that's central to Allies' philosophy. "We're going to be very collaborative," Emma emphasises. "The studio is bigger than just the two of us. For example, we've had an amazing designer from Canada working on our website and a brilliant animator here in Belfast create our brand video. We're getting the best help we can."

Grind & Savour branded coffee cups with black wavy patterns displayed on a dark espresso machine drip tray, one cup tipped over

White cardboard packaging boxes for Grind & Savour cappuccino topping stacked on white platforms, featuring a black patterned top design in monochrome

Simple line drawing of two people raising drinks together in a toast, illustrated in black on a cream background

Stacked white paper cups branded with "NINE SQUARED" text, displayed alongside a cup with a geometric BBQ grill illustration and white striped straws on a dark wooden surface

Kevin adds: "We've cherry-picked the best people we know, and we'll always be open about bringing excellent people to the table."

Emma sums up their approach succinctly. "When a project is right, we want to get as many people to collaborate on it as possible. Where the project demands it, we'll bring in specialists rather than trying to do everything ourselves."

Selective about clients

Every new agency claims it's "challenging the status quo", and it's easy to dismiss such phrases as empty words. But Kevin and Emma have already put their money where their mouths are by turning down work that doesn't align with their creative ambitions.

"We really just want to work with anybody who is up for pushing the creative," Kevin explains. "So if you're in a dull industry but you're willing to push boundaries, we'll work with you. But we've already turned away quite a bit of work from people who just want to stay in the same lane and not evolve."

This strategy stems from their determination to avoid falling into what they see as a common trap. "In order for us to grow as a studio, we need brands willing to be bold," adds Kevin.

Humble ambition

Ultimately, the two founders want to let their work speak for itself. Emma reveals that she's already faced many personal comments suggesting she's "too young, too quiet, too unconventional, too female" to lead a studio. But rather than sink to their level, she says, "I want our work to do the talking for us. Yes, we're going to have fun and be a bit more rock 'n' roll, but we're going to do really good work as well."

Two people sit at a red table facing each other, drinking from bottles, with a wall behind them covered in an eclectic mix of posters, photographs, sketches and design work

Emma Hetherington and Kevin McCaul sit together in the Allies studio workspace, with exposed brick walls and industrial windows visible behind them

Woman holding a book displaying black and white photographs, standing beside a wooden display shelf with motivational posters and design materials in the Allies studio.

With their services spanning creative strategy, brand identity, illustration, motion and web design, and campaign planning, Allies is already working with brands across the UK, Ireland, and internationally. Their headquarters at The Printworks on Queen Street provides a fitting backdrop for a studio determined to make its mark.

As their website boldly states, "We shout when others whisper, and whisper when others shout. Ignoring trends. Kicking against the system. Because extraordinary brands are fearless".

We can't wait to see what this intriguing new studio comes up with, and we'll be watching them carefully indeed.