Paul Bufton,

The abundance of brands to license is driven by two factors: a direct response to an overall lack of confidence and slowdown of the powerhouse franchises in recent years, and massive shifts in consumer behaviour and trends.

In the absence of commercial certainty, it’s become clear that licensees and retailers are open to exploring smaller or less established IPs. They’re happy to move out of their traditional entertainment ‘swim lane’ and experiment with increasingly popular areas, like food brands, celebrity, music, sports and video games.

Likewise, consumers are less likely to fall into one of two camps (the age-old Star Wars versus Star Trek debate) and more open to being fans of an entire genre. In doing so, they’re happy to explore increasingly niche aspects that make them feel hyper-connected with a specific IP or community.

From a creative point of view, it’s also worth noting that even with the powerhouse franchises, the output to support licensed partners is changing too. Long gone are the tome-like style guides of the past as licensors develop a more agile strategy driven by seasonality and more regular drops of new material. This, in turn, benefits smaller IP owners as their pipeline produces a more frequent and relevant ‘look and feel’.

That said, one aspect that remains unchanged is demand creation and ensuring that licensees, retailers and consumers want to buy into your property. The delivery methods may have massively diversified, but the impact is still crucial and cut through becomes harder and harder in a noisy marketplace – with multiple IPs vying for attention. This is where innovation plays a key role for brand owners to keep ahead of the pack. Luckily, we have more and more data-driven tools and almost instantaneous feedback from fans that help to guide those rights owners willing to listen.

Gary Pope,
Co-Founder, Kids Industries

I can only really come at this from the position of family-focused entertainment brand, so… It’s never been easier to get your content on a screen, and yet it’s never been harder to acquire an audience – so, yes, there are too many brands available to license.

And because it’s never been easier to get your content on a screen, the world and their partner have piled in and think they might just have the next Bluey. But a few AI-generated videos and a cobbled-together style guide a franchise do not make… Especially in a market as tough as it’s ever been, and one that’s getting tougher each and every day. So yes, there are some brands – most I will say – that aren’t match fit for licensing.

Not every brand is built for licensing, and that’s ok. Some brands are just good stories – and if their creators are paid fairly for their work, that’s all good. The difficult thing is, of course, that increasingly they are not.

But being ‘match fit’ requires more than a good idea and a passable style guide. It means knowing your fandom – who they are, what they want and why they want it. And then it means going beyond those expectations.

What’s needed is more strategic thinking and better nurturing. Sometimes the best opportunities come from identifying the right fit – whether that’s a brand with untapped potential, a specific demographic sweet spot, or assets that naturally lend themselves to product extension. Licensing discipline. Easy to write. Hard to do.

If we want long-term success, the industry needs to be more disciplined. Fewer, better, stronger brands. I guess this is what we call capitalism.

Nic Davies,
Creative Director & Founder, Smart Design Studio

Are there too many brands available to license? Possibly. We’re in an age where just about everything could be a brand. From nostalgic TV shows to novelty condiments, there’s no shortage of logos ready to appear on lunchboxes.

The upside? More creativity, more choice and the chance for unexpected brilliance. The downside? It can start to feel a little crowded. Not every brand is built with long-term licensing in mind, and when too many jump in at once, it can get a bit noisy. That said, it’s not necessarily about quantity – it’s about clarity. The brands that cut through are the ones with a distinct voice, a loyal audience and a clear sense of who they are and what they stand for.

Some brand absolutely aren’t ‘match fit’ for licensing – but that’s not always a criticism.
Some brands are great at being what they are – TV shows, digital content, cult products – but that doesn’t always translate straight into licensed merchandise.

Being ‘match fit’ means having a recognisable tone of voice, knowing your audience and having the kind of storytelling or design language that can live and breathe beyond the core brand. And to be fair, some brands have real potential, they just need a little shaping. With the right creative thinking, the right partners and a clear strategy, they can get there.

Heather Watherston,
Founder & Creative Director, Whiz Kid Games

There are undoubtedly far more brands in the marketplace in 2025 than there were 25 years ago, when I first started exploring licensing during my time at Lagoon. But does more choice always mean better outcomes? Or have we reached a point of diminishing returns? Are all these options making it easier to find something that perfectly suits our needs and preferences – or just adding to the noise, leading to choice overload and even decision paralysis?

From a licensee’s perspective, I don’t believe there are too many brands vying for a slice of the licensing pie. In fact, I believe diversity is a good thing, because everyone approaches licensing with different goals in mind. The variety creates space and choice for everyone.

In the toy market, powerhouse brands like Bluey, Paw Patrol, Lilo & Stitch, major sporting names like UEFA, or blockbuster franchises like Marvel, Star Wars and Disney can dramatically boost sales and command premium pricing. I’ve no doubt, for example, that a partnership between Manchester United and Whiz Kid Games would lead to a significant spike in sales of our Go Genius Football board game. But you don’t have to partner a top-dollar brand to succeed with licensing. Many companies pursue licensing for reasons beyond immediate sales.

At Lagoon, we used licensing to expand our presence in different retail sectors. By launching Roald Dahl and David Walliams game ranges, we tapped into the traditional book market and significantly grew our turnover.

Nostalgia is another powerful tool. Licensing heritage brands, like the Imperial War Museums or Natural History Museum, can reinvigorate existing products. Sometimes, a license simply breathes new life into a product line. Even when I worked at Green Board Games, a company not historically known for licensing, the directors opted for a Disney licence to boost the company’s profile ahead of a sale – positioning themselves alongside the industry’s heavyweights.

But whatever the reason behind it, for a licensing partnership between a manufacturer and brand or IP to truly succeed, the brand must be match-fit. This means finding a brand that aligns well with your existing product range, target audience and overall brand identity. A recognisable name and a slick style guide aren’t enough. A strong licensing deal is built on mutual benefit – shared goals and values between licensor and licensee, whether those are financial, ecological or technological.

So yes, more choice in licensing is welcome, but success lies in strategic alignment. A great licensing deal isn’t just about the logo, it’s about synergy.

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It’s an exciting time to be creating for this space, and here at Smart Design Studio we’ve been right in the middle of it, bringing some fresh ideas to life.

Pocket-Sized Mayhem: The Bunny vs Monkey Spin-Offs
Graphic novels in the children’s segment are having a serious moment. Sales are through the roof, reluctant readers are getting hooked, and it’s all feeling a little bit like the new golden age of comics.

Some might say Bunny vs Monkey has been a key player in the growth of graphic novels in this age group – introducing younger readers to the format with its chaotic energy, hilarious storytelling and wildly expressive art style.

So, when we had the chance to work with David Fickling Books to extend Jamie Smart’s Bunny vs Monkey universe with a joke book and an activity book, we knew it had to be something fun, fast, and pocket-sized. These aren’t just bonus extras – they’re proper little gems in their own right.

The B-format size – a compact, pocket-sized format – makes them feel collectible and a bit mischievous, like something kids want to carry around in their pockets and swap in the playground. And this format really taps into a wider trend we’re seeing across children’s publishing: books that feel less like traditional reading and more like experiences. Whether it’s puzzles, doodles, or laugh-out-loud jokes, it’s about interaction and quick wins.

We’ve been producing a lot of these types of books lately across different licensed brands, and there’s definitely a growing appetite for them. They’re the perfect gateway into longer-form reading, and they keep kids connected to the characters they love, even when they’re between graphic novel volumes.

Science Meets Social Media: Turning ‘Likes’ into Learning
If you want to get kids engaged in a subject, you go to where they already are – social media. And while science might not traditionally scream “fun scroll”, that’s exactly what we flipped on its head when we worked on a series of books with Wayland and Twitter influencer Science Girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3).

She already had a loyal on-line following thanks to her bite-sized, mind-blowing science facts – and our challenge was to translate that energy into books that felt just as exciting. We created a series that’s visually packed and fast-paced, blending quirky, character-led illustrations with real-life photography and snappy facts that are almost impossible not to share.

This is part of a bigger trend we’re seeing in educational publishing: turning dense, ‘worthy’ topics into fun, accessible content that holds its own in a world of distractions. These books don’t look or feel like textbooks – they look like something you’d proudly leave out on show. They’re bright, visual, and full of personality.

And working with someone who already has an engaged community behind them is another shift worth noting. Kids aren’t just reading books – they’re following creators, watching reels, and sharing stories. Bringing that world into publishing opens up huge opportunities for fresh formats, new voices, and a totally different kind of engagement.

So, What’s Next?
The way kids consume content is changing, and books are evolving with them. We’re seeing more interactive formats and a merging of print and digital influence. Graphic novels aren’t going anywhere and influencers will continue to bring their audiences into the book world.

And honestly? We’re here for it. The more books feel fun, engaging, and fresh, the more kids will actually want to pick them up. Which is exactly why we love working in this space – because at the end of the day, what’s more exciting than making books that kids actually want to read?

The post “It’s about interaction and quick wins”: The evolving world of children’s publishing appeared first on Brands Untapped.

Nic Davies

Scott Ham, Co-Founder and Creative Director, The Zeros
“After being glued to the TV watching cartoons for most of my childhood, I was instantly invested. Sadly, I can’t do that anymore, so I decided to split my days… Now I work with the cartoons I love, then – after a hard day’s work – I go home and watch them! After realising I could work with the characters that I still watch to this day, my mind was blown and I knew I had to pursue a profession within licensing. I’m fairly certain I’ve watched every episode of The Simpsons, up to season 13, around 30 times – and am still going!”

Mar Gili, Design, Co-ordinator, , Perfetti Van Melle
“My first source of inspiration was nature and the amazing creations we find around us. Nature never ceases to fascinate and provoke me. I’m Mediterranean and that’s deeply marked my way of seeing the world. The special Mediterranean light makes things look profoundly colourful and suggestive. The atmosphere surrounds you and invites you to create… It’s just magic! The second major inspiration was art. I’m from Barcelona, a beautiful corner of the world surrounded by the incredible modernism style of the artist and architect Gaudí. We also have the artistic footprint of celebrities such as Picasso, Miró and Dalí – the genius behind the design of the Chupa Chups logo. Art is everywhere and it’s continuously evolving. It continues to inspire me to this day.”

Stephanie Griggs, Creative Director, The Roald Dahl Story Company
“Discovering Tim Burton’s The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories aged 15, spoke to me – as an emo teenager with a penchant for gothic culture – on a new level. His exaggerated illustrative style was wholly different to the fruit-bowl, still-life painting I’d been doing at school. His macabre yet lovable characters sparked something in me and I wanted to get drawing myself… That early portfolio, inspired by Tim’s work, got me a place at art college after leaving school – and the rest is history!”

Hamish Jenkinson, CEO, The Department
“Leake Street, London. This underpass was used by taxis at the Eurostar Waterloo drop-off before it closed and moved to Kings Cross. It became a cut-through that only the brave would dare walk at night. It was home to street sleepers, drug dealers, pickpockets and thieves: effectively a no-go zone. In 2007, street artist Banksy did a deal with the Mayor of London. He donated one of his artworks in exchange for a whole street becoming a place people could legally create street art or graffiti. My life changed when I saw the opening show. Behind a Network Rail archway, I found a labyrinth of old Victorian tunnels that held trains above ground. The next thing I knew, I’d launched two immersive spaces: The Old Vic Tunnels and The Vaults. Leake Street is now home to various clubs, restaurants, a skate park and much more and the walls change on a daily basis as new artists come to create stunning street art murals. Banksy changed my life the day he donated that artwork, and this little street is now one of the best areas to experience London’s underground immersive scene and street art culture.”

To read more content from the Brands Untapped 100: 2022 edition click here.

The post Why Design? appeared first on Brands Untapped.

This was my first step into the licensing world, and a place I’ve felt right at home in ever since. I worked for some great companies across many product categories, first as Designer and then Art Director – from greeting cards to publishing and almost everything in-between. I now spend my days running my own design business – Smart Design Studio – here in Bristol.

Can you give us an idea of the sort of design work you undertake in the licensing space?
There are two sides to Smart Design Studio. First is me, the graphic designer. I do a lot of work in the publishing world; mainly licensing, mainly kids and young adult.

Also, having worked with character style guides for over 20 years, it was a natural progression for me to also get involved with the creation of style guides too – the most recent one being for the CBeebies smash-hit, Alphablocks.

My clients are recurring, and I’m often looked on as an extension to their business or design team. I work with them on a whole range of projects, from sales pitches and marketing tools to products, gifting, and style guides.

And the second side?
Well, when needed, I expand the Smart Design team and operate as a packager on larger publishing projects, where we take on editorial as well as design. At times we work on big series over short periods of time… We love a good movie tie-in!

How do you keep yourself on trend and in touch with design developments in licensing?
Social media and looking online I’d have to say. I think over the last few years, I’ve got used to doing it this way. I have my morning ritual where I spend the first part catching up on new licensing and pop culture news – sometimes longer if I get side tracked down a design rabbit hole and I’ve had one too many coffees!

I make notes and have a digital scrapbook that’s constantly on the go 24/7 which acts as inspiration for future design projects. I regularly catch up with friends in the licensing world too. It’s good to chat and share and see what everyone is up to.

Given the breadth of the licensing world, how easy is it to design for a range of product categories?
I certainly have my specialised areas, but I do also move around categories quite a lot. I think the key is to take time to understand the brand you’re working with and what its core brand values are. Keeping on top of current trends in pop culture – and having that genuine interest in what’s going on in the licensing industry – means you build that product knowledge naturally on a daily basis.

“Over the past few years, I’m doing more and more projects where we are ‘reinventing’ older brands or ‘retelling’ stories for new audiences.”

When there are time pressures on a project, it’s all too easy to jump in quickly… I’m a big advocate of the work ethic ‘slow down to speed up’ and always make sure projects are approached in this way with clients to ensure they are delivered on brief and often ahead of deadlines.

Over the last five years, what have been the biggest changes you have seen in design work for the licensing industry?
There’s been a few areas I’ve noticed changes. Over the past few years, I’m definitely doing more and more projects where we are ‘reinventing’ older brands or ‘retelling’ stories for new audiences. I’ve recently completed a project looking at new ways to bring the artifacts from the Ashmolean Museum together with the museum itself to visually reach a new audience.

Another area that publishing for sure has worked hard to address is inclusivity and empowerment, especially for the younger audiences. We’ve worked on a lot of Barbie publishing projects over the last 18 months and this brand does so well to empower its audience and be fully inclusive.

There is much more choice and openness now when you look through the bookstores when it comes to topics that weren’t always represented. It’s so good to see mainstream publishers publishing books like ‘Manifesto for Misfits’ by Sink the Pink. Good work Quarto!

Sticking with the publishing category, what are some of the trends within the sector that are influencing your design work?
Designing in the publishing category, and especially thinking about the cover design, you have such a small snippet of time to grab someone’s attention to get them to pick the book up from the shelf…

I’ve seen a trend of very bold cover designs with very direct messages – I have to mention Manifesto for Misfits again! – that have a lot of impact on shelf. It’s something I definitely had in the forefront of my mind while working on Cathy Press’ new book When Love Bites.

The thinking behind the cover design was to speak directly boldly and confidently to the young audience to empower them and with a ‘tone of voice’ visually that they were familiar with. Cathy’s book addresses the sensitive subject matter of teenage relationship abuse, so this bold approach was always going to be a challenge to get the balance and ‘tone of voice’ right for these young adults.

In licensing in general, there’s a real trend to collaborate. It’s been about for a while, but we are seeing more and more of it. Personally, I love a collaboration and find the product that comes out of it very exciting. Maybe it’s because it has that ‘one off’ vibe and I’m a sucker for collecting things!

Are there lessons that licensing could be picking up from other industry sectors design-wise?
The directness, the instant-ness – if that’s a word! – of the publishing world in terms of cover design. I think especially with the young adult audience and the amount of content that’s available to them these days, it can be a challenge to stand out and often you only have that split second to do it.

When you are set design briefs, are there some key points you look for?
Absolutely, and if they are not there then I’m going to ask questions to find out!

‘Tone of Voice and ‘emotive’ are the main things I look for, and the main things I focus on if I’m briefing out. I want to know what emotion we want the person to feel when they pick up the product, and what ‘design voice’ we want to use to make that happen.

Nic, this has been great! Before I let you go, what are your three most recent purchases that feature licensed properties and designs?
Disney Mickey Mouse Happy Socks. Sink The Pink’s Manifest for Misfits – did I mention this book yet! And I’ve just seen the PAC-MAN X Eastpak collaboration… I’m pretty sure the PAC-MAN pouch is going to be my next ‘recent purchase’ by the time you read this!

Yes, that range is great isn’t it. Thanks again Nic!

The post Smart Design Studio’s Nic Davies on good briefs, bold graphics and industry evolutions appeared first on Brands Untapped.

Eighties brand Rainbow Brite has a wealth of product available on Truffleshuffle, the Blockbuster video chain received fresh attention when it became the focus of a party game from Big Potato and Space Invaders recently landed in the footwear aisle with Floris van Bommel.

Moving from the Eighties to the Nineties and we’ve recently seen Tommy Hilfiger debut a capsule collection celebrating some classic Nickelodeon properties from the decade, including Rugrats, Garfield and Beavis & Butt-Head.

Further proof, if it were needed, of licensing’s power to keep retro brands alive came with the recent news that MGM will be hosting its first Pink Panther month in June 2022; an event promising product launches, thematic retail activations and experiential initiatives.

Having started life in the credits of the classic film series of the same name more than 50 years ago, the brand has continued to thrive in recent times with a raft of apparel and homewares deals, as well as a Pantone partnership.

Following all this retro activity, we asked Smart Design Studio’s Nic Davies, Heayes Design’s Richard Heayes, Pinfinity’s Caleb Paullus and The Toy Association’s Marian Bossard for their picks of brands that could be revived through creative licensing.

Nic Davies, Creative Director & Founder, Smart Design Studio
This last year has seen a major comeback for many of my own personal Nineties nostalgia brands – and music.

The Face magazine has always been the single biggest design influence and inspiration to me, and it was exciting to see this brand revived in Selfridges recently. What was great was the way licensing tapped into the magazine covers themselves as an ‘art collection’ – the covers are iconic and to acknowledge them as ‘works of art’ made perfect sense.

This made me think there are many other magazines equally deserving of the ‘work of art’ award… The one that immediately springs to mind is Ray Gun magazine. There are over 70 issues of Ray Gun in its archive, so to bring it to life as an art collection seems a perfect retro revival.

Again, each cover would feature an iconic celebrity but unlike the clean lines of the Face magazine, Ray Gun focused on the grunge alternative side of pop culture and broke all the rules! You could have some real fun bending the rules with the product design for this brand… I’m thinking record bags or apparel with pockets in unusual places, beautifully designed tags and labels on the outside rather than hiding them on the inside, having fun and freedom with each element and its design.

Like The Face and Ray Gun, i-D magazine has an extensive archive of iconic covers that date back to 1980. Tipped on its side, the “i-D” typographic logo reveals a winking smiley that can be seen reflected in the winking cover model. This is a great hook for the product and core design features. The early issues were produced as hand stapled fanzines, and this would be a great vibe to tap into for a trend guide.

As all these brands provide us a snapshot into a ‘moment in time’ in youth culture, collections could really utilise the love we all have for nostalgic brands, making the product desirable to both the original and the new audiences.

NME… Smash Hits… I could go on… I don’t know if this is a licensing insight or more a personal wish list; hopefully both!

Richard Heayes, Founder, Heayes Design
Any brand with a memorable story that makes an emotional connection as soon as you see it has the potential to work through smart licensing… Something that puts a smile on your face for being cool, smart or just plain funny.

I’m always nervous suggesting ideas in licensing because most of them seem to have been done but how about…

Dulux painting sets for kids; the lovely Sheepdog could be a real icon for getting kids to paint.

The Commodore 64 was the best-selling computer of all time. The titles on that hold fond memories for many and I’m sure the 64 brand itself could make another comeback. If we all want some mindfulness, learn to wait for your game to load via cassette for 30 mins! Maybe a digital loader so things are not instant and make players practice relaxation in between!

My last pick would be the Raleigh Chopper. It was not just a bike… It was a style icon, and I could imagine different products being given the ‘Chopper’ treatment. I’d love to see a Chopper Scooter or shoes.

Caleb Paullus, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Pinfinity
Nostalgia is so powerful. There are a lot of big brands that have made acquisitions and haven’t done anything with some really great properties from the 80s and 90s. I know Mattel, for example, has a very big vault of IP and it wouldn’t take much to seed the market and get collectors excited.

Shogun Warriors? Collectors would snatch these up and who doesn’t love robots! Other stuff from various brands includes things like Street Sharks, My Pet Monster and Rock Lords to name a few. These are such fun brands and can do well in a market that is over saturated with other IP.

Collaborations are strong. A full-blown licensing program for these older properties isn’t necessary to start. Brands should sync up with other companies and do limited edition drops. Reeboks X Shogun Warriors… I’d buy them all!

Brands should reach out to other brands that are doing things that are different and cool and are hype-able. A good example (though not necessary in need of revival) is the Jurassic Park X Transformers set. It takes two properties that have strong ties to invoking nostalgia and creates something that is awesome.

Marian Bossard, Senior Advisor, The Toy Association
As a tween/teen in the 60s, I was raised on Mad Magazine and the political satire of Spy vs. Spy. I’ve always wondered if these comics, that skewered politicians, the military and heavily-decorated leaders, didn’t help allay any real fears about the dangerous world out there. I think it’s time to provide tweens and teens with gentle political satire and Spy vs. Spy never made one side dominant over the other.

The brand has huge potential across multiple categories, from apparel to accessories and room décor. Old content is rather timeless but updating for current teen/tween audience might be worth exploring. A brilliant sneaker deal with PUMA back in 2008 showed that the IP gives designers lots to play with when it comes to expressing their creativity through Spy vs. Spy.

With the U.S and Russia again heavily armed with chest-thumping rhetoric, let’s give the younger generation a break and point out the folly of constant agitation. Tween/teen political satire will help to ease worries and build resilience with humour. Foolish adults should be exposed!

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