A challenging, down to earth bunch...

David Buchan / Owner + Creative Director

David is obsessive. Everything he does, he does with passion, meticulous detail and no small amount of success.

Having achieved a first class degree in Graphic Information Design from Harrow he was immediately employed by the highly discerning Conran Design Group and promoted to Associate Creative Director within two years. That was over 25 years ago. Since then he has become his own boss and worked with some of the biggest brands in the world, across almost every category and discipline.

He’s not afraid of a challenge either and in 1997 he formed Ocean Branding in order to focus on his favourite challenge - FMCG. He loves to immerse himself, and us, in category specifics before taking on category leaders. What a brand says in a split second at the point of purchase is the difference between being bought and being ignored. David’s mantra ‘No Equity, no brand’ is the backbone of what we do and has served the likes of Diagio, GlaxoSmithKline, Tesco, United Biscuits, William Grant & Sons, Nestlé and General Mills.

This multi category problem solving experience, combined with an unshakable desire for perfection, provides David with the relentless drive required to create truly effective brand equity. How does he measure success? Simple, by the increased sales of the brands Ocean works with.

John Condon / Associate Creative Director

An award-winning children’s author and a filmmaker, John’s storytelling and directing skills mean that our concepts are never without meaning.

John has been a vital part of the Ocean team for over ten years now. Graduating from Kingston University in 1998 with a BA Honours Degree in Graphic Design he soon discovered that he excelled at the intelligent communication needed for effective FMCG. We were lucky to poach John in 2003, he immediately fitted in with our eclectic family and it was not long before he was getting all of us to think differently about how a brand could (and should) tell its story.

Ultimately, John is good at hitting the nail on the head, cutting through the chaff and making sure we’re sticking to the script... one of the many reasons John was promoted to Associate Creative Director in 2007. Since then he has continued to be a strong advocate for the importance of ‘straight-talking’ brand equity and making sure that our brands personalities are strong.

Tim Simms / Design Director

A keen and experienced fly fisher, Tim knows how to create a good hook.

Straight from graduating with a BA(Hons) in graphic design in 1996 Tim joined London design agency Graphique, working for global clients such as Unilever and Pedigree Masterfoods. Two years later Graphique’s Art director moved to The Brandworks, taking Tim with him. He quickly moved up their ranks to senior designer and applied his branding skills to Virgin, GlaxoSmithKline, Muller, Asda and Jacobs.

In 2002 he embarked on a successful freelance career, working for many of London and Sydney’s top design agencies, one of which was Ocean Branding. We saw his potential and managed to land him full-time in 2011. His conceptual dexterity, market understanding and problem solving abilities make him an invaluable part of the creative team.

Russ Chaluisan / Production Manager

Within the Ocean team Russell is unique. He’s from New York, his voice is so deep and gravelly we can barely understand what he says, he makes great coffee and in the evening he attends portraiture and figurative art classes.

After graduating from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, Russell worked as a structural Point of Sale designer creating three dimensional wonders for Gillette, Revlon, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Proctor & Gamble. He later moved from structural to graphic design and then on to high-end production.

In 1998 Russell relocated to London where he freelanced for most of the top branding consultancies including Ocean, after a year we persuaded him to come on board full time. Russell's talents are rare as he is able to digitally retouch and rebuild imagery with the eye of an artist... as well as produce perfect artworks. On top of this Russell also took it upon himself to learn one of the most advanced 3D programs out there, which means we now have a digital supermarket to wander around and look at our concepts on shelf.

Michaela Raisch-Berkoff / Senior Account Manager

Born in London, raised in Canada, Michaela is the perfect combination of English politeness and Canadian... politeness. She’s very polite!

Although she has a Degree in Exercise Science, Michaela wanted to flex her creative muscles, so she carved herself a career at leading North American branding and design agency Davis. There she spent 8 years on Pfizer Global (US, Nordics, Italy, Russia), Pfizer Canada, Jack Link’s US, Mondelez and Kraft Canada accounts.

While Michaela was originally due to stay with us for only 12 months, once we saw her in action we very quickly realised we didn't want to let her go. Not only is she an expert at keeping projects on track, she has extensive print knowledge and the proofreading skills of an Eagle. Well, one that can read English.

She can often be found in lycra on weekends, and regularly cycles 40km before work.