Having the right brand partner in your corner is a game-changer.

In our experience, the most successful outcomes rely on three essential ingredients – chemistry, mutual respect and a sensible budget.

At Cousin, we work best with people who…

Know the value of a great brand

Appreciate the impact of design

Have good intentions for people and or the planet

Have a purpose we can get behind and amplify

If that sounds like you, keep reading. You’re in the right place.

Why choose Cousin?

When you work with us, you will only ever work with the same three directors of brand, design and strategy. Having our ‘A team of three’ dedicated to your project has major benefits for your brand and your bottom line.

Planning & Strategy

Chrissy Birtwistle,
Strategic Brand Director

With 12 years’ experience at top global marketing and brand agencies, Chrissy has built a strong reputation for bringing a smart, informed perspective to every project. Chrissy always has one eye on the detail and one on the big picture, making her the perfect conduit between our clients and the creative team on every project. It also means she’s brilliant at building a robust, thoughtful and future proofed plan.

Strategy & Writing

Gill Colhoun,
Strategist & Creative Copywriter

Gill specialises in brand positioning, verbal identity, naming, straplines, message strategy and editorial content. Gill’s work is about making complicated ideas more understandable and using the written word to make brands more accessible and engaging.

Gill usually works closely with Chrissy on all things brand strategy & comms, before bridging neatly into design.

Brand & Design

Lynsay Biss,
Strategic Design Director

In her 10 years designing both agency and client-side, Lynsay has developed an exceptional talent for translating any business need into a meaningful brand. She covers all areas of brand development, from concept to execution and everything in between.

There is no one quite like Lynsay - she brings brilliance to every project - finding that golden thread to bring coherence to any brand identity.

Client Testimonials

“I’ve worked with Gillian for over ten years and know her to be that rare person whose brain works strategically and creatively in equal measure. She is absolutely the person you want in the room when everyone else is out of ideas.“

Tom Edgar - Head of Consultancy at Queen’s University Belfast

“It was a joy to receive Lynsay’s work as she just ‘got it’ - she delivered each stage bang on time and with stunning, unpredictable, modern and, most importantly, practical results. I would recommend her without hesitation.”

Elise Gustilo - Milliner & Founder, Elise Gustilo Millinery

“We couldn’t have launched Superunion without Chrissy - uniting five established agencies, across 23 offices, in just 3 months. And together we created something better than we thought possible. I can’t think of anyone better to trust with your programme or to have in your corner.”

Claire Robinson - Former Global CMO, Superunion

Most projects only require our core team, but should we need to scale up our resource, we can call on professionals from our Cousin network.

Tom Alexander,
Digital Design & UX

Laura Williamson,
Digital Design

Hailey Phillips,
Brand & Design

Holly Greenland,
Writing & Comms

Follow @homeofcousin

One of the great things we've seen this year is the emergence of hidden talents and side hustles. We've been totally inspired by people using this time and opportunity to indulge their passions and do some good, and we are very proud to say one of th

In this year of chaos, our ray of light has been the chance to pause and reflect on how we work, who we are and want we want. We are delighted to share our new website, and a slight pivot in our structure - Gill Colhoun was far too good not to have i

I mean, as future planning meetings go... Gill and Chrissy discussing the merits of client workshops away from the office. Can't think where we got that inspiration from 🤔🌋
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C is for Competitor Research⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This means identifying and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of your competitor brands to inform your own strategy. A vital piece of information for carving out your own niche and finding a way to s

Childcare has become a very hot topic over the last few months, and the outstanding job our childminders, nurseries, teachers and nannies do on a daily basis is firmly at the fore. We saw this first hand when we worked with KiwiOz last year to create

The humble favicon - probably one of the smallest assets on your website, but when done well it's arguably one of the most impactful. If you're anything like us you'll have twenty-five tabs open on your browser, and this is where you see the favicon

Interested to see what we’ve done? Take a look at our portfolio.

Our work