None Other Studios dreamscape

Welcome to

None Other Studios

Here we build timeless brands that people believe in.

Rooted in over twenty years of real-world hospitality experience, None Other Studios combines strategic thinking, operational insight and creative direction to help brands discover what sets them apart, build genuine connection with their audience, and turn that connection into loyalty for the long haul.

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Leo Johnson | Founder of None Other Studios & Dodo Pub Co.

  • None Other Studios is led by Leo Johnson, a founder, operator and creative director with more than 20 years’ experience building hospitality businesses.

    After training at Ballymaloe, he cut his teeth in commercial kitchens. While managing multiple sites, he co-founded Dodo Pub Co, developing the menu and operating model that helped turn the original concept into something that could work across multiple locations. In doing so, he learned the realities of hospitality from the ground up.

    As Dodo grew from one to ten sites, he worked across pretty much every part of the company: operations, proposition, brand, customer experience, property, site development, creative direction, group leadership and board-level strategy.

    In the early years, as an operator, he commissioned work from designers, agencies, architects and other creative partners. Frustrated by the gap between what the business needed and what was sometimes delivered, he eventually brought the creative function entirely in-house, taking responsibility for the brand, design and creative direction himself. He developed and implemented the work across the business, then lived with the commercial consequences of those decisions.

    That experience now shapes None Other Studios. The best brands do more than look the part. They understand what sets them apart, create genuine connections with the people they serve and earn loyalty over time.

    Having worked on both sides of the table, Leo understands that good thinking has to survive contact with the real world. It has to work across identity, interiors, service, menus, customer experience and the hundreds of decisions that gradually shape what a business becomes.

    Today, None Other works alongside founders and independent businesses to bring clarity to ambitious ideas, build brands people genuinely believe in and help keep them pointing in the right direction as they grow.

  • Brand Strategy
    Positioning • Proposition • Naming • Brand Narrative • Audience & Customer Insight

    Brand Identity
    Identity Systems • Logo & Marks • Typography • Colour • Illustration • Art Direction • Tone of Voice • Print & Ephemera

    Customer Experience
    Customer Journey • Brand Touchpoints • Service Experience • Menus & Communications

    Hospitality Environments
    Hospitality Space Design • Interior Direction • Layout Planning • Signage • Operational Flow

    Creative Direction
    Creative Strategy • Briefing • Partner Selection • Team & Agency Direction • Review & Refinement

    Rollout & Stewardship
    Launch Support • Brand Guidelines • Supplier Direction • Creative QA • Ongoing Creative Direction • Brand Guardianship

  • Strategic & Commercial Consultancy
    Experienced perspective for founders, operators and leadership teams launching, evolving or repositioning businesses.

    Brand Strategy & Identity
    Positioning, proposition and distinctive brand identities grounded in clear thinking and commercial reality.

    Hospitality Spaces & Rollouts
    Brand-led support across hospitality fit-outs, layouts, signage, operational flow and customer environments.

    Creative Direction & Brand Support
    Ongoing creative director support, brand guardianship and experienced perspective as businesses grow and evolve.

the process.

Every project starts with a conversation.

Usually over a coffee, maybe a beer…

From there, the process is straightforward. We take the time to understand what you need, agree the scope before work begins, keep you involved at the right moment; making sure there are no surprises along the way.

No surprises. Just straight answers and proper support from start to finish.

  • We start by getting under the skin of the business. The ambition, the audience, the commercial realities, what’s working, what isn’t and what you’re actually trying to achieve.

    This might involve conversations, workshops, existing research or simply asking the right questions before anyone starts designing anything.

  • Once we understand the brief, we agree the best way forward.

    You’ll receive a clear statement of work setting out the scope, deliverables, timings and costs, so everyone knows what’s being done and what to expect before the project begins.

  • This is where the work starts to take shape.

    Depending on the project, that could mean proposition, identity, creative direction, interiors, menus, digital or something entirely different. Clear milestones and review points give you plenty of opportunity to see the work develop, ask questions and give feedback along the way.

  • Once the direction is agreed, we turn the thinking into something real.

    That might include final artwork, signage, print, websites, environments, packaging, menus, supplier briefs or launch support. Where other partners are involved, None Other can help coordinate and direct the work so everything stays aligned.

  • The relationship doesn’t have to end at launch.

    None Other can stay involved as an ongoing creative and commercial partner, helping refine the work, support teams and suppliers, review new opportunities and make sure the brand continues to move in the right direction as the business evolves.

If this sounds like the sort of journey you’re looking for, get in touch.

we can talk over coffee or a beer, which often

leads to good ideas…

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some recent work…
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