Real Talk: Simon Dixon, Co-Founder at DixonBaxi
We spoke with Simon for the first instalment of ‘Real Talk’, our new weekly Q&A series.
Simon Dixon is a Co-Founder of DixonBaxi, the London-based brand & design consultancy working with the likes of AC Milan, Premier League, FOX, Channel 4 and Netflix.
We caught up with Simon about the history of DixonBaxi, relationships, getting through tough times and what creatives can be doing right now.
Enjoy!
Zack
Hi Simon. How’s it going? Where are you and what are you feeling right now?
I’m good, thank you. I’m in my study, at the back of my house in the Cotswolds. It’s a tranquil and good place to work.
I’m feeling positive but focused on making the right calls to map our way through a tricky few months ahead for the industry.
DixonBaxi has been going strong for over 18 years. Why did you and Aporva decide to start your own agency? What’s it like working with the same person for that long?
I actually started my first agency when I was at College with two friends. Aged around 20 years old. I was always very independently minded, so I developed my career by trying things and learning by doing. That includes starting agencies and opening studios.
Aporva and I met before DixonBaxi and worked together. We’re very different people but share a lot of common drives and interests. We’ve always felt the combination of our shared skills and mindset is far more powerful than either of our individual talents.
We started DixonBaxi to reconnect with who we were as creatives and try something simpler and more self-defined as an agency. We stayed as two people for a few years, creating pretty big branding work but keeping the approach very simple.
Working with the same person for two and a half decades is like a marriage. It is a powerful bond where your shared experiences and goals become the defining thing. We’re lucky that both of us are both extremely passionate but also unrelenting in our desire to do what we do. It’s just who we are. So you do need compromise and flex, or you can’t succeed, but, interestingly, we’re at the point now where we’re pretty symbiotic.
I trust him implicitly, and I think he trusts me. So anything is achievable if you have that.
DixonBaxi’s slogan is ‘Be Brave’. Where did you learn bravery?
You build it like a muscle. It’s an attitude to calculated risk and you can train yourself to be comfortable when confronted by new challenges, skills you don’t yet possess or trying creative work which pushes the expected norm. You start small. Then build from there.
I’ve always reasoned why not? Why not try it? Why not push it a bit further? What do I lose? Most of the time, the chance of achieving something new outweighs the risk of inaction or not trying. I like to feel alive. Challenged. I think it is a hard-wired restlessness.
DixonBaxi has achieved ‘godlike’ status as far as many creatives are concerned. How did you make it there?
I’m not entirely sure what that means!
There is a simple answer: time and hard work. I get the sense that people forget we’ve been doing this for years. Day in, day out. Every day. We think of something. We try something. We have never stopped.
All the great long term success stories root back to folks who put the time in. You just can’t cheat it. Agencies come and go, styles come and go, trends shift, technology develops. However, the people who are pushing every day to improve what they do and genuinely love it are the ones still doing it when the dust settles. It’s because you’ve been doing it through the good, the bad and the indifferent.
For me, it is a way of life. You care about enjoying what you’re doing vs the rewards.
How is DixonBaxi adapting as a consultancy due to COVID-19?
We’re working remotely. It’s not perfect, but the team hit the ground running with the same passion and drive they do everything. They just get stuck into creating great work.
It’s essential we look after each other. Keep our focus. Make calm decisions. Other than that we’re business as usual.
What impact do you think the virus will have on the design industry?
It will be tough for a lot of people and agencies. Of course, things will return to normality. It’s just a question of how many in the industry can hang on until it stabilises. It tends to get worse before it gets better, but it always gets better. So the key is focusing on the things you can control and to help each other get through the initial uncertainty.
DixonBaxi made it through the 2008 recession too. What did you learn from that and how are those learnings helping you today?
Yeah. I started my first agency in an early 90s recession. Over the thirty years of opening and running studios internationally we’ve had the .com crash, 9/11, 7/7, the 2008 crash. Plus a lot of other challenging shifts like the Brexit uncertainty.
The truth is it is hard, but if you run a company, you need to expect to have to run it when things are tough. And when you are, you have to be very calm, super focused and try to make the decisions that will best protect your team and the company's long term health.
However, the only sure way to do this is to do it from a position of strength. Very early on, I realised financial control and stability was the key to doing the work we wanted whatever is happening in the world. So I have always invested in my companies and built strong financial bases. We hold funds specifically for the bad times. We stockpile when things are good and understand we need to use that reserve when things are tough.
We also continually try to improve how we work and how we create work. The underlying strength of our process. That has meant we enter each new uncertainty with a clear plan, a strong team and a way of working tested over decades.
We are also incredibly positive. Realists but very upbeat ones! It gives us energy and drive. You need that, as running an agency is like being a shark. You can’t stop swimming! So you better love it and be high energy. You cope better too.
I wrote a short piece that offers a few of the learnings I refer back to when things get tough.
Where do you find inspiration?
I read a lot of non-fiction and love films.
However, my inspiration comes mainly from the team now. I’m interested in how I can help them achieve work that defines and validates them. That’s my job.
I’m wary of social media, particularly the negative and corrosive effect it has. So I’m careful what I consume.
What’s one piece of creative content you’ve seen recently that has blown your mind?
This didn’t blow my mind, but it did make me think about the importance of genuinely clear communications. It is a lo-fi but super explicit explanation of how to wash your hands properly. This is something we do every day, but it has taken on heightened importance.
Watch it. Use it.
What advice do you have for creatives during this time, especially those studying, looking for opportunities or recently out of work?
Focus on the type of work you'd like to create. It is far easier to succeed if you know what you want.
If you haven't had the chance to create work you love, don't fret. Make it. Don't ever moan you've not had a chance. Just get on and make it.
Only show your very, very best work. Be brutal and sharpen your folio to the cream of what you do. Get it online. Then share it widely.
Meet people. A lot of them. You can't do that face to face at the moment, but you can reach out. Short calls, video chats. The more people you connect with, the better chance you have of finding a spot.
Think beyond yourself. Creativity is collaborative. Don't be self-obsessed. Be open to ideas and ways of working. Think about what others need and you'll get more back than you can imagine.
Research agencies you'd like to work at or feel you suit. The better you research, the more you'll understand your options.
Don't worry about titles. Worry about the quality of the work. I can't stress this enough. Far too many people focus on getting on or specific roles. It doesn't matter if you're not doing vital and rewarding work: chase the projects and the exciting ways of working.
Be positive and additive. People buy people. So the more natural, interesting and upbeat you are, the more you'll connect. You don't need to be loud or overly gregarious. Just passionate.
Work hard. Really hard. People who get on put more time in. It's no mystery. They just push harder.
What’s your vision of the future, based on where we are today?
It's good, and it's self-determined. The best position to be. The rest we'll see after the crisis passes.
Finally, is there anything you’d like to say to a bunch of creatives on the internet?
Do what you love. You only get one go around, so don't waste it worrying about what you think others are doing or what people tell you is cool. Do your own thing.
A special thank you to Simon for speaking with us!
Next week, we’ll be speaking with Sam Jackson, Global Brand Narrative Director at Nike.