After 44 Years, BBH Updates Its Look And Then Makes Its Typefaces Free For All

Image courtesy of BBH

Stability can be its own kind of provocation. BBH has kept its visual identity intact since the early 1980s, and now it is doing what it has always told others to do: zag.

Founded in 1982 by John Bartle, Sir Nigel Bogle, and Sir John Hegarty, the legacy advertising agency built its reputation on a simple refusal to follow the crowd. The mantra “When the world zigs, zag” became more than a slogan, especially after it was paired with a black sheep in the agency’s first Levi’s campaign. After 44 years in the business, that idea still frames how the company sees creativity, difference, and commercial impact.

The challenge this time was how to move the brand forward without sanding off what made it recognizable. That brief fell to Felipe Serradourada Guimarães and Adam Buckland, working with teams across the agency. The aim was not to overwrite BBH’s history, but to sharpen it for a present shaped by sameness and automation.

Image courtesy of BBH

Typography sits at the center of the update. Working with London-based type studio Studio DRAMA, BBH developed three custom typefaces, each linked to one of its founders. BBH Bartle focuses on clarity with wide, assured forms. BBH Bogle leans heavier, echoing the weight and conviction of the original logo. BBH Hegarty is looser and more expressive, designed to visually embody the agency’s instinct to zag when others conform.

Image courtesy of BBH

That last font also introduces custom Zag glyphs, subtle alternate characters that deliberately break rhythm and expectation. Used sparingly, they inject personality into copy and turn typography itself into a statement of difference.

Image courtesy of BBH

In keeping with BBH’s long-standing belief that creativity should be shared, all three typefaces have been released as free, open-source Google Fonts. Since launch, they have been downloaded more than four million times, a figure that suggests the project has resonated beyond the agency’s own walls.

Image courtesy of BBH

Image courtesy of BBH

Beyond type, BBH has made its mantra literal by translating “When the world zigs, zag” into physical, three-dimensional forms. These sculptural Zags were built by designer Sophie Harper and animated by motion lead Oded Shein, transforming a line of copy into a tactile brand asset that appears across the new system.

Internally, the rollout was marked with limited-edition black fleeces for staff, embroidered with the new typefaces and finished with a small yellow ID tag, the kind usually clipped to sheep.

Image courtesy of BBH

A short film completes the launch. Shot in Pembrokeshire, Wales, among heritage Radnor sheep, the 44-second piece references BBH’s original Levi’s advert from 44 years ago. Directed by Gilly Booth with aerial cinematography by Cinearth, it underlines the continuity between past and present without leaning on nostalgia too heavily. The identity is now live across BBH’s global offices, supported by a new website built in-house with creative developer Oliver Brown.

[via BBH, images courtesy and featured with permission]