nim design, a graphic design agency in london

Our founder, Lim, loves good design and appreciates the thinking that makes something both functional and beautiful. Twenty years ago, he took this passion and established nim design. From the start, he set out to use effective design to make a difference – initially for charities and housing and then for other ethically-minded brands.

Now nim design, based in Harrow, has grown into a team of like-minded creative people working with many clients who have been with us for years. They tell us it’s because they’re always excited about what we’ll bring to the next meeting but we suspect it’s because we think differently and deliver a contemporary edge to their branding, annual reports, multi-platform campaigns and infographics.

Great design makes a difference. We want to use design to unlock the potential of brands that do good. As a team, we appreciate all beautifully crafted design – it’s just that we prefer to create it for brands that are ethically-minded.

We listen carefully to briefs and respond with design that both delights and delivers. As a smallish team, we are flexible and responsive so you’ll always know who to call if you have a question. And we promise to give you an honest answer.

Experienced

For over two decades, we have been ensuring ethical brands amplify their voice through strong design. We’ve learned to understand your priorities and audiences so that we can transform your thinking into design which is both exciting and engaging.

Smart

We could have said creative but we think “smart” is a bit more than that. We combine creativity with strategic thinking to develop designs which are striking to look at but, most importantly, which work. Smart is creativity that works for you.

Friendly

Our clients tell us we’re approachable and that they’re happy to call us with any questions “however small”. We like to think of ourselves as part of your team.

Careful, considered and creative, our team is small but perfectly formed. Every person brings unique skills and their own personality to our core team; individually we’re very different but collectively we all share the same approach to ethical design.

Lim Khaw

Design Lead

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Lim Khaw, Design Lead

With over 25 years’ experience working in Malaysia and London, Lim has a degree in Graphic Information Design, his work features in design magazines, and he is a member of the Chartered Society of Designers.

Lim set up nim design in 1996 initially operating from his front room. Within two years he had moved the growing business into an old bank building in the heart of Harrow on the Hill. The company name is derived from Lim’s childhood nick name and keeps him connected with his folks back in Malaysia.

When asked what his best work to date is; his answer was simply ‘I’m still striving to achieve it’. He went on to add that he is proud of forming close relationships with both clients and professional partners, so that the best design solution can be achieved.

His rebranding work for luxury sofa manufacturer Parker & Farr has breathed new life to the brand; his design for an Advocacy toolkit for Plan International has been launched during the Global Education First Initiative in Washington, advocating for the rights to an education; and his annual report strategic design work has helped numerous organisations to endorse their impact and solid financial positions.

Likes

Eating out, galleries, design books and travelling.

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Miguel Ministro

Senior Designer

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Miguel Ministro, Senior Designer

Originally from Portugal, Miguel has joined Nim as a designer and has impressed us with his fresh thinking, playful ideas and illustrative talents.

With a degree in communication design from ESAD Matosinhos in Portugal, Miguel has a flair for designing all things print, from books, reports, magazines, posters to greeting cards. He is also a talented illustrator in his own right and we are looking forward to introducing his artistic talents to our clients.

In turn Miguel tells us he will add an illustrative edge to our designs, while at the same time, learning from our clear, strategic and logical approach. Having previously worked on his own, Miguel says he’s now embraced our collaborative attitude and has contributed to some lively creative debates!

It’s enlightening and fun to have a member who brings diversity to the team and we’ve all been inspired by Miguel’s Portuguese references – Infante do Carmo and Sebastião Rodrigues – who are best known for their stylish book covers and painterly illustrations.

Likes

Reading, listening to music, gaming and good food with friends. Although he wouldn’t count Portugal’s finest contribution to fast food in this category. He told us, “Nandos? I enjoy it, but that’s not the place to find Portuguese flavours!”

 

Our Partners

Over the years, we’ve cultivated a network of talented partners who bring particular skills and insight to nim design. We tap into this network when we want to build bigger or more bespoke teams for particular projects. This agile approach unlocks a highly creative talent pool for our clients.

Gosia is another student of Central St Martins who loves to push creative boundaries. She is passionate about using design to make an emotional connection with target audiences and is experienced enough to know when pragmatic decisions are required.

Her recent work on the rebranding of the Egyptian Exploration Society demonstrated her ability to interpret a challenging brief and to find a solution which exceeded client expectations. The new logo and branding guidelines were also met positively by the many different stakeholders involved from this historic, academic institution.

Likes

Travelling, art galleries, photography, working out and cooking.

After school in the North East of England, Peter joined a Newcastle advertising agency as a trainee copywriter.

Many, many, many years later after moving to London to work for the J. Walter Thompson agency and eventually becoming a creative director in another major agency, Peter semi–retired.

Peter now enjoys being able to continue using his copywriting skills honed on brands, such as Johnnie Walker Black Label, Texaco and The Australian Tourist Board. On every media from posters to press to TV to print.

Likes

Travel and eating. Preferably at the same time.

Paul is an experienced commercial advertising photographer based in London but has worked on projects all over the UK. He specialises in working for charities and the housing sector, shooting case studies for online and offline publications. Paul also makes himself available to visit his old college to work with his former lecturer and his new students – offering advice and tutorials.

Being so passionate about photography, even in his spare time, Paul works on personal projects and is currently combining another passion of his – cold water swimming – to shoot portraits of fellow swimmers as they emerge from the freezing temperatures of the lido.

Not just using modern camera technology, Paul also has his favourite recent purchase of the Polaroid SX-70, which he is currently using in his latest personal project.

Likes

Cold water swimming, cooking and travelling with my family to explore new places.

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Sarah is an integral part of our web development and technical team at nim design, helping our clients with a wide range of services including fully responsive websites (and maintenance), website content and technical support. Sarah works predominantly in WordPress website development, but also has a wide range of experience in other technologies including HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP.

As a Director at Charcoal, Sarah and her team also offer a wide range of additional services: from one-off projects to provision of an outsourced marketing department. They can deliver both online and offline marketing support which includes social media and content management, SEO, data management, telesales, digital and email marketing and full marketing campaign management.

Likes

Travel, exploring new technologies, good food with family and friends, Excel spreadsheets, architecture and visiting the tallest buildings in the world.

Paula has over 20 years’ experience in public relations and marketing and has built up a large client base of her own ranging from SMEs and charities to global corporates.

Her work involves creating and delivering strategic communications programmes for clients as well as undertaking one-off projects. Her skills include media relations, digital content strategy and creation, social media, copywriting and account-based marketing. Paula also works with clients to establish clear messaging and an appropriate tone of voice.

Paula believes that to break through the ever-growing marketing noise, organisations need to communicate clearly and truthfully to their stakeholders. Whether she is writing social media posts, blogs or annual review copy, she delivers information in a clear, straightforward style which puts the readers first.