Fluxx and MagneticNorth become Magnetic: on a mission to design better futures
- Innovation experts Fluxx and award-winning digital design studio magneticNorth finalise their merger, becoming Magnetic.
- Just over a year ago, Manchester’s award-winning digital design studio magneticNorth merged with London’s leading innovation consultancy, Fluxx. They combined their 30+ years of experience to become an independent design and innovation powerhouse, fuelling post-pandemic business growth. Together, we are now Magnetic.
- We believe businesses have an obligation to design with optimism, and advocate for a more equitable, sustainable and collaborative future.
- We champion diversity and raising industry standards in D&I. The business has scaled by 25% in the last 12 months with a majority female leadership team.
- We have been internationally recognised for our outstanding client delivery and award-winning culture.
- Locations in London and Manchester.
The merger is now complete, and the combined businesses have become Magnetic. The new company name symbolises the merging of design and innovation, and the necessity of organisations and changemakers to come together to create a positive impact.
Jenny Burns, Magnetic’s CEO, explains what it means to design better futures:
“Covid has amplified the moral obligation we have to improve the world around us. It’s spurred the long-overdue reinvention of how we live, how we work, how we interact, the use of urban spaces and the application of technology. The trend towards adoption and accessibility of digital products and services has fast-forwarded by years, and the lines between place and online have rapidly blurred, which means design and innovation capabilities will be more critical to business than ever before.
"We must ask ourselves if we want our reality to be different – more equitable, just, sustainable and more collaborative. If this question is met with a resounding yes, then we must collectively design our future with optimism. Designing with optimism is to believe in the potential to create a better future. That is our purpose.”
The nature and scale of Magnetic’s projects has radically shifted. In the last 12 months the team has:
- Been a catalyst for action against climate change. At global engineering consultancy WSP, Magnetic sparked a movement of change by supporting 7,000 engineers to think greener.
- Boosted post-pandemic business growth. As a result of a design programme for high-growth potential businesses, created and delivered by Magnetic in collaboration with Innovate UK, £88 million is expected to be injected into the economy by 2031.
- Created award-winning, customer-focused digital products. Magnetic worked with the team at Balance to envision, design and deliver a digital health product to empower hundreds of thousands of people globally during menopause, helping them to make the right decisions for their bodies.
Magnetic's Chief Financial Officer, Richard Poole, said:
“We help transform organisations, and create products and services that last. Our partners are looking to create sustainable, real-world progress with a team that’s at home in chaos and can thrive at pace. We use brilliant design to help organisations achieve their ambitions, and build capabilities, not dependencies.”
Magnetic is industry agnostic; working shoulder to shoulder with nationals and multinationals, startups and disruptors, government and infrastructure alike. Our impressive roster includes Landsec, BBC, Google and Save the Children, to name but a few.
Magnetic's Chief Creative Officer, Lou Cordwell OBE, said:
“People are coming out of the post-pandemic economy wanting to address some of the wrongs that were highlighted, looking to deliver a more inclusive model of growth. In Manchester, digital adoption is accelerating our economic growth. There’s a huge spotlight on the North, and we’re passionate about continuing to support innovation-led business growth across the UK and beyond.”
Since April 2021, the organisation has grown by 25%, with more than 60% of the leadership team identifying as female. By embracing an ‘outcome over hours’ future of work policy, we’re able to attract the UK’s best talent. Our people work flexibly, prioritising their individual needs as well as those of their clients.
Jenny Burns added:
“We’ve reimagined how, where and when work gets done by creating a thriving work environment, where we support our people and acknowledge the importance of holistic wellbeing. This means we can service the organisations we work with at our best, and consistently deliver amazing results. I’m very proud of our team.”
Last year we were recognised for our positive culture and industrious work ethic, being nominated for The Financial Times’ Leading Management Consultants Award 2021 and The Telegraph’s Workplace of the Year Award 2021.
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