Following the completion of a management buyout earlier this year, Elmwood Melbourne is celebrating its independence by hitting the refresh button and rebranding to ‘the thrills’.

Headed by Managing Partners Rick McEvoy and Kate Richardson, the thrills is a creative agency on a mission of collaboration, curiosity, and fearless creativity. It will strive to push boundaries and nurture brilliance.

“Our name and the brand speaks directly to why the thrills does what it does; it’s that feeling when an idea just works. When creative goes from ‘looks good’ to ‘look out world’. From ‘sounds nice’ to ‘sends shivers’. From ‘that’s wonderful’ to ‘that’s the one’ The kind that gives you goosebumps,” Kate said.

“We wanted a brand that better defined us and captured the power design has to elicit different emotions. Something electric, unexpected and above all effective. We call it the thrills. And we seek to feel it every day. And that’s why we love what we do.”

“With a mission that endlessly inspires our whole team, reflects why we do what we do and how we partner with our clients. We’re excited about our future and this brand-new chapter for all of us,” Rick said.

“We’ve seen the pandemic really drive a shift towards loving local, and with our new brand, we feel we can really capture our team’s independent spirit and better partner with our local clients.”

The brandmark is ever evolving, representing different emotions. The identity overall is inclusive and diverse, with gender-neutral characters representing the thrills’ brand values along with a burst of acid yellow to bring the positivity.

The last few years have seen the team hit plenty of highs under the artistic leadership of Creative Directors Paul Greskie and Bianka Voigt.

From harnessing its strong relationships with clients like Carman’s and Dairy Australia, through to launching Roll’d into Coles, and bringing smiles to Australians through Allen’s lollies, the thrills have produced some extraordinarily effective work.

“Our focus now is on our ever more creative future, continuing to deliver effective work for our clients and championing our team to be fearlessly creative every day. And that’s so exciting,” Bianka said.

“We’re a curious bunch and give it our all on projects big and small. With this rebrand, we are better positioned to deliver a future for our studio that’s filled with electric ideas and the kind of creativity that gives you goosebumps,” Paul said.

The agency has strong foundations thanks to its expansive global history and a team of 30 with extensive experience across the globe. Its diverse client list includes Carman’s, Dairy Australia, Coles, Bulla, Roll’d and Nestle. the thrills calls Australia home but will continue to connect with its global friends to leverage its close network.

the thrills (formerly Elmwood) has won multiple international design awards including an impressive collection of Gold Design Effectiveness Awards, a Grand Prix at Transform Asia-Pac, and a highly prized Cannes Lion amongst others.