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The main office is defined by a sense of openness.

Having secured its own premises, Dubai-based creative agency North 55 was eager to invest in an interior that would effectively communicate its creative flair.

Even the business cards for Dubai-based creative agency North 55 are free of corporate pomp. The back of each card is different – the company’s employees are free to fill the space with the graphic of their choice.

It is this kind of emphasis on personal expression and creative freedom, unfettered by over-restrictive brand standards, that characterises North 55’s new offices. An independent print and online design agency with 16 members of staff, North 55 had been operating out of Dubai Media City since 2000 before deciding to invest in its own space in Grosvenor Business Tower.

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Having secured its own premises, North 55’s owners were keen to invest in an interior that would communicate its creative flair. “We wanted to do something a little more fun; something brighter, a little more creative,” said Craig Falconer, creative partner, North 55.

“The last thing we wanted was a standard, modular office or a cookie-cutter solution. If your interior doesn’t reflect your personality, it’s hard to sell yourself as a creative agency. That is something that we suffered with in rented premises,” he continued.

Falconer and his partner worked closely with Dubai-based interior design firm Bluehaus to translate the North 55 ethos into a funky workspace.

“They had an idea, right from the beginning, of what they wanted. A lot of people say creatives working with creatives is tough, but I think in this case, we actually made a good team. They came up with ideas and we investigated them.

In some cases they worked very well and in some cases they didn’t,” said partner, Bluehaus, Ben Corrigan.

From the very outset, the message is clear – this is no ordinary, run-of-the-mill interior and no ordinary, run-of-the mill company. The reception area is dominated by a handful of very strong, visually-striking design statements: a Smeg fridge emblazoned with the Union Jack; funky light fixtures; and an exposed brickwork wall with ‘North 55’ graffitied across it.

“The graffiti was a really nice touch,” said Corrigan. “They commissioned it from a guy in Canada. The old brickwork was another idea of theirs. They wanted to have that feel of maybe a backstreet London practice. They are a small, boutique agency. They’ve got some great clients and some very big ideas, but they don’t want to grow too much. If you look at their client list, it’s fantastic, but they are still a relatively small agency.”