Popping-in?

We designed our studio; it's filled with light and music. There are multiple meeting rooms, a well stocked kitchen, and an indoor garden (with fishpond). Pop-in for tea and stay to use a spare desk for as long as you need.

11 Greenwich Centre Business Park,
53 Norman Road, Greenwich
London SE10 9QF

Cog is a Certified B Corporation

Public transport

We’re next to Greenwich train and DLR station. We have a door right on the concourse but it’s different to our postal address.

From Greenwich rail platform

This video shows the route to take from the train that will arrive at Greenwich rail station from London Bridge.

From Greenwich DLR station

This video shows the route to take from the DLR that will arrive at Greenwich DLR station from Bank.

By car

If you have to come by car, we have a couple of parking spaces. We have a charging point that you are welcome to use if you have an electric car. Call ahead and we'll make sure the spaces are free. Use our postcode (SE10 9QF) to guide you in.

Get in touch

We’d love to hear from you. Use whichever medium works best for you.

11 Greenwich Centre Business Park,
53 Norman Road, Greenwich
London SE10 9QF

Cog is a Certified B Corporation

New project enquiry

It's exciting to chat about potential new projects. We don't have a ‘sales’ team or a form to fill in. Call us or give us a little detail via email and we'll get straight back to you.

enquiry@cogdesign.com

Website support

If you're a client then you'll be best served by calling us or contacting us via Basecamp, otherwise you can use this dedicated email that reaches all of the digital team.

digital@cogdesign.com

Finance questions

This email hits the inboxes of the people who deal with our bookkeeping and finances.

accounts@cogdesign.com

Just want a chat?

Sometimes enquiries don't fall neatly under a heading, do they?

hello@cogdesign.com

Cultural Calendar

A round-up of recommendations and reviews, sent on the first Friday of each month, topped-off with a commissioned image from a talented new illustrator. Sign-up and tell your friends.

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Cog News

An irregular update of activity from our studio. Showing off about great new projects, announcements, job opportunities, that sort of thing. Sign-up and tell your friends.

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Our latest Cultural Calendar

June 2023 Sign me up
Our latest Cultural Calendar
Cog Cultural Calendar – Jun '23
 
 
Colourful illustration showing five older white people discussing a text. In the background another person sits reading.
 

Looking back at May...

May was very busy for the Cog team. Check out our mini-reviews below, and follow the links to Justin's write-up of our CAttS Cog Night.

Plus we have lots of recommendations for June and beyond.

Know others who'd like this email? Do encourage them to sign up.

 
Frankie Thompson, a white woman poses in the centre of a stage lit by pink and blue lights. Frankie's hair is in two buns on the top of her head. She is wearing black shorts, neon green leg warmers and a black "Puma" Tshirt.
 

May’s Cog Night took us to familiar territory as we visited Soho Theatre again to see Frankie Thompson’s CAttS, a one woman show inspired by the irresistible meme value of all things feline. Justin gives us his thoughts and sings thanks for the meowmories!

 

 

 

Out and about with the Cog team...

 
 
The band Yard Act. on stage with spotlights and logo backdrop
 

Yard Act
Troxy

Lily loved seeing Yard Act, and the particularly enjoyed them bringing a series of mannequins in trench coats to 'dress' the stage.

 
 
Male and female footballers, all in the same kit, stretch on a pitch.
 

Comedians lined-up alongside pro and semi-pro footballers for this charity match, with giant inflatable ducks. Michael cheered from the sidelines.

 
 
Nazma Noor, a young woman with brown skln dressed in a heavily patterned outfit and sunglasses, in front of a wall of colourful caricatures.
 

Tomas Gittins HEAD SPACE
Circle Square, Manchester

Tomas Gittins' pop-up art exhibition, complete with its array of colourful heads, made a great backdrop for Nazma's outfit-of-the-day picture.

 
 
The stage set of August in England, a domestic scene with leather arm-chair and footstool.
 

August in England 
Bush Theatre

Michael felt occasionally uncomfortably close to Lenny Henry in his self-penned performance as a character whose life was devastated by the Windrush scandal.

 
 
Night time, an almost empty outdoor cinema with a colourful image on the screen.
 

Thision Open Air Cinema
Athens, Greece

Settling into Greek culture, Emma caught the most recent Marvel film with a view of the Acropolis. 

 
 
Outside the Criterion Theatre, posters fir Bleak Expectations surround the doorway
 

Bleak Expectations
Criterion Theatre

Spencer caught a performance of this Great Expectations-inspired comedy but hadn't read the novel recently enough to catch some of the jokes.

 
 
A large, almost empty warehouse, lit entirely in red.
 

Thin Air
The Beams London

Lucky to see this exhibition just before it closed, Justin thought the 55,000 sq ft space was perfect for this ambitious showcase of sound and light installations.

 
 
The band, Blur on a small stage.
 

Blur
Colchester Arts Centre

Laura got to worship at the altar of Damon Albarn with 400 other superfans at this Blur homecoming gig with a career-spanning, surprise-laden setlist to boot.

 
 
Performer Deborah Pearson in a lit soundbooth on a dark stage
 

The Talent
Battersea Arts Centre

In a sound booth, Deborah Pearson responded to two disembodied producers. Michael wondered if they were voices in her head or echoes from the past.

 
 
Inside a museum we can see a glass cabinet filled with ceramics, in the background is a life-size cut out of a smiling man in a red suit
 

Colchester Castle 
Colchester

Learning about Colchester's Roman past was the highlight of Laura's visit but she was let down by the museum's post-Norman exhibits.

 
 
An empty stage with a bare brick backdrop
 

Lottie's and her dad took a trip to this much-lauded play. It more than lived up to her expectations, and exceded his.

 
 
A dark stage contains numerous jazz musicians, lit in red and blue
 

Alex saw this experimental poet and hip-hop artist. There was a lot more free jazz than he expected. He loved it but some of his companions weren’t as keen.

 
 
A box contains two actors in a sleezy domestic setting, to the side is a projected screen showing the close up of actor, Ruth Wilson, a white woman with shoulder length blond hair, holding a glass.
 

The Second Woman
Young Vic

Michael took in two long sessions (and a 5-hour queue between) of Ruth Wilson’s remarkable performance of the same short scene 100 times in 24 hours.

 
 
In a warehouse studio space, white tables contain ceramics, people mill between them
 

Justin enjoyed the installations made using paper supplied by G.F. Smith in this show of all things ceramics, jewellery, woodworking, and textiles.

 
 
Manequins, dressed in colourful saris are placed on a circular, stepped stand.
 

The Offbeat Sari
Design Museum

Modern interpretations of the sari from high fashion to everyday wearers, including themes of sustainability, gender, and politics - Nazma loved this exhibition.

 
 
A line of performers point to the conductor in the orchestra pit
 

Groundhog Day
Old Vic Theatre

Michael returned to the revival of Tim Minchin's dark musical (which we reviewed in 2016). He loved the show but was sad the reviolving stage has gone.

 
 
A stark, modernist building with an expansive, flat roof held by vertical poles
 

Emma visited the home of the Greek National Opera on her holiday to check out the award-winning architecture and gardens.

 
 
A band on stage,  the singer is shirtless, raising one hand and singing into the microphone held by the other.
 

HMLTD
ICA

Art performance musicians HMLTD performed songs from their ‘difficult’ worm-based concept album. Michael was there for the shirt-off, early work.

 
 
Looking downon the cast of Sister Act, on stage in front of a psychedelic projection that evokes a stained glass window,.
 

Sister Act
UK & Ireland Tour

Nick was taken to heaven and back as he caught the touring production of Sister Act, which comes back to the West End next year.

 
 
A chaotic small stage, containing roughly eight make performers, some with instruments
 

Nazma had a top night out at this lively, buzzy, great vibes show. Songs mostly sung in Norwegian, with some Arabic, Gujarati, French, and English.

 
 
Poster for Quality Street, in a frame on a brick wall
 

Quality Street
Octagon, Bolton

Nazma wasn’t so sweet on this Regency rom-com, but it was an entertaining enough way to spend a rainy Saturday evening.

 
 
Inside an art installation with countless small lights, suspended on wires and endlessly reflected by mirrored walls.
 

Long after you've all experienced it, both Michael and Laura decided that this was the month to immerse themselves in the dotty world of Kusama.

 
 
Exterior of a large, well proportioned Georgian public building in red brick.
 

Platt Hall Open Day
Manchester

Home to an impressive fashion collection and library, and part of Manchester Art Gallery, Nazma enjoyed hearing about its history during the Open Day tour. 

 
 
In a dark room, a man peers into a lit glass cabinet, filled with cheeses.
 

Les Grand Buffets
Narbonne, France

Laura did her best to work through the 111-item cheese selection. And if you don’t think gastronomy is culture, take it up with the French tourist board! 

 
 
Interior of Union Chapel. Against a brick backdrop we see an electric band, backlit in greens and purples
 

Philip Selway
Union Chapel

Accompanied by an amazing string quartet and Adrian Utley, Marwin loved watching Philip Selway playing songs from his new album.

 
 
Exterior of New Diorama Theatre, a modern building with a smoked glass front
 

Little Scratch
New Diorama Theatre

Directed by Katie Mitchell, Michael loved this stripped-back staging where four performers became the overlapping internal monologue of a day in the life. 

 
 
In a thick gilt frame, an Impressionist painting of a female server at an opera house.
 

Peter Doig
The Courtauld Gallery

Although a little disappointed by the scale of the Peter Doig exhibition, Emma was impressed by The Courtauld’s permanent collection.

 
 
Brightly coloured arcade machines on a checkerboard floor.
 

LuYang Arcade
FACT, Liverpool

Nazma and her niece enjoyed stepping into this video game world, picking up on the artist’s themes as they played each game with no queues and no coins.

 
 
A rambling French castle/cathedral in light stone with a red tiled roof.
 

Laura saw a lot of churches on her holiday in France but couldn't get enough of Narbonne's - she even climbed the 100+ step tower to get a better look.

 
 
A woman's face is obscured as she takes a photo of her reflection in mirrored floor tiles. We can see her slippered feet.
 

If you look closely you'll be able to spot Emma's comfy slippers as she jumped at the opportunity to interact with this installation at EMST.

 
 

Our must-sees this month include...

No Pay? No Way! is a retelling of Dario Fo's original farce of a similar name
Royal Exchange Theatre, until 10 June

Peckham 24 returns, with photography from Marvel Harris and Fion Hung Ching Yan
South London Gallery, until 11 June

The excellent Hallyu! The Korean Wave exhibition closes soon
Victoria and Albert Museum, until 25 June

This year's London Design Biennale is titled The Global Game: Remapping Collaborations
Somerset House, 1 – 25 June

Over 150 of London’s leading contemporary galleries will come together for London Gallery Weekend
London-wide, 2–4 June

Civilization – The Way We Live Now features 150 of the world’s most accomplished photographers
Saatchi Gallery, 2 June – 17 September

Nimax present An Unfunny* evening with Tim Minchin and his piano
Lyric Theatre, 4, 11, 18 June

Shorty is a genre-questioning anti-fabulous non-binary drag-child (by Hester Stefan Chillingworth)
Soho Theatre, 5–10 June

All of it is three short plays introducing women whose ordinary lives mask extraordinary internal worlds
Royal Court, 6–17 June

The Primrose Hill Lecture Series restarts with comedy legend, Neil Mullarky (online and in person)
From 7 June

Who The F**k Is Arthur? is a free exhibition from the graffiti artist 
Camden Open Air Gallery, from 9 June  

The winner of Drag Race UK, Danny Beard is hitting the road with their debut solo tour
Sherman Theatre,  9 June

Christine and the Queens' Meltdown. Our highlights: Let's Eat Grandma and Lynks
Southbank Centre, 9–18 June 2023

1000 flesh-filled pedal pushers fill the streets of London for the World Naked Bike Ride
London-wide 10 June

New spaces join old favourites for London Open Gardens
London-wide 10 & 11 June

Martin McDonagh’s Olivier award-winning play, Pillowman makes a long-awaited return to the West End
Duke of York's Theatre, 10 June – 2 September

Hot Brown Honey are back with The Remix, a new take on their usual mix of activism and unapologetic celebration of similarities and differences
HOME (from 7 June), Belgrade Theatre (from 14 June) & Nottingham Playhouse (3 July) and more

This year's Summer Exhibition promises to be gloriously fun as ever
Royal Academy, 13 Jun-20 Aug

English National Ballet are staging a spectacular Cinderella in-the-round
Royal Albert Hall, 15–25 June

The critically acclaimed winner of every ‘Best Musical’ award, A Strange Loop is in London
Barbican Theatre, 17 June – 09 September

Bringing their twist to an iconic monarch, LEAR marks Unseemly Women's fourth annual Shakespeare
Shakespeare North Playhouse, 21 – 24 June

It's Glastonbury, of course
21 – 25 June

National Portrait Gallery is finally reopening 
22 June

Celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Empire Windrush's arrival in Britain
National Maritime Museum, 22–24 June

Sara Pascoe stars in June's Live At The Marlowe alongside Celya AB, Ian Smith, and Michael Akadiri
The Marlowe, 24 June

Musics from Summerisle is a live celebration of the legendary cult horror The Wicker Man
Barbican, 24 June

The World Premier of UNTITLED F*CK M*SS S**GON PLAY opens the Manchester International Festival 
Royal Exchange Theatre, 24 June – 22 July

‘The world’s greatest living stand-up’ Stewart Lee presents Basic Lee
Royal Festival Hall, 28 June – 2 July

Manchester International Festival uses the city as their canvas around a month-long celebration
Across Manchester, 29 June – 16 July

Phoebe Waller-Bridge's hit one-woman show Fleabag returns to the big screen this summer
Tyneside Cinema & Richmix (and many others), 15 June

After a nine year hiatus, country singing legend Laura Cantrell is back with new album and tour
Union Chapel, 30 June

Alan Ayckbourn’s Social Comedy, Confusions is 5 interlinking one act plays about the havoc of gossip
Derby Theatre 30 June – 1 July


And we're booking early for...

There's loads of great stuff in. this year's Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh, 4–27 August 

Opera Holland Park's new season features new productions of Rigoletto, Hansel & Gretel, La bohème, the world premiere of Itch by Jonathan Dove, Ruddigore, and more
Until 12 August

King Stakh's Wild Hunt, Belarus Free Theatre
Barbican, 14–16 September

Art world icon and a performance art pioneer, Marina Abramović has a solo show
Royal Academy, 23 September – 1 January 2024

 

 

 
 

Image credits

Johanna Walderdorff created our disturbing illustration, see more of her work on her website.

Other images taken by the Cog team with due credit to the designers and artists who created the works we photographed.

 
A smaller version of the illustration at the top of the email
 
 
 

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Cog Design Ltd
11 Greenwich Centre
Business Park
53 Norman Road
Greenwich
London SE10 9QF

020 8269 1800
email@cogdesign.com
www.cogdesign.com
@cog_design

 

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Recommendations and reviews, sent on the first Friday of each month, topped by a commissioned image from a new illustration talent.