Popping-in?

Our studio is filled with light and music.
There are multiple meeting rooms, a well stocked kitchen, and an indoor garden (with fishpond). Talk to us about access needs, environmental factors and any accommodations we might make to enhance your visit. 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.
what3words.com/hungry.means.author

From Greenwich rail platform

This video shows the route to take from the train that will arrive at Greenwich rail station from London Bridge. There's a gentle slope next to the staircase.

From Greenwich DLR station

This video shows the route to take from the DLR that will arrive at Greenwich DLR station from Bank. There's a lift at the platform level if that's useful.

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 ClickUp, 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.

Sign me up Cultural Calendar

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.

Sign me up Cog News

Alfie Brown: Sensitive Man 2.0 at Soho Theatre

Alfie Brown: Sensitive Man 2.0 at Soho Theatre

Our February Cog night saw us back at an old staple, Soho Theatre, for an evening of stand-up comedy. ‘Alfie Brown: Sensitive Man 2.0’, promised us an introspective look at what it means to be sensitive in the modern world. Nick shares his thoughts.

Welcomed back into the comfortable arms of the Soho Theatre bar, we took the opportunity to celebrate the arrival of our new Cog team members, Nazma and Lily. Our Soho Theatre evenings always start with the delights of the bustling crowd in the theatre bar, all excited for an evening’s entertainment. We were immensely delighted to sample Soho Theatre’s house beer, Neon Lager, which was the perfect starter to an evening of belly laughs.

The team ready to sample the Soho Theatre house beer, Neon Lager The team ready to sample the Soho Theatre house beer, Neon Lager
Spencer, Michael & Luke engaged in pre-show drink and deep conversation Spencer, Michael & Luke engaged in pre-show drink and deep conversation

Competing for our viewership this evening was, ‘The Final Approach’ by Thom Jordan and the now Olivier Award nominated ‘Age is a Feeling’. Congratulations Haley McGee. For tonight, however, we headed downstairs for ‘Alfie Brown: Sensitive Man 2.0’. After a national tour and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, he was back at the Soho Theatre with a show reboot and an update on his life following the Covid lockdown.

You may not always agree, but you must laugh...
Alfie Brown

We were pre-warned by Alfie himself that this evening’s content would challenge us, his phrase accurately sums up our experience. 

The Cog team assemble for an evening of stand-up comedy The Cog team assemble for an evening of stand-up comedy
Spencer could hardly contain his excitement for the show to start Spencer could hardly contain his excitement for the show to start

Entering the stage to warm applause, Alfie confidently embraced us with a seemingly boyish charm that put us at ease. That is where the innocence stopped. 

Never avoiding difficult topics he bulldozed straight into them, Alfie shared deeply personal stories about his life. Throwing us in at the deep end with a story of a deal he made with his partner, that would allow her to have a third child if he could have a one-night stand. A deal was struck and his partner soon fell pregnant… just in time for a global pandemic, thwarting any of his plans for that romantic tryst. 

Alfie started incredibly strong, with epic choreographed rants about his hatred for 20-something adults cockily carrying around “wads of time”. What a waste he seethes. He cleverly balances difficult topics such as mental health. Complaining that his own recent bipolar diagnosis was lost in a sea of men claiming to have depression. His poetic flourishes and self-deprecating punch lines were enough to get the audience onside and laughing along with him.

Alfie Brown shuffles his script preparing for his bows

The evening was certainly a tale of two halves. Towards the end of his set, Alfie began to tackle more polarizing issues, such as white privilege and the seemingly popular figure of Greta Thunberg. His jokes clearly divided the crowd, as the raucous laughter trailed off to a devoted smaller section of the crowd still very much on his side.

This didn’t go unnoticed by Alfie who provided little asides to the crowd when he felt the tension bubble to the surface. Even engaging with our group, who were unfortunate enough to land themselves on the front row, seeking validation and flattery that he was in fact still very funny.

Alfie Brown stands on the stage, waving goodbye to the crowd. The audience are sat down looking up at him applauding.

Alfie Brown takes his final bow for the evening

So what are my final thoughts on the evening? Well, there was lots to like about Alfie Brown’s set. Lots of carefully crafted stories with tonnes of self-deprecating humour, making him the butt of his own jokes. Perhaps some of his views and opinions were not to everyone’s taste, resulting in him losing a few people in the audience as he danced the fine line of controversy.

I suppose that was his aim along, to push our understanding of what it means to be truly sensitive.


Illustration by Tess Farlow for our Cultural Calendar.