Hybrid Working Isn't Broken. Your Model Is.

Flexible working isn't new. We've all lived through it for years now. But the conversation has matured. Studios that haven't kept up are losing people unnecessarily.

In 2020 and beyond, candidates held all the cards. Flexibility wasn't just expected. It was demanded. Studios scrambled to offer it or risk losing talent.

Now? The market has settled. Employers have more choice. Return-to-office mandates are everywhere. Amazon, Disney, major studios calling people back four or five days a week.

So is hybrid dead?

Not quite.

But the question isn't whether you offer it anymore. It's whether you know how to make it work.

Because the studios getting this right are building stronger teams, keeping talent longer, and developing juniors faster. The ones getting it wrong are hiring people who leave within a year, wondering why their culture feels flat.

What people actually want.

We ran a poll recently. Asked creative professionals if they'd do a four-day week. 73% said absolutely.

Another poll asked which work environment brings out their best creative work. 67% said hybrid.

The appetite for flexibility is real. But wanting something and knowing how to use it well are different things.

The studios still winning on talent aren't offering unlimited work-from-home. They're not forcing everyone back full-time either.

They've figured out a model that delivers results for everyone.

Team days aren't optional.

Pick your days. Tuesday to Thursday usually work best. Get everyone in. Make them count.

The 67% who voted for hybrid aren't asking to never see their colleagues. They're asking for focused time at home and collaborative time together. Give them both, with intention.

Here's what success looks like: A team that knows Wednesday is the day everyone's in. That's when you book the big crit. The brainstorm. The conversation that needs energy. People come in because it's worth it, not because they have to. Chemistry builds. Ideas move faster. Problems get solved in real time instead of over three days of Slack threads.

Here's what failure looks like: A team that drifts in randomly. Sits on video calls in separate rooms. Wonders why the work feels disconnected. You hired talented people and accidentally isolated them.

Studio time is career fuel, especially for juniors.

Here's the uncomfortable truth.

Hybrid used to be a perk earned with experience. Seniors had already clocked years learning from people around them. They'd built their networks. Absorbed how studios work. Developed their instincts.

Juniors asking for three days at home from day one are unknowingly stunting their own growth.

You learn faster sitting next to someone solving a problem than unpicking a Slack thread. You build your reputation in the studio, not on a screen. You pick up the unspoken stuff by being there when it happens. How to handle a tricky client. When to push back. How to sell an idea.

This isn't about control. It's about opportunity.

Juniors who spend most of their week at home often find themselves stuck at junior longer. They're not in the room when decisions are made. They're not grabbing coffee with the senior designer who could mentor them. They miss the moment when someone says, "Actually, can you help with this pitch?"

Studios that figured this out have juniors who progress faster, stay longer, and become the mid-level talent they're desperate to hire externally.

Studios that didn't are hiring juniors who leave after 18 months because they never felt part of the team.

If you're hiring juniors, be honest about this. Four days in the studio for the first year or two isn't punishment. It's investment. In them. In your studio.

Be clear about what works for you.

Vague promises of "flexibility" help no one.

If you need people in four days a week to make the work sing, say it. If two days works, own it. Candidates respect clarity far more than being sold one thing in the interview and experiencing another three months in.

Figure out your model. Discuss it with your leadership team.

What are your non-negotiables? Does everyone need to be in on set days, or can people choose? Are there specific hours you need coverage? What would you flex on for the right person?

Then talk about it positively.

Don't say, "We do three days in the studio, but honestly we do our best work when everyone's here." You've just told a candidate you don't believe in your own model.

Sell what works for your studio. If three days is your sweet spot, explain why. If it's four, same.

Studios that get clear on this hire people who want to work that way. Studios that stay vague hire people who feel misled and start looking three months in.

Flexibility done right is still a competitive advantage.

The market has stabilised. Employers have more leverage than they did a few years ago.

But the studios still attracting the best people in 2025 aren't the ones forcing everyone back out of principle. Or offering endless WFH because they're scared to ask for commitment.

They're the ones who've built sustainable hybrid models.

Geography still matters less than it used to. A talented designer in Manchester or Berlin is more accessible now than they were five years ago. Freelancers can plug in from anywhere, as long as they're set up for UK projects and available when you need them. That broader talent pool hasn't gone away.

But for permanent hires, especially juniors and mid-levels, studio time isn't negotiable.

Creativity is collaborative. Careers are built through proximity. The best work happens when people are in the same room, bouncing off each other, building something together.

Hybrid working is here to stay. But only the version that actually works.

Clear team days. Honest expectations. Studio time weighted towards juniors who need it most. And a recognition that flexibility is a tool, not a right. It only delivers results when everyone understands how to use it.

Figure out your model. Commit to it. Then hire people who want to work that way.

You'll build a stronger team. Keep them longer. And stop losing talent to studios who worked this out two years ago.

How to Prepare for an Interview at a Creative Studio.

You got the interview. That's worth a moment.

But here's the thing: creative studios don't evaluate candidates the way corporate environments do. The preparation you do beforehand matters just as much as your portfolio. Sometimes more. And the studios worth working for? They notice whether you've put in the work.

We've supported hundreds of candidates through this process over the years and heard feedback from Creative Directors and hiring managers across London's design scene. Here's what actually makes a difference.

Do the Research

Most candidates glance at a website and call it done. Studios can tell. They know the difference between someone who's genuinely engaged with their work and someone who skimmed the homepage on the tube that morning.

Start with their portfolio. If it's an interior design practice, look at how they handle residential versus hospitality. Notice the materials, the spatial flow, whether they lean minimal or layered. For architecture, pay attention to how they navigate planning, their relationship with site and context. At a branding agency, think about strategy. Do they lead with visual identity or positioning?

Then go further. Look for press coverage, awards, team activities or projects they share on Instagram, recent hires on LinkedIn. Check their social to see how they present their culture. If they've written anything or spoken at events, read it.

You're not doing this to recite facts in the room. You're doing it to understand whether the way they work aligns with the way you work. And to be able to say, honestly, why their work resonates.

Know Who You're Meeting

Find out who's interviewing you and look them up. Not to gather ammunition. Just to calibrate the conversation.

A Creative Director wants to understand your thinking, your influences, how you approach a brief. A Studio Manager cares about deadlines, collaboration, how you handle competing priorities. An HR lead will focus on culture, motivations, how you work with others.

Knowing who's in the room helps you bring the right examples. It shapes the conversation before you even walk in.

The Small Things That Aren't Small

Arriving flustered undermines everything that follows. Plan your route. Add fifteen minutes. If you're early, find a coffee shop, settle yourself, review your notes. Walk in composed.

Punctuality matters in creative industries. Studios run on tight timelines. Showing up late, even once, raises questions about reliability. Don't let that be you.

Dress for the Environment

Creative studios aren't corporate, so a formal suit can feel off. But too casual undermines your credibility.

If in doubt, smart-casual is the answer. Intentional, put-together, context-appropriate. Check their website and social for cues. A luxury interiors practice expects something different from a young agency with a relaxed studio culture.

For creative roles, your appearance says something about your visual sensibility. For operational roles, it signals you can read a room. Either way, aim for clean, considered, confident.

Connect Your Experience to the Role

Re-read the job description before you go in. Identify the skills and attributes they've emphasised. Then map your background against them.

If you're going for a creative role, be ready to talk about process, not just output. How you interpret a brief. How you develop concepts. How you handle feedback. Interior designers should be prepared to discuss material choices and spatial decisions. Architects should expect questions about planning, contractors, RIBA stages. Brand designers need to speak to strategy alongside execution.

For operational roles, you probably don't have a portfolio in the traditional sense. That's fine. Prepare concrete examples instead. How you've managed complex timelines. Handled difficult client situations. Improved processes. Supported creative teams to do their best work. Be specific about tools, scale, outcomes.

Be Clear About Why This Studio

"Why do you want to work here?" is one of the most common interview questions. It's also one of the most poorly answered.

Vague things about liking the work or wanting to grow don't land. Before you go in, think genuinely about what draws you to this particular place. Is it their approach to a certain project type? The clients? Their reputation for craft? The scale? The culture?

Be honest and specific. If you struggle to articulate it, that's worth sitting with. Some candidates exit interviews quickly because they can't explain why they want to be there.

Prepare Your Materials

If you're in a creative role, your portfolio is the centrepiece. Make sure everything is downloaded, your device is charged, navigation is smooth. Don't rely on WiFi. Have a backup on your phone or a printed book.

Physical materials still land well. For interior designers and architects, printed samples or material boards can be powerful. They let interviewers engage with your work tangibly and show your attention to finish.

Edit ruthlessly. Six to eight strong projects tells a better story than fifteen mediocre ones. Lead with work that's relevant to what the studio does.

For operational roles, bring a clean CV. Consider a one-page summary of key projects with scope, team size, budget, outcomes. If you've built processes or systems that improved things, be ready to talk about them.

Prepare Questions to Ask Them

Creative interviews probe beyond technical capability. Expect questions about collaboration, handling critique, managing ambiguity, working under pressure. Have stories ready.

But also prepare questions to ask them. Silence when you're invited to ask something comes across as disinterest. Ask about current projects, team structure, how work gets briefed and reviewed, what success looks like in the role.

Show genuine curiosity about how things actually work.

Why This Matters

Studios evaluate candidates holistically. Your work might be excellent. But if you arrive unprepared, can't explain why you want to be there, or seem disconnected from how the place operates, it raises doubts.

Preparation isn't about impressing people. It's about respecting the opportunity and giving yourself the best chance to show who you actually are.