Insert Amber sauntering off the stage with body language that implies relief, fatigue, pride and a little bit of WTF. Thank you, the skill of this multi-dimensional look is definitely a gift.
I know I am not alone when I say 2025 has been a feral see saw between feast and famine in business, and both have their benefits and stressors. It’s felt like living inside a WhatsApp group chat called “Future Marketing”, where half the messages were “AI will save us”, the other half were “AI will destroy creativity”, and in between we were just trying to get briefs approved, pipeline consistent and people engaged and content. Somewhere amongst this chaos, The Edison Agency did what we do best:
we rewired;
we explored;
we rebelled (politely… mostly);
we prototyped new products; and
we doubled down on doing the best work possible within the sometimes ungodly restraints of time, budget, research outcomes and briefs.
This was the year of progress over perfection, not as a wanky tagline, but as a legitimate enterprise motto. We re-examined how we work, who we work with, and what we’re willing to say no to.
In the middle of all that, we kept our promise to design for good – not as performative act but as a line item in our P&L. In FY25 we committed a min of 3% of our revenue to social and environmental impact, investing over $418,000 into training, advocacy, strategy and design to organisations like Fitted for Work, Next Steps Australia, Red Frogs, The Good Machine, Never Not Creative and more. That’s not charity, that’s co-building the kind of world we actually want to design for.
The paid work? Big, diverse and mostly satisfyingly complex. We pushed distinction and re-shaped meaning for brands like Kettle Chips, Bega, Dairy Farmers, Sumo Energy, Tip Top and Australis – projects that prove mainstream doesn’t have to mean mediocre, and “familiar” doesn’t have to be boring. We amped up our writing, we launched season 3 of the Bite Big Podcast (have a listen over the break and tell your friends) and there are new products on the way for 2026.
The industry took notice. Transform Awards ANZ, WORLD Design Awards, Australian Design Awards, C2 Awards… there were more nights in uncomfortable shoes than my peri-menopausal feet strictly appreciated. But every shortlist and trophy is really a thank you note to the messy, iterative, occasionally sweary process it takes to get brave work made with clients who are willing to go there with us.
Community-wise, 2025 was a year of open doors and loud rooms. We welcomed the industry into our space for AGDA VIC Open Studio, showed up in conversations like “Asking for a Friend” and Design:Impact with Grubbo, mentored, taught, judged, and generally tried to leave the ladder down for the next wave of creatives. Our Design for Good program continued to back programs like NAPCAN’s Love Bites, helping young people build respectful relationships – because resilience and respect start long before a brand brief lands on a desk.
And then there’s the invisible work: the late-night deck edits, the studio giggles, the moments where someone quietly has your back in a meeting and you think, “Ah yes, these are my people.” That’s the part no award entry can fully capture.
So how do I feel standing at the edge of 2026? A little tired, a lot grateful, and weirdly optimistic. The world is complicated. The industry is in flux. But this year proved, again, that when we combine strategic rigour, creative guts and a stubborn belief that design can and should make things better, good things happen.
Here’s to more reinvention, more impact, more unsexy brands with supercharged meaning – and more women, non-binary folk and big-hearted rebels at the decision-making tables.
Same lightning. Sharper aim. Let’s go again.
⚡ Amber Bonney
