After nearly a decade nestled in the heart of the Custard Factory Birmingham’s creative quarter, Nonfacture Design Studio is turning a new page and has officially moved its studio from Digbeth to a new space in Solihull.
This move signals both a physical and symbolic evolution for the studio, aligning with its growing ambitions, clientele, and refined creative vision with the outcome of moving from Zellig not been easy.
Founded in 2014, Nonfacture has built a reputation for creating alternative brand design across disciplines, substrates and channels—ranging from international brand roll outs, marketing packaging, OOH digital, workspace and food and beverage brand environments to deadicated production artwork studio support. With a balance of aesthetics, tactile craftsmanship, and conceptual clarity merging the visual and verbal. Digbeth was as a fitting location for the studio: gritty, raw, and brimming with experimental creative energy and the vision of Bennie Gray the creator of the Custard factory dream. But as the city’s creative fabric continues to shift and so has Digbeth, so too does the context in which Nonfacture wants to operate.
The move to Solihull offers more than a new studio. It represents a strategic realignment—an opportunity to recalibrate the studio’s workspace, with production facilities, and client engagement strategies. “Digbeth will always be a part of our DNA,” says the Stu, studio’s founder. “But we reached a point where we needed space to grow, both literally and creatively. Solihull gives us that breathing room, along with a better logistical setup for the kind of work we’re doing now as well as green fields ”
The new space in Solihull features expanded workshop capabilities, flexible studio areas designed for collaborative thinking. The setting itself is markedly different—less industrial, more refined—but intentionally so. “We’ve always thrived on the interplay between rough and polished, concept and craft,” says a senior designer at the studio. “This space reflects our maturity as a practice.”
While the creative spirit of Digbeth was integral to Nonfacture’s identity, the realities of the area’s rapid development and shifting dynamics played a role in the decision to move. Zellig space is perfect still owed by Bennie Gray the creator of the Custard factory the reason why we moved from Greenhouse Custard factory after the takeover with there overpriced rents, digbeth mood changed, challenges began to the studio’s ability to operate efficiently and we saw an opportunity to future-proof their operations without losing the cultural texture that shaped them.
Solihull, often associated with suburban calm and commercial affluence, might seem like an unexpected choice for a studio rooted in artistic subculture. But that contrast is exactly what appealed to Nonfacture. “It’s not about conforming,” the founder explains. “It’s about redefining what a design studio can deliver, where it can exist, and how it can function. Our new space is a canvas—we’re going to fill it with ideas, energy, and experimentation.”
The move also opens new doors for client partnerships, particularly with businesses and institutions that value proximity and access.
In many ways, the relocation reflects broader shifts in the creative industry, where location is less about trend and more about purpose. Nonfacture’s new home might be outside the typical cultural hotspots, but it’s a strategic decision rooted in clarity of direction and confidence in their craft.
As the dust settles in Solihull and the vac gets empty a few times more with new surroundings, one thing remains unchanged: Nonfacture’s commitment to fearless creative design and dedicated artwork production studio . With a new space and renewed focus, the studio is ready to carve the next chapter of its journey—boldly, precisely, and unapologetically on its own terms.
