Sunshinegun, the brand design agency known for its bold creativity and storytelling, is celebrating 15 years of crafting distinctive, impactful brand design.
What began as a small independent studio in 2010 has grown into a thriving agency with four partners, an empowerment trust, and a team of over 40 creatives across multiple continents – all dedicated to designing brighter brands and a more beautiful world.
Reflecting on the agency’s beginnings, George Rautenbach, Creative Partner and Founder at Sunshinegun, recalls the moment that set everything in motion:
“In the late 2000s, I had the overwhelming instinct that I needed a career change—not just for myself, but to be the father I wanted to be for my son. I briefly took a leadership role at a major advertising agency, but it wasn’t the right fit. That experience, however, was the catalyst for me and Bronwen to start our own thing – Sunshinegun.”
From the outset, the agency’s philosophy was clear: “Ugly doesn’t sell.” Sunshinegun set out to create beautiful, strategically sharp brand design – down to the finest details. In the early days, no element was overlooked: newspaper rate cards became works of art, and property development pitch packs were transformed into leather-bound conceptual masterpieces.
As the agency grew, so did its impact. Sunshinegun expanded from a duo to a team of like-minded creatives, and today, it operates across Africa, UK and Ireland, Middle-East, South-East Asia and Australia.
One of the defining moments in Sunshinegun’s history came in 2013, when Nando’s appointed the agency to design its global takeaway packaging range.
“This project changed our lives,” Rautenbach reflects. “The trust that Nando’s placed in us set us on a new trajectory.”
Just three years later, Sunshinegun won the prestigious Loeries Grand Prix for Design for its groundbreaking Nando’s global Visual Identity. This marked a shift not only for the agency, but for the South African design landscape.
“Nando’s allowed us to make being African breathtaking, exciting, vibrant, and powerful. The new look celebrated an African aesthetic that hadn’t been fully embraced in the mainstream before. It was suddenly cool to be proud of our design heritage. That moment swung the door open for many other brands to step into that space with confidence.”
Over the last 15 years, branding has undergone a shift from traditional, physical-world design to a digital-first landscape, where brands compete for screen time, engagement, and scalability. Sunshinegun has invested heavily in digital design, building a team that now includes digital design directors, lead UX/UI specialists, motion designers, and strategic partnerships with development teams to create brand experiences in the digital space.
“We’re able to craft truly immersive brand worlds now – ones that live seamlessly across digital and physical touchpoints,” says Rautenbach.
As Sunshinegun marks this milestone, the agency is setting its sights on continued growth and innovation, both in South Africa and globally. With technology reshaping design, AI is becoming a tool for automation -but craft and human creativity remain irreplaceable.
“AI will lift the floor for many smaller agencies, but talent and craft will always lift the roof. The trick is to find the perfect balance between instant knowledge and the magic that humanity brings to brand design,” says Rautenbach.
“We’re in it for the long run. If I had to dream really hard, I see a Sunshinegun that shines right around the world, making everything it touches more beautiful and hard-working.”
As the agency celebrates this milestone, one thing remains unchanged: Sunshinegun continues to Bring Light to Brands – creating work that is as impactful as it is beautiful.