“It was the most productive project of the year,” Anufrienko said.
Rerouting workspace visions
Bickerstaff is dealing with a forced remote workforce. After the invasion and closing of its Kyiv office, Anufrienko took his family, including his pregnant wife, to Portugal to stay safe. Other employees stayed in Ukraine or fled to other parts of Europe. Since then, the agency work format has undergone significant changes, and while Anufrienko said staff has embraced the digital realm like never before, he still dreams of bringing everyone back together. 18 of the 22 employees remain in Ukraine and 16 are still in Kyiv.
“I don’t think (the war) has become more or less intensive, but we’ve had to get used to it,” said junior public relations manager Viktoriia Ivanishina. “We are trying to live on, but there is no safe place here until the war is over.”
Anufrienko plans to restore the physical space soon, but he said the Kyiv office won’t be about “a fancy setup, sleek decor and a convenient location.”
“It’s all about the nitty-gritty details, like having a bomb shelter, rock-solid internet and generator rooms,” he said. “After all, there’s something special about the warmth and coziness it brings, not to mention that touch of celebration with a bottle of champagne—an essential in our office.”
What’s with the numbers?
The agency is officially registered as Bickerstaff.734, but in other references, the numbers change, like Bickerstaff.111, Bickerstaff.284 and any other three-numbered combination. When asked to explain what looks like a never-ending typo, no one on staff could give a straight answer—and they said that’s the point.
“In the words of the classics, ‘It’s such a thing that nobody will understand, and it’s such a thing that is difficult to comprehend.’ However, somehow, this thing emerged and found its place among us,” said Anufrienko. “Perhaps, like a logo, it’s a story of the connection of opposites, which under the right conditions create something entirely new, and also a bit of a riddle. Because mysteries always make things more intriguing.”
My creative skill is my weapon and I use it every day.
—Maria Kochurenko, managing partner and creative strategist, Bickerstaff.734
While it might be cryptic, the naming scheme does give the staff a sense of pride, and clients a bit of fun, since they’re allowed to provide a number of their liking when it pertains to their campaigns.
