Building aconia: James Simpson on the pivot from service to product

The Brand Identity: James Simpson’s route to co-founding aconia started with interior architecture, retail set design for Dr. Martens and UX/UI concept work posted on the side. He now splits his time between aconia, the SaaS-focused boutique building digital assets, and Seed Collaborative, the studio he runs with the same two long-term partners. aconia grew out of Seed when the three of them niched down out of necessity; its product range now spans mockups and UI backgrounds, with more to come. Its motto, ‘Build Beautifully,’ nods to the Greek transcendentals.

In this conversation, Simpson talks through the evolution, why he wants SaaS to feel less dark mode and more personal, and the thinking behind aconia’s approach to products. TBI Hi James! How are things? JS All good mate, currently overseas, so it could be worse. TBI How did you get into design? JS Without trying to sound cliché, it’s always been a thing, always creative, always messy, always sensitive. As I’ve gotten older, developing the skills to better interface with the world. Funnily enough, it probably started informally watching Grand Designs with my dad. TBI Can you give us a summary of your career so far? JS Where to start..

I’d say the point at which it all became serious was studying interior architecture at uni. I became obsessed with the user experience side of things. Didn’t see much point in designing spaces unless the individual requirements were the priority, as opposed to focusing on some overly ambitious, large-scale project that forgets why it was built in the first place. From there, I spent three years in creative marketing, working on retail installations and set design for the likes of Dr. Martens.

That gave me a proper understanding of buyer psychology and the industry in general, all while I was posting UX/UI concept work on the side, which is another story in itself. TBI Alongside aconia, you run Seed Collaborative – can you tell us more about the work you do there? JS If you were to ask me this every three months, you’d likely get a different answer. It sounds like a strategic nightmare, but it’s really been a ‘container’ for the three partners. A few years back, over a pint, we created Seed to test things commercially, from web design to Google Ads, drawing on our individual disciplines.

Dan (performance marketing), Jake (sales), and myself (creative strategy). We deliberately kept the remit vague so we would’'t overcommit or go down an avenue we’d struggle to get out of. We’re actually going live with a new incarnation of Seed as we speak, a space for founders and marketing teams to share and immerse themselves in brand building. It sounds vague now, but it won't for much longer, so keep an ear out. TBI aconia and its products are tailored specifically to SaaS.

What pulled you in that direction? JS When we first came together, we wanted neutral ground where we could all contribute, so to be blunt, we chose SaaS out of necessity. I wasn’t best pleased, and neither was Dan, as our backgrounds were in B2C. Jake, however, was selling software full-time and was in his element; he really gave us that early push. aconia was born out of Seed. A lot of debate and difficult conversations forced us to niche down. We knew that to add value, we needed a strong, irresistible offer, especially since we didn’t have deep connections or ‘skin in the game’ yet. Fast forward a year.

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The article discusses a significant shift in business model for aconia, which is relevant for brand strategy professionals, though the concept of transitioning from service to product is not entirely new.