Creative leadership from the edge: Building a global brand studio in APAC

Damian Borchok, managing director at Koto Sydney, argues that the future of global branding isn't in the traditional centres of power, but on the creative edge — and that edge is in APAC.

There’s an assumption baked into the phrase ‘from the edge’ that I want to challenge. The edge isn’t the periphery; it’s the precipice of what’s next. To represent a global studio in the APAC region is to have a front-row seat to the future and a vantage point significantly different from the usual creative epicentres of London and New York. My own journey from working for legacy networks to building Koto’s independent presence here wasn’t just a career shift; it was a conscious step towards the future epicentre of creative and cultural influence.

This redrawing of the map is being accelerated by the slow collapse of the old colonial model of branding. For decades, big media and communications networks planted flags across Asia. It was deflating to watch them on so many occasions regularly pick up great opportunities only to deliver mediocre work at exorbitant fees. Their recent, quiet retreat from various parts of the region is not surprising; it is the inevitable consequence of a model built to replicate, not innovate.

In their wake, a space has opened for new approaches, from nimble independents who value craft and impact, to home-grown studios across Asia bringing a completely new set of influences to how brands are expressed. Encouragingly, this new thinking is already taking hold. It's exciting to see design studios in China, such as Meat Studio, Ten Buttons, L3 Branding and A Black Cover Design, gaining international recognition, proving how new aesthetics and cultural influences from across Asia have the potential to shape the future landscape of branding. The industry is changing, and clients are realising that the "big name" studios of old are no guarantee of strategic or creative excellence.

The scale of this shift is undeniable. The APAC region is home to 4.8 billion people – 60% of the world's population. By 2035, at least three, and likely four, of the world’s five largest economies will be Asian, with China predicted to overtake the US for the top position. This economic might is built on formidable technological and manufacturing prowess. From digital payments and e-commerce to renewable energy and AI, China's innovation is setting global standards.

This power shift demands we discard outdated Western perceptions of products from the region as inferior substitutes. I'm reminded of Sony founder Akio Morita, who recalled similar criticisms of Japanese goods in the mid-20th century. In his autobiography, he explains how Sony “changed the image of the words ‘Made in Japan’ from something shoddy to something fine.” Today, the conversations we have with founders of emerging companies in China are not about replicating other brands. They are about ambition: finding new spaces to play and side-stepping large incumbents too heavily invested in their current positions to move.

The real opportunity for brands in APAC is not to offer cheaper alternatives or mimic Western playbooks, but to forge new paths. Why copy when you can create? Scratch the surface of most Western verticals, and you’ll find an abundance of undifferentiated branding. Companies profess to be data-driven yet conveniently ignore the clear business case for brand distinctiveness. Leaning into the region’s immense cultural diversity offers a powerful antidote to this sameness. Great brands can't be reverse-engineered from a competitor's success; they must be built on a unique point of view.

This philosophy is at the heart of how we are building Koto’s presence in APAC. Partnering with companies across APAC our role is twofold: to help build brands for the region, and to take brands from the region to the rest of the world. Crucially, this means upholding our global commitment to creative excellence and craft while ensuring our work is distinctively influenced by the unique diversity we see here. It’s a commitment to building with the region, not just in it.

Operating from the APAC ‘edge’ is not about being on the periphery; it’s about having a clearer view of the horizon. The era of exporting Western brand templates is over, and with it, the dominance of the networks that perpetuated that model. In its place is an urgent need for brands that are born from the richness of the region’s many cultures, that speak with an authentic voice, and that confidently chart their own course. This requires a new kind of creative partnership built on genuine collaboration, not top-down directives.

For brand leaders, both agency and in-house, the implication is clear: some of the most exciting work is happening here. This is where new consumer behaviours are being forged, where technological leaps are redefining industries and where so many of the next generation of iconic global brands will be born. The question is no longer whether the creative centre of gravity will shift, but who will be bold enough to build it.