About Airship
We're the go-to for AAA studios for art & design
We bring game worlds to life
How we work
We’re obsessed with innovation
It’s hardwired into our processes, so we’re always finding ways to optimise existing tools and experimenting with emerging tech. Staying curious keeps our thinking fresh and broadens the diversity of our skills. We live to surprise our clients, and this is how we do it.
We’re incredibly proud to offer full end-to-end games art and implementation services to leading international game developers and AAA studios. It’s an honour to work on games played by millions of people around the world (games we love to play, too). We look forward to collaborating with new clients and partnering with co-developers to bring more thrilling games to market.
Experience has taught us what works – and we’ve worked on over 100 AAA games
Experience has taught us what works, so we can be flexible without risking quality. It’s all rooted in professional processes guided by experienced leaders. Art directors and producers responsible for globally successful titles lead from the front on every single one of our projects.
By being team-first, we serve our mission to be client-first. It’s a no-brainer to invest in our people. Skills development is part of everyday operations, with colleagues given agency in the direction of their professional journey. Personal wellbeing feeds into that. We don’t do crunch, which shows in our work’s quality.
OUR JOURNEY
Shinelabs Ltd is born
Airship was originally founded as Shinelabs Ltd – a one-man team out of Joe’s bedroom. Work came thick and fast even then. From small beginnings come great things!
2011
During 2011, as Shinelabs, we work on a range of marketing, architectural and advertising images with various clients. We also employ our first team members.
Growing in stature
In 2012, we establish ourselves in the video games industry. A key partnership is with Playground Games, where we create the crowd characters for Forza Horizon.
Great new projects
Shinelabs becomes Airship Images Limited. Off the back of our successful work for Forza we work on Ryse: Son of Rome, creating all the enemies, and expanding into hairstyles.
Creating innovative technology
After experiencing the traditionally difficult and long-winded hair creation process, we start building our own proprietary hair tool. Using this tool, we establish ourselves as innovators in tool development. We also work on Forza Horizon 2!
Our first co-development
In 2015, we launch into our first co-development, and also start working with Ubisoft on The Division using our new hair tool. This hair tool begins to radically improve the speed of hair creation. We also reach eight full time staff.
More new projects
We continue work for AAA studios, starting work on Battalion 1944 (Characters + Weapons + Environments), Star Trek Fleet Command (rigging & animation included) and Star Citizen (Hair). We also improve our hair creation and tooling processes further. and are invited back to work on Forza Horizon 3.
Our first environment artists
Off the back of our continued successful work in character development, our growth accelerates. We begin work Outriders' hairstyles and work on some fantastic indie titles. We also hire our first environment artists.
Growth accelerates
In 2018, Airship's growth continues, and we move to a bigger space to accommodate the larger team. We work on great projects like Battlefront 2, and are invited back to work on Forza 4 – including seasonal content.
Scaling the hairstyles team
We do some exciting work on Medal of Honour, scaling up our hairstyles team significantly, and producing somewhere between 50 and 60 hairstyles in a 2-3 month window. We also embark on work for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Our growth amps up
In 2020, our growth really accelerates, resulting in a move to a new studio 2-3 times the size of our previous space – tripling in headcount in the process. We also work on some fantastic projects such as Baldur's Gate 3 and Call of Duty.
Still growing
We reach 60 head count in the first half of the year, and sign a new partnership for a (currently unannounced) co-development project. We begin projecting to reach over 100 team members by the end of 2022.
Management team
Joe Harford
CEO
Joe is always learning, always sharing, and always delivering. That’s why you’ll get the highest quality, most reliable, and most genuinely enjoyable experience when you work with Joe. He's absolutely client-focused and responsible for spearheading some of the best work in the industry.
Declan Paul
Chief Operating Officer
A reliable, organised, and solutions-focused leader who leads with integrity, Declan is passionate about developing and growing companies, building effective and efficient teams, and creating meaningful impact. He is committed to learning and developing his skills to better serve the team.
Tim Horton
Chief Commercial Officer
With over 16 years of working in global growth strategy and business development, Tim is responsible for overseeing Airship's commercial strategies. Well-versed in global partnerships, Tim has worked with world-renowned brands including Nike, Meta, Amazon, Google, Sony, and Microsoft to name but a few.
Viki Freeman
Chief Strategy Officer
An inspiring leader with over 15 years of industry experience, Viki sets a best-in-class precedent in how leadership and direction in business are done. Committed to delivering only the highest of standards, Viki has a clear strategic vision for Airship that is underpinned by driving a people-first vision.
