November at Fanatic has been anything but slow. Creativity’s been front and centre, with the team clocking up brisk lunchtime walks, competitive board games and plenty of chats. There’s a restless energy in the studio as we push new ideas at our Vision Workshop and launch fresh sites for Bristol BID and British Solar Renewables.
Alongside all that, we grappled with AI chess, unearthed type history in the mud, and sparked plenty of fresh ideas in the studio. As ever, it’s been busy, lively, and distinctly Fanatic, not a quiet moment in sight!
This month, we pressed pause for a Vision Workshop. With strong coffee on hand, we took stock of our pillars, and we all spoke about what’s working well, what isn’t and where we could switch things up.
Groups mixed across disciplines, sparking honest feedback and a few debates about how our workspace, client mix and everyday routines support collaboration and craft. Suggestions ranged from rethinking our meeting setups to new ways of working together.
Ian and Will steered the session, reminding us that Fanatic’s best work happens when everyone feels heard and happy. Allowing the open forum set the tone for shaping the studio’s next chapter.
Fanatic recently joined the Dotdigital Partner Program. Deepening our platform expertise and unlocking early access to new tools and features, all designed to give shared clients even more value and support.
Craig’s been putting Figma’s new MCP server (still in beta) through its paces this month, exploring how it can bridge the gap between design and code using AI. Unlike traditional plugins, the MCP server gives AI agents much deeper access, letting them “see” the context of a full web design, not just static components. To test it, Craig tasked the AI with building the front-end scaffold for an event ticketing form. The aim: keep the AI focused on the layout and leave the trickier backend logic to the devs, avoiding the typical off-brief extras that can throw a spanner in the works.
The results were promising! AI handled much of the repetitive groundwork, producing a solid prototype that sped up the early stages of development. Still, there were gaps: some design nuances needed real studio craft to feel right, and the last stretch of functionality required a developer’s eye. Figma’s MCP has a way to go, but it’s already changing how we approach handover and iteration, making space for the team to focus on what really sets each project apart.
This month, we’ve also received some lovely reviews. You can view them here
“Fanatic are an absolute pleasure to work with. Motivated by Milly Collis-Smith and the team of purpose-driven leaders at the company, they provided us with a team of brilliant mentors from across all areas of expertise. Without exception, they gave 100% to support the development of our young people, treated the students with such attention and respect and invested more than their time: they also invested by caring about the outcome with the utmost professionalism. I cannot recommend them highly enough.”
“A great team, easy to work with, great service and output”