London branding agency Smith & Milton has opened in Bristol after acquiring design studio Document.

Smith & Milton, which has previously collaborated with Document "on a number of projects", said it had made the move to take advantage of the opportunities that Bristol offers.

Document will now be known as Smith & Milton Bristol. Clients include AXA, Bristol Old Vic, Cheltenham Festivals and Watershed.

Tony Stiles, owner and creative director at Document, becomes creative director at Smith & Milton Bristol. Fellow Document director Howard Swift is now business director at Smith & Milton Bristol.

Ben Mott, business director at Smith & Milton London, said: “Our aim is to ensure that the brand work we do in London is delivered through other media effectively and consistently by our team in Bristol. Then there are the added benefits of a long-term relationship and the further value that this joining brings.”

Swift added: “We’re already working in tandem with London on a number of projects, and the benefit we can add to the clients through the uniting of brand and communications thinking is something few agencies can truly match.”