We’ve been saying for the past few years that the world is all a bit topsy-turvy these days. 2022 was no different. While we sit here in our hats and gloves and wonder where that summer heatwave is now, there are definitely some great moments to look back on and realise things weren’t all doom and gloom.
The highlights
With face-to-face meetings back on the cards, we’ve met up with some fantastic people from all over the south of the UK. Culminating in some exciting new project wins, one with a very prestigious school (more to come on that in 2023) to teams doing good for others in their sector. We’ve also welcomed the odd guest back into the studio for a good ole’ chin-wag.
We turned 14
There are a few superstitious folks in the studio, so after a few of them suffering from twitchy bums all year, it was a relief to see past our 13th. Turning 14 settled those nerves and saw us don our captain hats, put on our sea legs and head out on the River Thames to enjoy a few celebratory drinks while navigating far too many locks.
Say hello to Maddy
We welcomed Maddy as our newest designer in the heat of summer. It’s been six months since, and she hasn’t had a quiet moment.
Maddy has been busy creating everything from new brands to marketing campaigns and websites, with a sprinkling of vegan-friendly breakfasts in between from our favourite Romsey haunt, Josie’s. We’re excited to see where 2023 takes things and to see what exciting new designs come to life from her screen.
Winning ways
Looking back at last year’s achievements, we boasted 65 global awards and accolades. In just 12 months, we’ve added another 20 to our haul. An awesome achievement from everyone in the team. Well, and truly smashing things out of the park again.
It’s also the first year we could hold our awards with our first physical trophies. The first came from the annual Craft Beer Marketing Awards (CBMA), awarding us Gold for Best Beer Website 2022. At the same time, another two websites won awards in two categories at the Web Excellence Awards. The first for Heritage Driven in the Automotive Website category and another for Neck of The Wood Films in the Digital Marketing Website category.
Reviews galore
While our peers are raving about our work, so are our clients. They do say behind every great project is a great client.
We’re fortunate to have received 52 (yes FIFTY TWO, five-star reviews!). So, if you’re a client who hasn’t already dropped a five-star review and would like to share your experience, please feel free to head here and tell us all about it.
It never stops
Like every year, when we look back at what we’ve achieved, the work has been at the heart of everything. We’ve worked with some superb clients this year. From complete brand pieces to sites for start-ups and established brands, we’ve made our mark on each one, and we couldn’t be prouder.
Classic Ford Broncos
Over the past six years, we’ve taken the Classic Ford Broncos site from strength to strength, growing it to include a client portal and a fantastic Bronco Builder tool which captures the user’s imagination.
The overall look and feel have remained pretty much unchanged since 2016, but the company and its offering have changed with bigger upgrades, more inventory and info on all things Bronco.
We got to work on planning, designing and delivering an awesome new WordPress theme with a fresh punch of colour, cleaner lines and an image-led approach to suit the sophisticated tastes of today’s audience. We even bolted on a new eCommerce WooCommerce store for merch and parts.
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HICONSUMPTION
Proudly published in Los Angeles, California, HICONSUMPTION is a men’s lifestyle magazine covering the latest in outdoor adventure, gear and goods.
We started from scratch with the design, creating an outdoor-inspired colour palette, fresh typography and contemporary grid-based layout that offered a timeless vibe with hints of nostalgia, nodding back to the days of the printed page.
On the technical side, we built a streamlined WordPress theme with optimised code and extensive work that went into ensuring the new site performed with top marks on mobile usability on Google Search Console and PageInsights tests. The new site now reaches the highest scores in its class for both mobile and desktop.
Take A Peak
Xpert Workwear
A young company with big ambitions. Xpert Workwear makes longer-lasting, comfortable workwear for people working in demanding and extreme conditions. Their mission is to become the go-to brand for workers needing high-quality outerwear and safety clothing.
Working with their marketing team, we built a custom WordPress theme powering the store with WooCommerce, to create a feature-rich webshop that’s as capable as it is flexible. The new site will allow the team at Xpert Workwear to grow their inventory and actively promote new products as the brand enters an aggressive growth phase in 2023.
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The Millshop Online
The Millshop Online has become one of the UK’s leading online stores for upholstery fabrics and made-to-measure curtains and blinds.
We worked with the team on their new brand and website, migrating to Shopify from an outdated Magento store into a new bespoke Shopify theme that presents an ever-growing list of products in a very minimal, super slick user experience that has already started winning us awards.
We even had fun building a bespoke made-to-measure Shopify App, building this on Laravel, when we realised there were no current Shopify Apps that could handle the calculations and options for a made-to-measure product.
Take A Look
Heritage Driven
Deep in the heart of New Mexico lies a team of people that lovingly refurbish, refine and upgrade classic Land Rover Defenders to their customer’s exact specifications. The result is a wildly pure vehicle, purposefully transformed and designed to be driven.
It’s hard enough trying to maintain your Insta feed whilst building awesome trucks. But a whole website? Impossible when your existing website lacks the functionality and flexibility needed to promote a business effectively. The old website also failed to showcase the Heritage Driven team’s keen eye for design and detail. Naturally, we were eager to take their online presence up a gear with a new WordPress site.
Check It OutWhat’s up next?
Rinse and repeat, but better. Another year will have flown by, and it won’t be long before we’re reviewing more success stories. So here’s to everyone who has made 2022 the best yet. We’ll see you all on the other side, ready to kick off where we left off.
