The value of original ideas, a USP and innovation to business growth

At this time of year there are those people who say, “I can’t believe it’s the middle of August.” Yet when I reflect on all we’ve achieved since January, I actually really do.

This year I took my summer holiday earlier than usual. Leaving at the end of July meant the beach I went to had more people on it, so I took the time to walk a little further and found the space I needed.

We all need a break. From the noise, the pace and inability to focus on simple tasks. Even if we’re back at work after a much needed summer holiday, this is a great time to contemplate what’s ahead. For us, that’s particularly around how we can innovate and come up with new, original ideas to help B2B businesses differentiate themselves.

Perhaps that’s a lesson for the leaders we work with this August: take a moment to step back and consider how far we’ve come.

Strength in originality: timing is everything

Just recently I found myself in a room with a prospective client explaining the value of custom design. He was doing a due diligence exercise to ensure the investment he was making was sensible and there wasn’t a cheaper off the shelf alternative which might suit him better. Ultimately that’s a choice every CEO must make, but I felt it necessary to point out that we were going to design the very framing of his original ideas. It followed that by creating something tailored and specific we would be matching the efforts of his team. Interestingly as he saw the link, the tenor of our conversation moved beyond if we were doing this, to how and when.

One of my favourite projects of the year was for Ammar Alali, the CEO of a firm called Strataphy, that specialises in geothermal, closed-loop systems that dramatically reduce energy consumption, based in eastern Saudi Arabia. The idea for his logo that he showed us and the colours he’d chosen were based on the foundational structure of the earth. However the concept required a further evolution, some fresh thinking that would set up Strataphy for their next challenge, a major funding announcement just a few weeks away.

The finished logo we designed kept the bare bones of what Ammar had to begin with, but the finished product is a highly-polished mark that stands as an icon in its own right, amid the stature of the firm’s new partners. It’s a great example of smart timing. Strataphy took the opportunity for creative renewal within a timeframe they could manage on their terms, refreshing their business identity and setting themselves up for the future in an accelerating Middle East growth market.

What makes your firm special: taking a vision to market

It can be tough to find the balance between marketing and message. If you’re endlessly trying to explain the benefits of what you do and the difference from everybody else, it’s easy to lose sight of the spark of originality that makes your firm special in the first place. In the spirit of taking your time and telling a story in a way that feels both thoughtful and imaginative, I sometimes suggest people tell me about their business as though it was just the two of us, sitting across a table. The simpler, elegant explanation is invariably the one that cuts straight to the point and offers the background to their success. Understanding this strength helps us craft the right design language.

Last Autumn we worked within a highly specialised marketplace, designing a new website for commercial real estate consultancy Babila. We had worked with founder Matteo Casarini as he launched his business and in the time since, the firm had found both a way of working that their clients liked and a landscape which had provided business growth. Their website needed to reflect this evolution and showcase a portfolio of deals achieved in the last couple of years including internationally. Interestingly at no point did Matteo require a change of tone since his launch. There was a sense that the company had done well with one approach and now the larger site should have a sense of continuity.

Babila had gone from launch to growth by following a business plan that was thorough and detailed. Paired with Matteo’s flair, a great reputation followed. This methodical, decisive way of working really interests me because it attracts clients with its style and confidence. It feels like Matteo always knew what he was doing was special, then everybody else caught on.

Continuity and creativity: how to ensure enduring success

It’s easy to focus on startups, but what about ensuring growth for a business that’s over forty years old? That’s the tale of our longtime client, illustration agency The Artworks. Founded in 1983, the company has seen an impressive run of success with a roster of artists that people will be familiar with not just in the UK, but all over the world. When we began working with the team over 15 years ago, they didn’t even want a logo, preferring the attention to focus on the extraordinary work they’ve produced. There can be scarcely a consumer in the UK who hasn’t picked up something that The Artworks has supplied, whether it be the latest Philip Pullman book in WHSmith, a stamp on a letter, bottle of M&S limoncello or the Christmas copy of the Radio Times.

Our latest piece of work for The Artworks is to help them tell the stories of their work better. We’ve devised a new HTML newsletter that feels modern and immediately recognisably ‘from them’. With so many of these emails sent every day, we wanted our new design to be a fresh piece of design that allowed the artists’ handmade work space to shine. The newsletter is a completely custom design that is built directly into their software partner Mailchimp. Each message can feel distinct and special, with eight different ‘modules’ for different types of project across every type of story being told, whether on desktop or mobile email apps. This allows a degree of customisation that’s most unusual in this field and allows the emails to be rather unexpected: something people look forward to.

What we love about working with The Artworks is that they’ve always been keen to embrace change. The deliverables of their work have evolved into animation and new media, but the creativity their artists provide is much the same as it was forty years ago. The story they tell continues being true as the agency grows, in this case over a decade into our relationship. Time and reflection allows the space to find new ways to tell a story of a business that has enduring relevance.

A thoughtful pause allows space for success

Original ideas. A clear USP. Room to evolve. These are good things that can withstand the seeming whirlwind of competition, breaking news and ‘next new thing’. I want our clients to stay true to what makes their businesses successful and find a creative answer to each brief that has the confidence they do.

While so many people are taking a summer break, there’s a moment to exhale and find confidence in what 2026 has brought to date and in that reflection, the resilience and focus to continue into the rest of the year ahead.

Delivering brand differentiation for B2B businesses

Richard Chapman Studio is a specialist branding and web design agency with over twenty years of experience understanding brand differentiation for B2B businesses across financial services, venture capital, legal, real estate, hospitality and beyond. To work with us, get in touch: 020 7351 4083 or email us directly.