For a few of our clients, the journey from the briefing of a project to the full, finished product can take some time. This is particularly true when collaborating in the financial services industry where there are stringent regulatory constraints around promotions and marketing.

One such client is Oxford Investment Consultants. We designed their branding over a year ago and launched a small website at the time. The bulk of the work we had done however remained under wraps. However – the wait is over. Following their full FCA authorisation, this past week has seen the launch of the complete site we had planned from the outset.

It’s a project that I’m really proud of and a great piece of new design for financial services. It’s a strong case study of the work we’ve been doing in that industry over the last couple of years.

Every January, wine importer Maison Marques et Domaines holds a tasting of their new portfolio of wines at a central London venue. With buyers from across the UK attending, MMD hand each visitor a spiral-bound notebook covering all the exhibitors and wines.

Experiencing perhaps dozens of wines in a session, this notebook acts both as each visitor’s guide to the event and reference to the tasting.

We were approached by Maison Marques et Domaines to create a new version of the notebook that felt both considered and professional, giving a fresh look to the piece. Having worked in this industry for many years, it’s a real pleasure to complete this piece and create some new print design for the wine trade.

How best to convey a sense of exclusivity? Whenever designers face the challenge of creating something that stands out, the best way is to define the brand in a distinctive way. That’s great but in a world of aspiration, the fundamental question is… how?

Devising the brochure design for lifestyle management business Thadeus, we quickly realised that they work in a very distinctive way. So designing for them could follow this lead.

A simple way of describing this difference is to say that Thadeus are as likely to be sourcing a pair of limited edition trainers as an Hermès handbag.

There’s a combination of thoroughness with informality and they apply the same vigour to both searches.

We are often approached by financial services businesses with a brief which requests a complete design job that gives them a distinctive brand but one which feels very much at home among their contemporaries.

Increasingly these projects involve design for financial services private family offices.

An undertaking of this kind involves an elegance of design for sure but simultaneously transparency and discretion – an intriguing mix!

Working with a new client this week, we’ve been talking extensively about the personality of their brand and its essence. What has been so interesting is that this conversation has been happening in the wake of our initial set of creative work for them. It’s been the trigger for that series of questions.

One would usually imagine that to create successful new design work for a brand you would think all the ‘values stuff’ through beforehand. This is particularly the case with what we call their ‘brand tone of voice’. While it’s true that thinking and writing first is the best method in theory, sometimes to draft a new set of ideas based on a rough brief can help define the truth of that brand.

‘Design consultancy’ is a somewhat dry term for what we do. But it’s about right. People come and talk to me about how their business might improve its communications. We then consult – which essentially means an initial conversation ensuring we’re talking our client’s visual and verbal language.

But when I meet someone who themselves runs a consultancy we’ve immediately got even more to discuss. There’s an understanding, if you will, of the service we are offering. Interestingly we’ve been doing a fair amount of this kind of work lately.

Earlier this summer we worked on a brand and website project for financial services management consultancy AlgoMe. Then this week we’ve completed a brand review and website redesign for The Hand – who offer business mentoring and lead generation for creative consultancies.

Both of these are great examples of our work providing brand and web design for consulting businesses.