
Good design is
good business
THOMAS WATSON JR (IBM)

Good design is
good business
THOMAS WATSON JR (IBM)
Projects_
Leading Helicopter Academies_
Project: Creating logo, brand assets, brand guidelines, members’ handbook, website, social media graphics, exhibition graphics. Setting up social media profiles and providing ongoing campaign support.
Brief: To launch LHA’s brand from scratch and grow its social media following.
Result: 4,000% increase in followers on Facebook alone.
About the client
The founder of Leading Helicopter Academies (LHA) set up the organisation to provide better services, training and support for governments, commercial operators, public flying organisations, and private pilots across Europe (or any country that flies under the EASA rules). He approached various companies and encouraged them to sign up as members, bringing on board a healthy bank of training academies covering different areas and specialisms.
What we did
They needed an agency to help create a striking brand, a new website, and lots of marketing assets to bring LHA’s message to the masses. Of course, we were all too happy to rise to the challenge!
From a branding perspective, we used a strong colour palette to give LHA’s aesthetics a bold yet sophisticated look, and we sourced and edited plenty of action-packed, people-focused imagery.
Once we had worked on a brand identity, we collaborated with a web developer and a copywriter to create LHA’s digital home. We were then asked to help grow LHA’s social media presence. We produced full brand guidelines and set up new profiles across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter, ready for the brand’s hard launch on 14th June.
Since then, we have been creating social media graphics, posts, infographics, branded imagery, and videos that can be shared across all these platforms to improve engagement and boost LHA’s reach. On a daily basis, we research topics, contact members for content, and liaise with photographers, as well as analyse campaign data to measure how posts were performing and whether we were on track to hit the client’s growth goals.
As the client operates in such a niche industry, we never take a scattergun approach to getting more exposure for LHA. By presenting a mixture of historical facts, case studies, member stories and valuable advice for LHA’s audiences, we focus on building a social media following that’s made up of competent individuals with a clear interest in what LHA can offer.
The results
As you can imagine, this has been a huge undertaking for the Hound Dog Creatives team, but the results have spoken for themselves. In less than five months, we gathered more than 4,700 followers for LHA on Facebook; 450 followers on Instagram; 379 followers on LinkedIn; and over 120 followers on Twitter.
Porsche Post_
Project: Redesigning and distributing the Porsche members’ club magazine.
Brief: To generate an increase in advertising revenue from the Porsche members’ club magazine.
Result: 250% increase in advertising revenue, and improved printing rates.
About the client
Porsche Club UK approached Hound Dog Creatives looking for ways to boost ad revenue from its members’ club magazines in the UK. At the time, the editorial team was creating one black and white monthly magazine – containing a feature, information on club events, and ads – and a quarterly issue with more in-depth features and spotlights.
What we did
We suggested combining the two to create one monthly mail-out and sectionalising its content, so everything is easier to find and digest. We also recommended adding dramatic feature pages to modernise the mag and deliver a more eye-catching look for the publication overall.
The results
When we started working with the team, Porsche Club was generating around £2,500 in ad sales per issue. This increased to approximately £33,000 per month after we revamped the design and consolidated everything into one printed asset.
We also helped Porsche Club negotiate better rates on their enormous print run. It’s now costing the team less per unit to print and deliver their full-colour monthly magazine, so they are making savings and generating a better ROI from their ads.
Waiting_
Project: Creating brand assets and members’ merchandise for Waiting, a ski/snowboarding expedition to Siberia.
Brief: To design a visual identity for the brand that captured the excitement of the heli-skiing trip. To create and source a range of branded apparel for the expedition, along with carefully considered welcome packs for everyone involved.
About the client
We were brought on board to create a visual identity for this group expedition to Siberia, then roll out the visuals across a series of branded goods that would come in handy for participants during their trip.
What we did
Being keen skiers, we absolutely loved this project!
We used our worldwide network to source lots of brilliant resources for this project. From thermals to ski boot bags, solar powered phone battery packs to branded water bottles and base layer Patagonia jackets, we created a full kit of branded goods. We even sourced ski ties all the way from Utah in the USA. All items featured Waiting’s newly designed logo, resulting in a smart uniform look.
To make something a little more memorable for Waiting, we came up with a temporary tattoo logo design that participants could use as they please, with help from a contemporary tattoo printer based in Belgium. The printer loved the final design so much, he asked if he could sell it on his website – and he’s still generating direct sales from this work to this day!
The results
Once we had found and collected all the merchandise we needed, we set about developing special members’ packs that would eventually be posted out to all participants in various locations across Europe. We ordered parcel tape printed with Waiting’s new logo, then used this to secure boxes with large, attention-grabbing labels.
Absolute Cuisine_
Project: Graphic design of brand toolkit, all advertising materials, new project production and website redesign.
Brief: To design and produce a brand toolkit of advertising assets and business stationery; design packaging for a new product range; and support the launch of the company’s marketing brochure. To redesign the website and add e-commerce functionality.
Result: Incremental revenue through new e-commerce features and online sales capability.
About the client
Absolute Cuisine is a creative catering company based in Marlow, creating remarkable experiences by offering the finest quality foods with unrivalled personal service. Initially, we were tasked with producing quality business stationery, flyers, and adverts to support Absolute Cuisine’s pre-planned marketing activities. As the brand grew, however, it was clear that the business was moving in a new direction – so we were asked to create a wider range of printed assets to help promote the team’s products amongst new audiences.
What we did
We produced brand new artwork for the company’s food packaging, which needed to complement their expanded range of ready meals, soups, cakes, biscuits and more. Long, rounded, cake-shaped – we came up with designs for boxes of all kinds of shapes and sizes! We also designed and supplied Paddington Bear-style labels containing preparation and cooking instructions; these were tied to the product with raffia material to give them a more artisan and eco-friendly look.
We produced a takeout menu and a 44-page showcase brochure with more information on Absolute Cuisine’s lunches, dinner parties, canapés, buffet options, and afternoon teas. We made sure the brochure flowed more intuitively and supported the new design with quality images.
Our team also designed and produced the copy for Absolute Cuisine’s new website, incorporating sales and cataloguing features into the platform so the team could sell products directly to consumers. Throughout the process, we focused on creating a fresh, fully branded design; developing a clear user experience; and making sure the site’s content and technical elements were SEO-friendly to increase the company’s chances of being found online.
Artisan Distillery_
Project: Graphic design of Kraft labels for Artisan Distillery and sourcing of bottles to suit the brand.
Brief: To design the label identity of a local distillery eau-de-vie and support production.
About the client
Located in the French Alps, Artisan Distillery is a forward-thinking distillery that produces eau-de-vie using locally sourced fruits and ancestral production techniques. The owners collect apples, pears, prunes, apricots, and quince, then press the fruits to create a distinctive eau-de-vie that embodies the key flavours of the region.
What we did
Firstly, we improved the product’s visual identity by hand-drawing the bottle labels and printing them in Kraft cardboard, adding a sustainable element to the packaging and an artisanal feel to the branding.
We sourced two and a half thousand vintage-style bottles from Germany that complemented the overall aesthetic of the product and helped to bring Artisan Distillery’s local and traditional identity to life.