Who we are. How we work.
Hello, we are Creative Oates an independent brand consultancy. We specialise in enabling brands to cultivate their creativity and create a clear commercial difference. We help SME business owners to command greater attention and authority, by building brands for growth.
Our services
At CreativeOates we work in a very different way to most agencies. Depending on the project will define the team needed to deliver it. We offer an extensive range of services and we partner with some of the best creative specialists in the industry so we are able to offer ingenious and practical solutions to projects of all shapes and sizes.
Strategy
We help our clients define their purpose: why they exist, what makes them different, We identify unique opportunities they can own by understanding their business and their market. We create stand out design systems that demonstrate ambition and make a tangible commercial difference.
Services
Brand strategy
Brand positioning
Brand & portfolio architecture
Interviews & workshops
Brand personas & prototyping
Brand experience
We activate our clients purpose and proposition with the essential assets all brands need: from logo and colour palette through to bespoke typography and imagery. We help them translate the essence of their identity into a distinctive and intuitive brand experience across all relevant platforms.
Services
Brand naming & identity
Verbal identity & messaging
Sales & marketing collateral
Print & digital communications
Film & animation
Brand management
We find creative ways to inspire our clients in realising their transformation We work along side marketing teams and equip them with the practical tools they need to make change happen that’s right for their brand. From essential guidelines to on-going engagement we activate change and measure progress
Services
Brand toolkits & guidelines
Brand support & guardianship
Employee engagement
Brand consulting
Brand management
Chris is a London based independent Creative Director with over 20 years experience. Whether working with small start-ups or long established brands, he searches out meaningful, often unexpected insights that inform smart strategies and inspiring creative opportunities. He partners with clients to build big ideas and create brands that are simple, intelligent and make a commercial difference to their businesses.
A strategic design consultancy, we adapt our processes and teams to individual projects, not the other way round. We partner with clients, helping their brands thrive through outstanding design.
1. Definition
We’ll work with you to help define your objectives. We can then plan a programme of work and form a project team from your organisation to work with a hand-picked team of creative specialists. A good starting point is a kick-off meeting, where we’ll exchange reference materials, confirm contact details and responsibilities for both project teams, set clear objectives, sign-off the project plan and brief, and agree on the final scope of work and budgets.
2. Immersion
The project team gains a thorough understanding of the environment you operate in, your strategy, your key audiences, your current communications and the opportunities these present. As part of the brand and design process it’s usual for CreativeOates to conduct workshops, interviews and surveys in conjunction with competitor and market research. We’ll also undertake a communications audit, map out your own positioning and analyse our findings. Reporting directly to you, this information feeds directly into the brand strategy.
3. Vision
Using both our analytical skills and our creative skills, we work with you to develop and articulate the building blocks which will drive the project forward. We’ll articulate your values and positioning, and develop initial mood boards supported by top-level messaging and tone of voice. While still at a relatively early stage, the look and feel will be developed enough to enable us to brainstorm which ideas have the potential for further development. Brand naming would also sit within this stage.
4. Development
We flex and test the building blocks and develop them so that they work effectively across the relevant parts of your business, both internally and externally. If we’re creating a new logo, it happens here, along with brand architecture and exploring the relationship between sub-brands and the master brand, and partner branding. From colour to typography and from photography to illustration, we build the complete brand identity, and test it across your most commonly used media.
5. Launch planning
We’ll help you decide if a phased launch or a mega-launch is the way to go. We’ll involve your team as appropriate, and develop a plan to apply and implement your new brand across digital and traditional channels. We can help you schedule roll-out of the new identity and manage budgets and resources. Putting our expertise to the fore, we’ll deliver a master plan to inform, inspire and drive communications across all relevant audience groups.
6. Implementation
This is about managing implementation across the business and taking a programme of change through to fruition. And, if you wish to retain CreativeOates’ services, you can promote us to your team, as default design consultancy. We’ll collaborate with your team, at the same time policing the brand guidelines. Ensuring your identity is implemented imaginatively. We will bring your suppliers and other specialists up-to-speed to make sure everyone buys into your brand. Giving it the best possible start to life.
