The Yard Creative

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Communications Director of an orchestral music company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company empowers 8-14 year old children to uncover the joy of orchestral music, unleash their creativity and realise their ambitions, through inspirational and supportive orchestal experiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Yard Creative to accomplish?

• To create a fresh visual identity to reflect our vibrancy, creativity, diversity and child-focus
• To create a public-facing website and secure member area that authentically reflects us.

SOLUTION

How did you find The Yard Creative?

Referral

Why did you select The Yard Creative over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Convincing, authentic pitch

How many teammates from The Yard Creative were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Visual Rebrand
A fresh identity that:
● Authentically reflects our vibrancy, creativity, diversity, and child-focus.
● Our company and our young musicians can own and be proud of
● Works across all platforms and formats (digital, print, merchandise - the children love their hoodies!).
● Is accessible, adaptable, and practical for daily use with clear brand guidelines. We have a small in-house team who create all our marketing and comms and a large wider team of freelancers and the children themselves who are our brand ambassadors.

New Website 
A public-facing website and secure member area that:
● Brings the new brand to life, connecting emotionally with stakeholders.
● Is intuitive, accessible, and user-focused, tailored to a wide range of existing and new audiences (children, parents/carers, donors, partners, staff).
● Streamlines complex tasks (e.g., programme applications, member logins, resource sharing).
● Integrates seamlessly with our CRM (Beacon) and supports donations, applications, sign-ups, and purchases.
● Supports robust SEO, analytics (Google Analytics 4), and green web hosting.
● On an Open-Source platform with the vast majority of site content easily editable by our admin team, for both the public facing end and the log in area.

Outcomes
● A brand and website that amplify our purpose, broaden our community, and strengthen connections with all stakeholders.
● Tools that empower our team to manage content and processes efficiently.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Staff and board report affinity and pride in the new visual identity/brand 
• Significantly increasing our reach increased engagement from non-followers on Facebook (+20%) and Instagram (+50%) in the 2 months following the rebrand.
• The new website repositions us and brings all of its aspects to life

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Milestones in the project was delivered on time and they went above and beyond with website design in particular.

Our feedback on messaging/design/development at each milestone was taken on board and appropriate tweaks and improvements were made.

There were communications hiccups from time to time - smoothing these out and a more proactive approach to sharing expectations at each stage would be great.

What was your primary form of communication with The Yard Creative?

Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The Yard Creative's instinct, style, and design flair were second to none. I never doubted that the end result would be of brilliant quality and something to be proud of.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Yard Creative could have done differently?

Project management and communication worked well mostly and overall, but there were a few occasions where communication could have been better so that we might have felt more clear on what was expected from both sides.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of MHM, an audience transformation agency. We work with theaters, museums, galleries, and other organizations to help them grow and connect better with their audiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

We were going through a rebrand at MHM and needed help with that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Yard Creative helped us with a new graphic design system. We gave them our name and brand strategy, and they helped us with a logo, colors, and how to apply the logo. They also created design guidelines for us.

What is the team composition?

We were mainly in contact with two teammates from The Yard Creative: the creative director and the account services director.

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

I met Keir via a LinkedIn contact, and we started talking about how we might collaborate. I mentioned that we were going through a rebrand at MHM and asked Keir whether he thought his team might be interested in working with us.

We introduced The Yard Creative to a client of ours, and they did a really good job on the brand. Then, we started talking to their team about helping us with our rebrand, so we commissioned them to work with us on our company’s rebrand.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about £9,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–August 2025.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve seen increased engagement of clients with our offer and our positioning has landed really well. Our team is loving using the new brand and all the new tools that they’ve got. The new brand assets have gone down really well and helped us engage our team even more internally.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

The Yard Creative constantly met their deadlines and worked within the budget we allocated. We communicated via email and video calls using Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. All the presentations they shared with us were in Keynote or PDF.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Yard Creative’s responsiveness, flexibility, and willingness to work within a very small budget were impressive. I’d also like to give a special shout-out to the account services director. She was amazing and so responsive. Even on her days off, she’d always get back to us, and we felt in really good hands with her. We always knew where things were at, and her tone was so supportive. We were really appreciative of her; we got a really great service from her.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When the account services director wasn’t involved, the creative team wasn’t as responsive. However, we had no criticism at all. The team was excellent; they delivered everything we asked for and went above and beyond in a very tight timeline and budget. We really enjoyed working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Keep The Yard Creative close and let them into what you’re really trying to achieve. They’ll work really hard to help you achieve that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the global marketing advisory head and consultancy of mediasense.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

We acquired a couple of businesses through M&A work. Our business got VC backing, which allowed us to enable growth via acquisition. We bought two businesses and needed to bring those three businesses together into one with a distinct look and feel, proposition, and roadmap for the future.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Yard Creative helped us with our branding and UX/UI design. We already had a lot of strategy delivered, so the research phase was pretty much done. The scope included look and feel, competitor analysis, and articulating the proposition.

The Yard Creative also helped us with UX/UI design for our digital footprint, logo design, and brand expression. The team designed in Figma and handed the files over to a separate web agency.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 5–6 teammates from The Yard Creative, including a lead designer, the head of strategy, and client-facing people.

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

We found them on Google. We went through a pitch process and talked to 3–4 different design agencies. We picked The Yard Creative because they had a mix of B2B and B2C experience, so there was a business element to it that we liked.

Additionally, they were local and knew our world and area. We were based in London, and The Yard Creative was not too far away. We were on the Langham Estate, and they had rebranded it as well. Their capabilities had a little bit of local flavor, which was quite nice.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with The Yard Creative in June 2025, and our engagement ended in September 2025.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We were ready for the next phase of our business, so we measured the success of the project by sticking to milestones and goals to ensure we went live on a certain date. We did stick to all those milestones and goals. We also had KPIs in place around the brand in terms of web traffic and interest, but it was too early to find that. Overall, they finished the project and hit the deadline.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Microsoft 365 project management tools within Teams and monday.com.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Yard Creative was friendly and responsive. The team understood the brief and listened to client feedback.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The Yard Creative overpromised that they could take on a piece of work that they couldn’t actually deliver. I had to do that myself.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Brief The Yard Creative very clearly and ensure you have a clear scope so both sides understand what they’re in for. Be very clear with the deliverables. This way, you'll get a good branding agency.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the business unit director for a technical consulting company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

We were looking at a new area of business that we were considering developing. We wanted market research done to determine the size of the market, the competitors, and how they presented themselves. We wanted to know how to get a foothold in the market, whether it was big, and who our rivals were.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Yard Creative provided us with a market research report and with startup leads. First, I had a briefing with Tom and Lawrence about what we hoped to get out of the project. We told them our aspirations in the market and that we perceived it as a growth area. We needed more market information to determine whether it was worth an investment for us to go in there.

Additionally, we gave them a briefing on what we wanted to achieve. Then, The Yard Creative went away and came back with a strategy on how to collect the information. They also gave us a list of people they could speak to anonymously for us.

What is the team composition?

Five teammates from The Yard Creative were involved at various times at different levels: Keir, Tom, and Lawrence were in directive positions, and we also worked with a strategy lead, Zanele, and a researcher, Miranda.

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

They were recommended to us. The Yard Creative had experiences similar to our project in the past, and people said they were a good company to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about £35,000–£40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–June 2024.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We got some startup leads from them, which was good for us. We’re still debating whether to go into the market, as it will require a good investment from us. We got three or four leads from The Yard Creative, and we’re going from there.

The Yard Creative's work was very good. If we decide to go into this, we’ll get them on board to create a marketing strategy for us going forward.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered the work on time and on budget and communicated well with us. We used phone calls and emails. They sent us drafts of their report at various stages to show where they progressed. We also had three or four face-to-face meetings. When they needed to interview someone who was unavailable or busy, they kept us informed of these delays. 

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Zanele was very helpful. She understood what we were trying to achieve and delivered some clear results.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Yard Creative thought differently — outside the box. They had a different way of strategizing, which was very useful. Moreover, their presentation skills of the data afterward were excellent. They conveyed it clearly, and it was a good strategy for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there wasn’t anything they needed to improve; they were good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing and communications for a logistics and transportation company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

We needed help with a full rebranding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Yard Creative has fully rebranded our company. Initially, I provided them with the assets we had already in existence, but those were very old and not very dynamic. During the branding process, they interviewed a lot of our staff members.

Currently, our engagement with The Yard Creative is still ongoing. Besides branding, they’ve helped us develop a new website and design a lot of merchandising; there have been a lot of components to our collaboration.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 5–6 teammates from The Yard Creative.

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

They came as a recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around £300,000 (approximately $376,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The results of working with The Yard Creative have been phenomenal. They’ve brought our brand into the 21st century, and our website looks great. It also has a lot of good information on it and is more accessible and recognizable in the market than before.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

The Yard Creative has delivered on time and within budget most of the time.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

The whole team is great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Yard Creative’s creative thinking, energy, and ability to take a brand that seems to be dull and boring and bring it to life and make it exciting are impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great if The Yard Creative focused more on the strategic work and had a roster of smaller agencies that could do the more basic groundwork for them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to their ideas. The good thing about The Yard Creative is that they always try to do things that are conceptually different.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and your position there.

I'm the managing director of Leslie Jones Architecture. Our practice specializes in large scale mixed use regeneration projects alongside retail & leisure design in town centres, shopping centres, aviation and rail settings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

The Yard Creative was brought on board to help us with trends, insights branding, and UX.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

As part of out team on Pittsburgh Airport, The Yard Creative conducted thorough research and surveys, which they used to prepare a comprehensive trends and insight document. This all-encompassing document formed the basis of our brief, which informed our approach to retail within the terminal building.

We engaged in a continuous and collaborative process with them, taking their input and incorporating it into our ongoing development.

What is the team composition?

My primary contacts were Steve (Co-Founder) and Sian (Director).

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

We belong to the same group, having been introduced by a client five years ago. The team conveyed their ideas effectively and with conviction, and their agility and size made them an ideal business partner for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with the team on the Pittsburgh Airport project from August 2021–Oct 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We measured the success of The Yard Creative's through the quality of their work and our continued working relationship. The client valued their work, which was fed through to us and became part of our design brief.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They were quick to respond and skilled at communicating at a senior level. Furthermore, the team was excellent at meeting deadlines and staying within budget. We mostly communicated through emails, phone calls, and digital and physical meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Yard Creative team was highly innovative. They conducted thorough research, which greatly influenced their work at Pittsburgh. The result was incredibly impactful, which instilling confidence.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The Yard Creative tends to work in shorter, more intense work spans. In contrast, we're accustomed to working on projects over extended periods. If I were to give them advice, I would suggest taking a longer-term perspective, staying connected to the project for a longer period of time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I suggest participating in one of their workshops, at which they excel in leading. The sessions are a great way to kick off projects, guiding clients and consultants alike through their process and creative strategies.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Kaz: I’m a co-founder of a restaurant called Amigos Burgers & Shakes.

Wax: I’m also a co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

K: We hired them for conceptual branding, interior design, and to create a technical pack. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

K: The Yard Creative provides us with branding and interior design services. The team works on concepts for us and has created technical packs, making the drawings needed before building our properties. Initially, we gave them a brief to help them understand the brand. 

W: For our first project together, The Yard Creative was part of a major rebrand of our company. They did the conceptual design of our brand identity and its direction and language. Since then, they’ve helped us translate that brand into our stores, including the visual look and feel. They’re tasked with ensuring our customers can walk into stores that have our brand’s personality. 

The Yard Creative has designed all of our locations. With every project, they do a site survey, then give us a feasibility assessment on the premises and how they feel the restaurant should be laid out. 

While space-planning for us, they consider how customers walk into the store, what they first see, and how they will reach the cashier. A third party assists The Yard Creative in terms of designing the kitchen and where food should be cooked, prepped, and delivered to the customer. Currently, we have 20 locations. 

What is the team composition?

W: Initially, The Yard Creative’s CEO was our main point of contact. Now, we’re mainly in touch with the senior design team. 

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

W: We found them through a Google search and shortlisted them.  

How much have you invested with them?

W: We’ve spent around £15,000 (approximately $20,000 USD) per location design. With the rebranding work included, we’ve spent close to £500,000 (approximately $654,000 USD) with The Yard Creative.

What is the status of this engagement?

W: We’ve been working with The Yard Creative since around June 2014, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

W: The Yard Creative has designed stores that are attractive to the market. When they’re designing interiors for us, it’s never just about putting our brand on the walls. They've built a creative journey for the customer to live from the moment they walk into our restaurants. 

Moreover, the team creates storefronts that attract customers to investigate what’s inside. They consider our customers’ experience to make our locations intriguing so that they want to walk in. Overall, there’s a reason behind everything The Yard Creative does, from the color of the walls to the materials and the design. 

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

W: They’re very accessible; their email and phone lines are always open. I prefer to communicate over the phone, and the team adapts to that, unlike many other companies. 

We’ve been working with The Yard Creative more or less since they founded their company, so we’re lucky to have a personal relationship with them. Therefore, we have direct access to their leadership and usually talk to them over the phone. 

Although they’ve had many changes within their company, they’re very good at finding the right teammates to work with them. Team changes mid-project can be frustrating for clients, but The Yard Creative’s handovers from one teammate to another are always seamless and professional. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

W: We like The Yard Creative’s adaptability; they find out what their client wants and tailor their packages based on that. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

W: There’s nothing they need to improve. Any weaknesses they may have would come from poor briefs by a client, which wouldn’t be The Yard Creative's fault. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

W: They’re a multi-skilled agency that can offer much as long as you give them the right brief. If you know what you want, The Yard Creative is amazing. However, if you’re a new customer and have no idea what you want, The Yard Creative can also tailor your services. Still, the more you provide them, the more they can give you. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Talou LTD, a children’s wear brand focused on clothing circularity, which means that we look at fabric reuse and recycling.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

I’m currently in the process of developing my product and launching my brand. Therefore, I approached The Yard Creative because I needed a visual identity and some brand strategy work to support the launch of my brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I already had the idea for the business and had done my market research. Thus, I first approached The Yard Creative for graphic design work. Still, I had a conversation with Tom (CEO), and he suggested that I needed some brand strategy work, so we agreed to work on that part of the project together.

After that, I presented all the market research I had done to The Yard Creative. I wanted my company to start with jumpers and knitwear. The idea was to get new items and sell them. Then, buy those items back from our customers and resell them. Thus, I needed help with creating a strategy that made that business model very clear.

The brand strategy work included renaming my business. Throughout the process, The Yard Creative came up with some naming suggestions, after which they presented me with the brand concept.

What is the team composition?

Tom was my initial point of contact. Then, he assigned a team to my project. The team included Claire (Senior Designer & Strategist), who supervised the project.

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

I did a Google search and talked with a lot of different service providers. I was very attracted to The Yard Creative due to the great work they had done for other brands. I also liked the fact that they had worked with some entrepreneurs. Additionally, their team always wants to challenge the industry, which is what I’m doing with this business, so I really liked that about them.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–June 2023.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The Yard Creative was able to listen to me and understand my vision, and they created what I had imagined and looked for. The result was completely amazing. I had a group of parents sharing feedback with me. When they read my brand book, brand values, mission, and purpose, a lot of them gave me very positive feedback.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

Claire organized the project very well. The Yard Creative gave me a timeline at the beginning of the project, and they delivered everything on time. During the engagement, I was working only part-time on the project. However, The Yard Creative was very flexible about working on the days that they knew I would be at the office. Overall, their project management was great.

As for communication, I mainly communicated with The Yard Creative via email. I had an email thread with the whole The Yard Creative’s team. We also met in person, so I went to their office a few times. I don’t live in London. Still, The Yard Creative was also very flexible about coming to my office as well. Additionally,  we had weekly meetings on Thursday or Friday to catch up on the project so that I knew what was going on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Being an entrepreneur, I was really impressed with the fact that The Yard Creative was able to accommodate my budget. In the beginning, I was very nervous about handing the project over to an agency because I was afraid that, in the end, the project wouldn’t be mine anymore. However, The Yard Creative really excelled at listening and understanding what I wanted my brand to be and where I wanted to go.

The project came to a point where, when The Yard Creative presented me with the creative assets, it was very obvious that the end result would be what I wanted. We talked about my vision a lot, and their team listened very well, so the result was amazing.

Overall, the project was treated with a lot of respect, and The Yard Creative really helped me convey everything I wanted to get across with my brand. I was very lucky to have worked with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t fault them. The whole process was seamless, and communicating with The Yard Creative was very easy. Overall, I had a positive experience, so I would highly recommend them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them a call. The Yard Creative is very open to working with entrepreneurs and discussing their projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder of Indu, which is a teenage beauty brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Yard Creative?

We hired They Yard Creative for branding services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

The Yard Creative is developing a brand identity for our company. The scope has involved working with our internal team and an external agency that specializes in teenage research. The Yard Creative has been creating a brand identity that is sufficiently cool and is delivering a series of brand guidelines. 

What is the team composition?

We are mostly in contact with Steve (Co-Founder).

How did you come to work with The Yard Creative?

They came highly recommended and had done work with similar brands. We liked the quality of their work, so we decided to move forward with The Yard Creative. 

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around £70,000 (approximately $87,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in January 2022, and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We measure success by the quality of the work produced and how well it’s received by our audience.

How did The Yard Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They are fantastic when it comes to meeting deadlines and staying on budget. We typically communicate via emails, phone calls, and meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve been impressed with the quality of The Yard Creative's work and think they’ve done a brilliant job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of.