Reflections on Sandford’s 10ish anniversary and rebrand
A decade (or so) ago, Sandford PR was born out of my desire to create something that took the very best of big agency life and mixed it with a more personal and collaborative approach; to tell the stories of exceptional, thoughtful design.
Reflecting back to the start of that decade when I was launching the business, the triumphs and tragedies of 2010 have really reminded me quite how much (and in some cases, how little) has changed. 2010 was when the first iPad was released, and both Instagram and Pinterest launched. I remember volcanic ash from Iceland’s Mount Eyjafjallajökull causing havoc across the world, with stranded visitors to Milan’s Salone del Mobile finding all sorts of ingenious ways to get home. VitraHaus by Herzog & de Meuron opened.
Image credit: ArchDaily - VitraHaus
It was the year of the Shanghai Expo and UK Pavillion designed by Thomas Heatherwick with 60,000 transparent rods containing seeds from the Millenium Seed Bank. Zaha Hadid’s MAXXI, Rome opened to the public and won the Stirling Prize. There were devastating earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. One Direction was formed. Alexander McQueen died. The UK economy came out of recession. David Cameron became prime minister, forming Britain’s first post-war coalition government and Prince William and Kate Middleton got engaged. It feels like a lifetime ago in many respects!
Over the last 10ish years of running my own business and working with some truly brilliant and supportive people, I’ve seen the comms business at times change beyond all recognition and be stretched to the limit during the pandemic. What personally has not changed is my love of good design, enjoyment of connecting and collaborating, and the thrill of seeing the impact our work can have on our client’s business growth.
Looking forward, starting with a brand relaunch
In 2022, the media landscape is somewhat different to a decade or so ago…
To think that Instagram launched in October 2010 and now we have forecasts of users reaching 1.2 billion in 2023, while Elon Musk’s on/off £36bn acquisition of Twitter dominates headlines and TikTok exploded in popularity during lockdown. Alongside this our media outlets are endlessly diversifying where and how they are drawing in audiences, continuously throwing up new avenues to engage with. The subscription newsletter platform Substack is thriving and the power of podcasts continues to know no limits.
Here at Sandford HQ we’ve been continuing our own evolution and have turned the spotlight on ourselves for a brand refresh, a new website and a forward-thinking focus, which certainly leaves us with a deeper empathy for our clients going through a similar process. It is not easy! But it absolutely felt the right time to evolve and get ready for the next chapter of growth. I’m thrilled with the outcome and grateful to Andrea at Beehive Green for helping us to find our new identity.
Our bespoke PR services for architects and creative businesses ready for growth have become even more tailored to our clients, reflecting the multi-faceted campaigns we might be running at any one time, so we can truly add value. Our digital services, led by hugely knowledgable and level-headed Christina Clarke, continue to flourish, as clients turn to these channels more and more to speak directly to their audiences. The plethora of choices and channels can be overwhelming for those running their own businesses. That’s where we come in to help.
Growing our digital marketing services
We’ve expanded our digital marketing capabilities, extending into brand marketing alongside our trusted social media work, to help clients understand where they need to have profiles and how best to talk to targeted audiences authentically. Something we’re really proud to have evolved out of the challenges of the last two years is our deep dive discovery stage, to develop a comms strategy that establishes the foundations for businesses to see the results they need to realise their ambitions.
Some of the proudest moments of the last 10ish years? Getting a gingerbread train station built (nearly had to be by our own hands) and exhibited when Omicrom was doing its best to put an end to Christmas 2021.
Launching Margaret Calvert’s retrospective at the Design Museum during a lockdown. Taking Sky-Frame’s ‘A Piece of Sky’ to Milan back in those heady Salone days of 2019, when Ventura Centrale was the talk of the town.
Image credit: Sky-Frame, A Piece of Sky with Stephan Hürleman
The year of Irish Design 2015 and its unbelievably ambitious global programme of activity with such a wealth of makers. Being appointed by the iconic brand Vitra to manage its UK strategic brand redevelopment, an inspiring press trip to VitraHaus and launching Artek after its acquisition. Hanging out in Tom Raffield’s home and his Grand Designs debut.
Image credit: Tom Raffield, Grand Designs House
Doing a stint at Barber Osgerby alongside my day job of running Sandford to set up the PR department for Universal Design Studio, Map and Barber Osgerby, just after they’d designed the Olympic torch.
One of my very first clients, Squire & Partners taking a leap of faith with us when they needed maternity cover. Having the privilege to work alongside some brilliant experts in the field. And being awed by the many creative practitioners I’ve encountered along the way.
The last 2 years have taught all of us I’m sure, that forecasting too far into the future is impossible, so for now I’m going to do my best to squeeze the pips out of what is around the corner, and enjoy celebrating our richly diverse and forever inspiring creative industries as they continue to challenge the way we live, work and think.
