Creed Design was set up in a small home-based office 23 years ago.
Now in a studio in the village of Enderby, just outside Leicester, it boasts an impressive client list in retail and hospitality, spanning across the 海角视频 and Ireland, to as far afield as the United Arab Emirates.
Those clients include Pizza Express, Frankie & Benny’s, Wagamama’s, Ca’puccino and Leicester’s Pilot clothing.
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From starting out with just founder Andrew French, now design director, at the helm, Creed today boasts a team of six, “creating unique commercial environments” to make clients stand out from the crowd.
It’s clear this stance is key to its success because turnover has doubled since 2012 as even established businesses look to “future proof” their brands in a challenging and ever changing economy.
A recent success story has been its design of a new interior for Pizza Express’s restaurant in Langham Place, near Oxford Circus, which has been so eye-catching that it has garnered substantial media attention, including in The Mirror and on the Big Hospitality trade website.
The project was part of a brand pilot refurbishment scheme and the new-look model features a centrepiece theatre kitchen. In a first for Pizza Express, it also includes a dedicated bar space too.
Creed design studio co-ordinator Georgia Wilkinson said they were proud of the reputation they had built over the years.
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She said: “Although the brand’s very proud of its heritage, it’s been looking at ways to prepare for the future and quite rightly, they’ve placed a great importance on interior design.
“It was a challenging project and we designed many bespoke aspects, as we often do for our projects.
“We are thrilled with the end result and the client was really delighted and has told us trading is buoyant and beating expectations.”
The mum-of-two added: “It’s hugely important for our projects to be unique.
“That way we can ensure the best possible solution for the client, and in turn this will have the greatest commercial impact for them.
“When we can’t specify a perfect product for the space, we often modify existing products or design something from scratch, such as designing bespoke lighting or one-off artwork to give a space a unique feel, like laser-cut brogues, or large wall coverings, like the paint drip wallpaper at Langham Place or large herons at Pizza Express in Rushden Lakes.”
Georgia, 46, said that as well as their attention to detail, they also applied a bit of social psychology when tackling a project.
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She said: “I’d suggest that the science aspect comes from understanding how a customer could use a space throughout the day and then make it an inviting place they’ll want to linger in – such as through thoughtfully distinctive different zoned areas.
“But it’s also little details that will make someone want to stay longer, whether that’s phone charging points, perfectly positioned coat hooks, or flattering mirrors in the WCs.
“Lighting also plays a very important role in catching the eyes of passers-by and then creating a relaxed environment when they’re in the space.
“One example of this is at Langham Place, there’s a specially designed lighting scheme that adjusts throughout the day to meet the different needs of diners.”
Creed’s work with Pizza Express has certainly racked up the most column inches and further heightened its profile in recent months.
Its design of the chain’s Rushden Lakes restaurant in Northamptonshire was a finalist in the Casual Design Awards 2019 for Best New Restaurant as well as Best Commercial Project in The Tile Association Awards.
It’s also hopes to make it onto the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards’ shortlist in June.
And it’s not just the physical end design that Creed is adding a state-of-the-art edge touch to, but the way it communicates design ideas.
It earned its place as a creative sector finalist in our inaugural LeicestershireLive Innovation Awards this spring, for its introduction of a virtual reality headset and 360-degree smartphone view to enable clients to “experience and be immersed into design ideas in a simulated environment”.
“Virtual Reality is coming into every aspect of people’s lives now,” said Georgia, who lives near Western Park and has been with Creed since 2011.
“For us it offered the perfect opportunity for clients and stakeholders to truly understand how our designs will impact their business.
“It’s something we’d been working with for the last year or so. It’s had a real impact on our design process and proved to be a persuasive tool.
“As some of our clients are owned by international companies, our VR models can be shared anywhere in the world via people’s smartphones.
“We can’t do all of our work remotely though, as we are creating actual environments, so Leicester’s an ideal base for our 海角视频 projects.
“There are also many excellent creative companies in and around Leicestershire, so we are in good company!”
While Creed continues to win new clients – it is currently working with a new customer on a pub project near the South Coast – it admits that the Brexit delay, and uncertainty, is having an impact on growth.
“The current political climate has made our clients more cautious so I doubt there will be immediate growth,” said Georgia, whose favourite way to relax is by drawing local buildings and people with Leicester’s Urban Sketchers.
“Our team size means that we can all have involvement in a project, and try new challenges.
Personally, I really enjoy this way of working.
“It has pushed me to develop new skills over the last seven-plus years – including most recently learning laser-cutting.
“In the long term though, we’d like the staff team to increase.”
When it comes to potential new clients Georgia revealed that Liberty in London is at the top of Creed’s dream list.
“I have a huge soft spot for Liberty,” she admitted.
“It would be a dream come true for Creed to design a hospitality space in that beautiful old building. I would fill it with colour, pattern and texture that celebrated the brand’s heritage yet would still appeal to a contemporary customer.”
So, it looks like a case of watch this space with Creed, as its reputation continues to go from strength to strength on the back of its winning, bespoke formula.
Back in Leicester, Creed’s work includes designing the trail at Watermead Park for Leicester City Council, as well as Pizza Express and Frankie and Benny’s in Highcross and Pilot clothing in High Street.