Why Strategy Comes Before Design
Design
We love design. It’s what we do at Creative62. But we always lead with Strategy, otherwise things can look great but miss the mark. Strategy thinking, married with excellence in creative execution, is something we do really well.
That’s why we always start with strategy.
It’s Easy to Jump Straight Into Design
Most briefs sound familiar: we need a new website, our brand feels dated, this doesn’t look right anymore. Design is the obvious fix and the fun part.
But when you skip the thinking and go straight to making, you end up designing on assumptions. That’s when projects drag, feedback clashes, and the work loses focus.
Strategy Is Just Clarity
For us, strategy isn’t complicated. It’s about asking a few important questions upfront:
- Who are we talking to?
- What do we want them to do?
- What problem are we really solving?
Once those answers are clear, everything else gets easier.
Better Strategy = Better Design
When strategy leads, design stops being about personal taste and starts being about purpose. Decisions are faster. Feedback is clearer. The work feels more confident.
Design becomes something that actually works, not just something that looks good.
Our Belief
At Creative62, strategy gives design direction. Design brings that direction to life.
That’s why we believe strategy should always come before design.
Creative Thinking vs Creative Execution
Design
Creative thinking and creative execution often get lumped together. They’re related, but they’re not the same and confusing the two is where a lot of projects fall apart.
At Creative62, we see them as two very different (but equally important) parts of the creative process.
Creative Thinking Is About the Idea
Creative thinking happens before anything is made.
It’s the messy part. The questioning. The conversations that challenge assumptions and uncover better ways of doing things. This is where we figure out:
- What’s the real problem we’re solving?
- What’s the smartest idea behind this?
- How can this brand stand out in a meaningful way?
Creative thinking sets the direction. Without it, you might execute beautifully, just in the wrong direction.
Creative Execution Is About Bringing It to Life
Creative execution is where ideas become real.
This is the craft: design, copy, motion, build, and detail. It’s about how something looks, feels, and works in the real world. Strong execution makes ideas clear, engaging, and usable.
But execution can only be as good as the thinking behind it.
Where Things Go Wrong
Most problems don’t come from poor execution. They come from weak or rushed thinking.
When teams skip the thinking phase, execution is forced to carry the weight. That’s when work looks polished but feels empty or when endless tweaks try to fix an idea that wasn’t right to begin with.
How We Approach It at Creative62
We separate thinking from making, on purpose.
First, we slow down and think. We explore ideas, test logic, and get aligned. Then we move into execution with confidence, knowing exactly what we’re bringing to life and why.
That’s when the work clicks.
The Takeaway
Creative thinking gives work meaning. Creative execution gives it form.
You need both but in the right order.
At Creative62, we believe great work doesn’t start with execution. It starts with thinking.
Trends We’re Watching in 2026
Design
Trends come and go. Some are just visual noise, others signal real shifts in how brands think, act, and connect with people.
As we head into 2026, we’re paying less attention to what looks new and more attention to what’s actually changing behaviour. Here are a few trends we’re watching closely.
1. Less Noise, More Meaning
Brands are pulling back.
After years of loud visuals, bold-for-the-sake-of-bold identities, and constant content, we’re seeing a move towards clarity and restraint. Simpler systems, fewer messages, stronger ideas.
Not minimal for style points, minimal because it works.
2. AI as a Creative Partner (Not a Shortcut)
AI isn’t replacing creativity, but it is reshaping the process.
Used well, it speeds things up, unlocks exploration, and helps teams think broader. Used poorly, it flattens ideas and creates sameness.
In 2026, the difference won’t be who uses AI, it’ll be who uses it with taste, judgement, and intent.
3. Brands Acting More Like Products
People now expect brands to behave like well-designed products: intuitive, useful, and constantly improving.
That means fewer “campaign-only” moments and more focus on the full experience, from first touchpoint to long-term use. Strategy, UX, and brand are no longer separate conversations.
They’re the same one.
4. Personality Over Perfection
Perfect design is starting to feel cold.
We’re seeing more brands embrace warmth, imperfection, and personality. Not in a messy way, but in a human one. Design that feels considered, not manufactured. Confident, not overworked.
People connect with brands that feel real.
5. Digital Experiences With Depth
Fast, functional digital experiences are the baseline now. What’s next is depth.
More thoughtful interactions. Subtle motion. Clear storytelling. Experiences that reward attention instead of demanding it.
Less doing everything. More doing a few things really well.
Our Take
Trends shouldn’t drive decisions but they can reveal where things are heading.
In 2026, the strongest brands won’t be chasing what’s new. They’ll be doubling down on clarity, usefulness, and ideas that last.
How Traditional Marketing Still Plays a Role in a Digital World
Design
With digital platforms dominating today’s conversations, it’s tempting to think that traditional marketing is outdated. But here’s the truth: traditional and digital marketing don’t compete, they complement each other.
From print ads to direct mail to in-person events, traditional channels continue to create impact when integrated into a modern marketing mix. Here’s why they still matter, and how to use them effectively in a digital-first world.
1. Tangibility Builds Trust
There’s something powerful about holding a beautifully designed brochure, receiving high-quality packaging, or seeing a billboard in a busy city center. These physical touchpoints create a sense of credibility and permanence that digital alone can’t replicate.
When paired with digital, traditional assets reinforce brand recognition. For example:
- A print magazine ad that drives readers to a social hashtag.
- A branded direct mail piece with a QR code linking to a landing page.
2. Reaching Audiences Where Digital Doesn’t
Not every audience is glued to their phone 24/7. Traditional marketing still shines for:
- Local communities (billboards, flyers, event sponsorships).
- Older demographics who may prefer print or broadcast media.
- In-person environments like trade shows or retail spaces.
By layering traditional channels with digital ones, brands can reach broader and more diverse segments.
3. Creating Memorable, Multi-Sensory Experiences
Digital is powerful, but it’s often fleeting. Traditional marketing taps into more senses; sight, touch, even sound in the case of radio or experiential activations. These experiences stick with people and give campaigns staying power.
Example: A pop-up installation promoted on Instagram can create buzz online and a physical, immersive brand moment offline.
4. The Power of Integration
The most effective strategies combine traditional and digital seamlessly. Some ideas:
- Direct mail + retargeting ads: Send a physical piece, then follow up with digital ads to reinforce recall.
- Event marketing + social content: Use live events as content engines for digital storytelling.
- Broadcast + hashtags: TV or radio ads that encourage real-time interaction on social platforms.
The result is a brand experience that feels consistent, omnipresent, and engaging across all touchpoints.
5. Measuring Impact in New Ways
One of the biggest critiques of traditional marketing has always been measurement. But with digital tools, even offline campaigns can now be tracked. QR codes, unique promo codes, and custom landing pages bridge the gap between print or broadcast and online analytics.
Final Thoughts
In a world where digital dominates, traditional marketing still plays a crucial role. It provides tangibility, broadens reach, and deepens engagement in ways digital can’t achieve alone.
The future isn’t about choosing between the two, it’s about blending traditional and digital into one cohesive strategy that meets people wherever they are.
At Creative62, we help brands craft campaigns that seamlessly integrate both worlds, building timeless trust while embracing modern reach.
Collaboration Between Agencies and In-House Design Teams: Unlocking Better Results
Design
Brands with in-house design teams often face a dilemma: Should they rely solely on internal resources or bring in external expertise? At Creative62, a multi-award-winning creative design agency, we believe the answer lies in collaboration. By working together, agencies and in-house teams can unlock creativity, improve efficiency, and achieve strategic goals that neither could accomplish alone.
Collaboration between these two entities is a game-changer for several reasons. First, in-house teams deeply understand their brand, but sometimes, being too close to the work can limit creativity. Agencies like Creative62 bring an outsider’s perspective, offering innovative ideas and solutions inspired by broader industry experience. This fresh lens can reinvigorate campaigns and uncover new growth opportunities.
Moreover, your in-house team might excel at day-to-day design needs, but complex projects like rebranding, advanced UX/UI design, or multi-channel campaigns often require niche expertise. Partnering with a multi-award-winning creative design agency like Creative62 gives you access to specialised skills without the need for permanent hires. This approach not only saves resources but also ensures high-quality results.
When deadlines loom or workloads spike, even the best in-house teams can feel stretched thin. Agencies act as an extension of your team, providing extra hands when you need them most—ensuring high-quality results without burnout. Creative62 has a proven track record of supporting businesses during these critical periods, helping them meet deadlines without compromising on quality.
Collaboration doesn’t mean duplication—it means synergy. Agencies like Creative62 work closely with in-house teams to streamline workflows, align strategies, and execute projects faster while maintaining brand consistency. This seamless integration ensures that both teams work towards a unified goal, leveraging each other’s strengths to deliver impactful results.
Furthermore, collaboration fosters growth on both sides. In-house teams gain insights into new tools, trends, and techniques, while agencies benefit from the client’s deep brand knowledge. It’s a win-win for everyone involved. At Creative62, we’re committed to mutual learning and growth, ensuring that our partnerships are beneficial and enriching for both parties.
At Creative62, a multi-award-winning creative design agency, we’ve partnered with numerous in-house teams to deliver impactful results through collaboration. Whether it’s tackling a major campaign or providing fresh creative input, we’re here to help your team shine even brighter. Our collaborative approach ensures that your brand receives the best possible creative solutions tailored to drive real results.
Would you be ready to explore how we can work together? Let’s chat!
Why Branding & Design Are the Key to Scaling Your Business Successfully
Design
Scaling a business is a challenging yet exciting journey. As your business grows, your brand’s presence, design, and marketing strategies must evolve to ensure long-term success. But how can you manage the complexities of scaling your business while maintaining a consistent brand experience? The answer lies in working with a creative agency that specialises in branding and design.
In this blog, we’ll discuss why collaborating with a creative agency is crucial for scaling your business and how a strategic approach to branding and design can fuel your growth.
1. Brand Consistency Across All Channels
As your business expands, maintaining a consistent brand experience across all platforms—whether it’s your website, social media, email campaigns, or physical materials—is essential. Brand consistency reinforces your company’s identity, builds trust with customers, and ensures your messaging remains clear and cohesive, helping you stand out in a crowded marketplace. It strengthens recognition, fosters loyalty, and creates a strong emotional connection with your audience.
A full-service creative agency like Creative62 can provide strategic brand identity design, logo creation, print and digital design, and social media branding. With our expertise, we ensure your brand remains unified and impactful as it scales, adapting seamlessly to new opportunities and growth.
2. Effective Brand Strategy for Market Expansion
Expanding into new markets requires a strong brand strategy to connect with new audiences and stand out from competitors. A clear strategy helps you understand customer needs, drive sustainable growth, and build loyalty.
At Creative62, we specialise in brand positioning and market research, crafting tailored strategies that guide your brand’s successful expansion.
3. Creating Scalable Design Systems
As your business grows, so do the demands on your design assets. A scalable design system keeps your brand consistent, adaptable, and easy to manage across platforms.
A well-structured system saves time and money, ensuring high-quality visuals across campaigns and products. Creative62 develops flexible design systems with templates, guidelines, and custom elements, keeping your brand cohesive while allowing for innovation.
4. Digital Marketing Expertise for Brand Visibility
Scaling your business requires strong digital visibility. From SEO-friendly websites to targeted social media campaigns, a well-integrated digital marketing strategy ensures you reach the right audience and drive engagement.
Effective digital marketing boosts brand awareness, attracts new customers, and turns website visitors into clients. As you grow, a strategic approach keeps your audience engaged.
Creative62 offers a full suite of digital marketing services, including SEO, social media marketing, paid ads, email marketing, and content creation—helping your brand stay visible and thrive online.
5. Web Design That Supports Business Growth
Your website is often the first impression of your brand. As your business grows, it must handle higher traffic, provide a seamless user experience, and reflect your evolving brand identity.
A well-designed website enhances UX, drives conversions, and keeps customers engaged. To scale successfully, your site must adapt to new demands.
Creative62 designs and develops SEO-optimised, mobile-responsive websites with e-commerce and content management capabilities—ensuring your online presence grows with your business.
6. Creative Advertising and Campaigns for Increased Reach
Effective advertising is key to scaling your business. Whether through social media ads, email marketing, or video campaigns, creative and targeted ads help build brand awareness, generate leads, and drive conversions.
As your business grows, your advertising must be scalable, cost-effective, and adaptable across channels.
Creative62 designs impactful ad campaigns across digital and print, enhancing your social media presence, email outreach, and video marketing—ensuring your brand reaches the right audience with the right message.
Why people should feature in your company’s social media content.
Design
If you’re trying to increase your companies reach and engagement on social media but it’s just not happening, we’ve got an idea for you to try out.
As a social media management agency in Leicester, we have run accounts for a bunch of businesses in an array of industries, and between them they all share one common theme. Whenever we publish a post for them that features a person, whether that be a photo or a video, it performs considerably better than any other type of post.
The proof is in the pudding
This is even the case with our own posts. For example, within the same week, we posted a text-based carousel and a video featuring a member of our team out and about. The post featuring the person reached 138% more impressions and 333% more accounts engaged compared to the text-based post. The proof really is in the pudding!
Emotion = Engagement
If you think about it, which of the following posts would you feel more inclined to engage with – a static post with some text on it announcing a company achievement, or a video of the team happy and celebrating their big achievement? Probably the video, right? There are so many ways this type of personal content can improve your brand appearance and performance; maybe you become a familiar face to your audience, you come across as more relatable, or people just like to hear about your opinions or experience.
It’s undoubtedly that personal element; it causes you to form an emotional connection and provokes more of a response than a text-based visual. You can help develop more of a brand personality this way too.
So don’t be shy. In the name of higher social media reach and engagement, it’s time to get in front of the camera! Need a hand? We offer content creation and social media management services to businesses across Leicester and beyond, helping you build a consistent and engaging online presence. We’d love to help, get in touch today.
Why a strong brand identity is the heart of your business.
Design
In a recent post, I explained what a creative design agency is in response to a colleague’s question. The article highlighted five key aspects. This is the first of five follow-up posts highlighting each of those key aspects.
Where competition is fierce, and consumer attention is fleeting, having a strong brand identity is more crucial than ever. A well-defined brand identity goes beyond just a visually appealing logo or a catchy tagline; it’s the emotional and psychological connection your customers form with your brand. This connection is the lifeblood of your business, and at Creative62, we understand its importance like no other creative design agency.
As an established creative design agency, we understand a brand’s identity should reflect its core values, mission, and unique selling proposition. This isn’t just about aesthetics—though that’s certainly part of it—it’s about crafting a narrative that resonates with your audience on a deeper level. Our approach to brand identity starts with understanding your business inside and out. We dive deep into your company’s ethos, goals, and market position to create a brand that not only looks good but also tells a compelling story. Our approach and ability have resulted in receiving comments like ‘I have been blown away. They created something special which reflects me and what we are going to do to help people. I am so pleased to have met them. I have felt heard, listened to and completely understood by Creative62 all the way through’.
A strong brand identity helps to differentiate you from competitors, making your business instantly recognisable. It’s the difference between a brand that’s easily forgotten and one that leaves a lasting impression. With Creative62 as your creative design agency, you’re not just getting a design; you’re getting a strategic partner who will work with you to create an identity that stands the test of time.
Our team at Creative62 is composed of experts in various fields—design, marketing, and strategy—who collaborate to build a brand identity that is cohesive and aligned with your business objectives. We ensure that every element, from your logo to your website design, reflects your brand’s personality and speaks to your target audience in a language they understand.
In a world full of choices, having a strong brand identity is more important than ever. It’s your key to staying relevant, memorable, and at the heart of your customers’ minds. A great brand will keep people coming back again and again. If you want to truly connect with your audience, trust Creative62. We’re a creative design agency that’s dedicated to your brand’s long-term success, building a powerful, authentic identity that sets you apart.
What is a creative design agency?
Design
Every now and again, I get asked a question I’m not expecting. Often, my conversations revolve around business plans, growth, marketing activities, idea development, and doubtless the troubles of social media. Recently, someone asked me what a creative design agency actually does. This isn’t something I generally get asked, so I wanted to outline some points to help those wondering what working with a creative design agency can be like.
A creative design agency is a company that provides a wide range of services to help businesses establish and enhance their brand identity, communicate effectively with their audience, and achieve their marketing objectives. These services typically include graphic design, branding, web design, advertising, social media management, and more. Creative design agencies like Creative62 create teams of talented professionals such as graphic designers, copywriters, marketing strategists, photographers and digital experts who work collaboratively to create visually appealing and strategically sound marketing materials with your business and goals in mind.
Why working with a creative design agency is a good idea for ambitious businesses
Creative design agencies offer a wealth of experience and specialised knowledge, providing tailored solutions for businesses. Here are some key benefits:
1. Strong Brand Identity: A creative design agency helps establish a consistent and strong brand identity. They ensure all marketing materials, from logos to social media content, reflect your brand’s values and personality.
2. Efficiency: Developing high-quality marketing materials in-house can be time-consuming. Outsourcing to a creative design agency allows your business to focus on core activities while benefiting from professional design and marketing services.
3. Fresh Perspectives: Agencies bring an outsider’s perspective, offering fresh ideas and innovative solutions. This can help your business stand out in a crowded marketplace and attract your target audience’s attention.
4. Comprehensive Services: Whether you need rebranding, a new website, or a targeted advertising campaign, a creative design agency provides a one-stop shop for all your needs. This ensures consistency and quality across all marketing efforts.
5. Scalability: As your business grows, your marketing needs will evolve. Creative design agencies can scale their services to match your changing requirements, providing flexible solutions that grow with your business.
6. Return on Investment: Professional agencies like Creative62 focus on ensuring that your marketing spend results in a positive return on investment.
In conclusion, partnering with a creative design agency is a strategic move for businesses looking to grow and succeed. Agencies like Creative62 offer the expertise, innovation, and comprehensive services needed to elevate your brand, engage your audience, and achieve your marketing goals. By leveraging their skills and resources, your business can stand out in the competitive market and make a lasting impact.
Supporting the Cosby Yarn Bomb for our fourth year.
Design
One of our favourite events of the summer is the Cosby Yarn Bomb, an annual street art festival run by Community Interest Company, Gather Create Grow. This three-week exhibition celebrates creativity, community togetherness and well-being as over 50 incredible textile art installations created by the community for the community are showcased throughout the village of Cosby, Leicestershire.
We are proud to have supported the Yarn Bomb for a fourth consecutive year with our designs helping to bring this much-loved event to life. This year we created a cross-folded map which was developed from a handmade client prototype. The idea was to enhance the current playful and colourful style with a sense of discovery for the reader. To accompany the maps, we created a set of informative roller banners which were dotted around the village, welcoming visitors and signposting them to check in, purchase a map, and make a voluntary donation to the organisation.
We received such lovely words from Mel at Gather Create Grow:
“Creative62 are a dream to work with, generous with their time, flexible with deadlines and always creating fantastic designs. They always treat us like valued clients, despite helping us for free. Thank you so much to the brilliant team!”.
Our Creative Director, Andy Rudkin, shared his thoughts:
“It’s always a pleasure to support Mel and Nat in their efforts to pull together the Cosby Yarn Bomb. Having strong personal ties to the village makes accepting the call a no-brainer, and I’m extremely proud of the small part we play!”
We love doing our bit for the local community and supporting an initiative that champions creativity, community togetherness and well-being makes getting involved with the Cosby Yarn Bomb each year a very easy decision.
