It has been over two years since we celebrated your first year in business on the front cover of SBT back in January 2019
Tell us about the development of the business over the past few years?
Things have developed a lot for us since we last spoke. Our core services have refined slightly since we started. We now focus exclusively on Digital, Design and Branding projects and collaborate with some amazing partners for anyone who needsmarketing support.
The big news is that Milly is currently on maternity leave and has her hands full managing ‘twins’ rather than Steve and I. She is still very much involved in the business and will be back later this year when she will be looking forward to catchingup with old friends and contacts.
As ever Steve is working flat out to keep up with demand so we are now actively on the lookout for a full time developer to help spread the load. Emma and Tony are still part of core the team and we have recently hired Jo as our Accounts Director. Jo has over 14 years PR experience and has worked with a range of clients from the travel, outdoor and sustainable sectors. She’s peoples first point of contact these days and is already proving invaluable.
Last summer we moved to a larger studio located at 4 St Georges Place so we are nice and central still. It’s an amazing building and a fantastic creative space that gives us everything we need. We are located in the basement, Designate are in the middle and our old friends and office mates, Midnight Communications are at the top so there is lots of scope forcollaboration and Friday beers.
We haven’t managed to be there as much as we would have liked due to restrictions but are very much looking forward to getting back in and dusting things down. All being well we are hoping to have a belated moving in party once the latest lockdownlifts!
The last 12 months have been difficult for so many companies, how have you found it as a creative agency?
Of course it has been a struggle and like everyone we have had to adapt and get used to video calls as a way of life. When we first started the business four years ago we didn’t have a studio so when the lock-down was announced we were well set upto switch back to remote working.
We are very fortunate to work in digital and have kept relatively busy. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of good on-line presence and being able to trade and communicate effectively.
We have tried to help clients who have been hit harder by offering help and support where possible. Whether that’s advice, a bit of free time or flexible payment plans.
When the first lock-down was announced we recognised websites would be more important than ever and play a vital role in helping businesses’ trade, raise awareness and communicate effectively with their customers. In light of this we offered a deferred payment scheme to help businesses invest in a new site or upgrade in order to meet the new market challenges and help with their cash flow.
As a team we have always believed in working hard, being approachable and simply enjoying the process. We all love what we do and want our clients to get the same enjoyment. At the end of the day we deliver a creative service and the only way to deliver results is to truly enjoy the journey.
Tell us a bit more about the team and culture at Whitespace?
As a team we have always believed in working hard, being approachable and simply enjoying the process. We all love what we do and want our clients to get the same enjoyment. At the end of the day we deliver a creative service and the only way to deliver results is to truly enjoy the journey.
Great design underpins everything we do and as the team grows we want to ensure that love and passion for delivering a great end product remains at the heart of the company. We have a relaxed collaborative approach with our clients and believe we are uncomplicated to work with.
We understand the need of striking a good work life balance. It is important to us that we create a working environment that is creative, supportive and flexible. When we hire someone we want them to stay, love what they do and help us grow.
Can you tell us about some of the clients you work with and any exciting new projects at the moment?
Whitespace work with a wide and varied range of clients. From start ups to well established international companies. We recently launched a portfolio site for illustration agent ‘Arena Illustration’. The site showcased some beautiful artwork and included some really clever features such as an interactive mood board and smart search. We are currently working with
some exciting new start ups to develop their brands and websites ready for summer launch.
We have been quite involved in designing for the property sector recently and enjoyed collaborating with the Land and New Homes department at Mishon Mackay. Specifically branding, brochures and hoardings for new and upcoming developments such as The Heritage Collection in Buckingham Road, The Old Sorting Office in Keymer and Park Mansions in Preston Park.
We have also helped develop a number of established estate agent websites and brands - these include Eightfold Property in Brighton and Richwards in Henfield. We are currently in the process of helping to establish a brand identity and site for a startup agency in Hove. Hoping to launch soon so watch this space.
We have been working very hard on a large corporate hospitality website over the last six months in collaboration with the amazing team at SearchSeven. This is due to go live in the next few weeks and is currently keeping Steve very busy. It is a huge site and we cant wait for the big reveal.
What does the future hold for Whitespace?
We plan to grow and build on the success of our four years in business. Collaboration continues to be very important to us - we love sharing and developing ideas to offer the best creative results possible and exceed client expectations. Our own website is always the last thing to be done but after much delay we are about to launch the revamped version.
We are also very excited about a number of our own products which have been in the pipeline for some time such as the upgraded Traffic CMS and Blend CRM System.
Finally, we’re looking forward to getting back to a simpler life, canceling our Zoom subscription and enjoying spending time together in our new studio.