Rob Hardy & Co: a brand that’s built for a garden designer’s growing business – and big opportunities
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“The rebrand has genuinely taken my business to the next level. Our new identity really reflects us, and the feedback from clients and collaborators has been extremely positive. It's reaping the rewards ten-fold.”
The brief
A brand identity for a growing studio
Rob had built a hugely successful garden design business in Yorkshire and the North of England in the space of a couple of years. With a goal to design a show garden and to grow a small team, he realised his existing visual identity didn’t fit anymore. He’d never sat down and defined what his business stood for, how he worked, and the personality he wanted to portray.
With plans to grow and reach a wider audience over the next few years, it was time to change that and create a brand that was fit for the opportunities he wanted to go after.
Rob’s old brand identity before the rebrand
The challenge
Outgrowing their old brand
Rob started out in his business alone, but with a growing range of clients he found himself increasingly bringing associates on board to offer a complete service from first idea to execution.
After looking at where he wanted to take his business – and with plans to build a small team – he realised he’d outgrown both his visuals and his messaging. He wasn’t communicating how he works or why his clients chose to work with him, and his visuals weren’t reflecting the level of work Rob was producing.
He knew that the time to get clear on his proposition and build a strong brand was at the point where he would be growing a team. He wanted to recruit the right people, make sure they were all on the same page, and that he was creating the culture he set out to.
Naming the business
A name to build upon
We began the process by understanding how to name the business. Rob was working alongside associates to deliver his service, and knew he always would. If he was building a team, he wanted his brand name to reflect the fact that it wasn’t just him in the business.
Rob’s service is a personal one, so we wanted to reflect this in the name. We made the decision to change it from ‘Hardy Gardens’ to ‘Rob Hardy & Co’ to reflect both his personal touch and the team involved in every garden design.
Defining Rob’s brand strategy
Becoming Rob Hardy & Co
The main driver for defining the brand strategy was Rob’s plans to grow his team. He wanted to make sure that everybody was as clear on the goals and ways of working as he was. Rob’s values became a hugely important part of this process as they set out how the whole team works: from having sincere relationships to being collaborators.
Their brand vision became a defining part of everything Rob Hardy & Co do, and determines the partnerships they take on, including their charity partnerships for show gardens.
Understanding Rob’s audience was key in helping him to know how to promote his business. An important realisation being that partnerships with architects and other professionals drive quality leads. This enabled him to focus his marketing efforts and understand that relationship building and PR were key for them.
“I needed to be asked some challenging questions, which I got from Fliss, along with thoughtful creative ideas. We took time to work through our identity strategically. It’s a fine balance between expressing the garden theme without forgetting that that isn’t only what we do. It was important to me to express how closely we work with our clients, designing and building physical environments that become beautiful, usable outdoor spaces.”
Brand identity development
A visual identity that showcases their creativity and expertise
When it came to developing the visual identity of the newly named Rob Hardy & Co, their brand strategy helped us to make some key decisions. It was clear that we needed to highlight the spaces Rob and his team create, so we knew they didn’t need a complex set of visuals.
I proposed that photography should be the hero of their brand identity, with a simple logo, and fonts, alongside a colour palette taken from nature. We focused on using imagery of plants alongside close up details showing the forms, shapes and textures the team include when creating a garden design.
This created a clean and simple set of visuals to compliment their work, which today also includes video elements.
The outcome
Developing a leading reputation
On the day of the brand launch, Rob got three new enquiries and confirmed a large project. And the confidence the brand reflects about his business is paying off. When we set out Rob Hardy & Co’s brand goals, Rob and I discussed his dream to design a show garden one day. He has since gone on to not only design two – at RHS Tatton and RHS Chelsea – but also win two gold medals and a Best in Show.
The business has also grown to a team of seven alongside Rob. He undertook the brand project to set out the future of Rob Hardy & Co, and it catapulted his confidence to put the business forward for bigger and better opportunities, and become known for the exceptional work spaces they produce.
“Fliss demonstrated her business knowledge and asked me the challenging questions I needed to answer, alongside discussing thoughtful and creative ideas.
She took time to understand me and my business and the complexities that would inform the visual identity, and her eye for detail is incredible. I really trusted her to do the right thing for my brand. She works closely with other specialists which meant everything I needed to do – from photography to SEO – was joined up.”
Brand photography by Joanne Crawford