SIN CE
2003
DESIGN FOLK QUALIT Y GRAPHIC DESIGN | THE PERFECT MIX | MAKIN G IT HAPPEN | SHOWC ASE | APPRECIATION
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Providing a quality SINCE
GRAPHIC DESIGN service for 10 years
DE SIGN DEP O T | DE SIGN F OLK
2003
2013 marked 10 years for Design Depot and what an amazing journey we have had. We shared our birthday with the tenth anniversaries of iTunes, LinkedIn and a whole host of other companies that you have come to love, use and respect. Although the world we live in has dramatically changed on many levels, a few things remain for us – we love the people we work with and we love what we do!
IF YOU WERE TO ASK THE FOUNDERS WHICH THREE QUALITIES CHARACTERISE DESIGN DEPOT, THEY’LL TELL YOU: DESIGN, QUALITY, HONESTY Earning the title ‘your creative partner’ doesn’t come easily. We have to demonstrate our capabilities as focussed, innovative and trustworthy designers that are truly passionate about our craft and the service we provide. We have also had to gain your respect, which in tough economic times is where we hope ‘our added value’ really shines. We hope that our clients enjoy working with us and will continue to call us their No 1. graphic design agency for many more years to come.
To celebrate our 10 year anniversary and play homage to our successes and achievements the DD team created something extra special. Something that truly captured our personality, reflected our meticulous eye for detail and skills as graphic designers. We took a 1979 VW Camper Van (a design icon in its own right) and turned it into an inspirational creative space for the team to take on new journeys of discovery. It’s taken nearly 12 months to complete but we are now ready to show her off. Here’s to the next 10 years...
Features THE DESIGN FOLK................. 4
SHOWC ASE............................ 14
#DESIGNLOVE.. ....................... 5
GRAPHIC DESIGN................. 16
A DEC ADE OF DESIGN........... 6
BRAND DESIGN.................... 20
WE MAKE IT HAPPEN. . ........... 8
DIGITAL DESIGN.................. 24
OFF TO ASCOT...................... 10
APPRECIATION..................... 26
TEN OF OUR PROUDEST
ACHIEVEMEN TS................... 12
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Welcome to our anniversary edition of Design Folk, a visual insight into who we are, what we love and what we do best. Design Depot was established 2003 by Andrew Boulton and Oliver Higgott. Situated in the heart of Northamptonshire’s picturesque Althorp it has become a thriving graphic design agency built on knowledge, passion, creative ability, value, and an uncompromising service.
THE DESIGN FOLK BUILDING CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS In the beginning, we were just so grateful to be working and designing for ourselves that the first couple of years just flew by. As the team grew, all of the extra hours paid off and we gradually built amazing relationships with our clients and have had the opportunity to work on some fantastic projects. We are pleased to say most of these relationships still exist today. Relationships that have now become long term partnerships built on honesty, trust, creative excellence, consistent quality and an underlying respect for one another.
Over the years we believe we have become an integral part of our clients businesses, offering our experience and skills at every opportunity, so much so some have labelled us their ‘creative partner’ an accolade we are proud of. We like to think that we go that extra mile in understanding each and every project in order to deliver the best possible results – time after time. Who knows what the future holds, but as long as we can keep producing quality graphic design then we will be a happy bunch.
The perfect mix Design Depot has built and trained an amazing team with a collective experience totalling over 50 years. Each team member brings a different set of skills to the table, but all share the same values when it comes to the work they produce and the service they provide. They say “you’re only as good as your team” and we couldn’t agree more. In our line of work, when most normal folk go home for the day, ours can sometimes just be starting and we admire anyone who has that level of dedication for what they do.
Andy Boulton Co-founder
Oliver Higgott Co-founder
Ryan Hudson Senior Creative
I have lost a lot of hair in ten years, but we’ve produced some really amazing work, and that’s the price you pay to stay at the top of your game.
There are always things I would have done differently but that’s the beauty of this journey, we’re always learning, it’s what keeps things exciting and fresh. The past ten years are filled with many happy memories and I have met some wonderful people along the way.
Achieving a decade of design in the creative industry is testament to everyone at Design Depot. We produce solid creative, quality design that we commit to and create with pride day-in day-out.
Paul Munday Creative
Seb Camm Creative
Natalie Snee Creative Artwork
Fresh out of university Design Depot gave me the opportunity to become a member in a great team of designers who are always pushing the creative boundaries to give our clients the best possible outcome for their projects.
When your colleagues are your friends and your friends inspire you, it makes for the best working environment and in turn, the best work.
I really like the variety of the jobs I work on and the people I work with. Every day is different which makes my job interesting and enjoyable. Seeing the final printed job is my favourite part.
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#DESIGNLOVE These are a few of our favourite things
1. Don McCullin is one of Britain’s greatest photographers. His images speak a thousand words.
6. Well crafted, hand drawn type - there’s something alluring and heart felt associated with it.
2. Mark Farrow’s passion and determination to keep things simple always produces refreshing design.
7. Vincent Peters’ photography is always inspiring - with a beautiful eye for composition, light and mood. Whilst using a film camera.
3. Travel & travel photography - capturing a moment and preserving it. It won’t happen again! 4. The beauty and continuity of design of Porsche models remain sympathetic to each other and always nod to the past. Oh, and the sound of them. 5. New York. The hustle and bustle of this cosmopolitan city with it’s cultural mixes is an amazing place to find inspiration.
8. From a young age Escher inspired Seb - with his raw ability, psychedelic ideas, geometric patterns and optical illusions. 9. DeHavilland Mosquito. Well just WW2 aircraft really. The designers, engineers and pilots really adapted quickly to technological developments. 10. Most art forms come with a short life span but the art of tattooing will always be personal and out live any trend.
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Celebrating 10 years in business We could have sent out an e-shot with a picture of a cake, we could have just had a boozy night out and sent out a few pictures of what went down and who ended up in a ball in the corner – but that just wouldn’t be our style!!! We are immensely proud as a small business to have made it to this epic milestone and we would love to thank everyone who has helped and supported us along the way. Nostalgia is at an all time high, in a world where it feels like people are losing touch with ‘real’ things and it seems most are happy with ‘invisible’ downloads for this or that, Design Depot have taken the opportunity to hark back to happy times and recreate something that both Andy and Olie are very passionate about, something that they feel everyone can connect with and hopefully have an experience all of their own to remember this occasion by and refresh their senses in all things design related. In order to achieve these memories, we wanted to create a series of events up and down the country or to simply be host at an event that goes hand-in-hand with the retro vibe that we love so much. This is where our beautiful 1979 VW Bay window Camper van makes her grand appearance. We decided to take this vintage VW beauty and convert it into a mobile design studio and tour up and down the UK visiting our clients to say a big thank you in person. Along the way on our iconic adventure, we will hopefully show people something new they didn’t already know about Design Depot and what we do best.
Our decision to use a VW van was shortly followed by the recent news that after 63 years of happy camping, the very last classic VW camper van will roll off the assembly line on 31 December 2013. Brazil is the last country still making the iconic 60’s van, but the introduction of new safety regulations, means production will stop at the end of this year.
“Campers don’t go anywhere fast. But the journey is part of the experience: you trundle along, peering out of the window with no bonnet in front of you, a draught around your knees, people waving and other VWs beeping as they pass – you’re practically forced to unwind by the time you’ve reached the end of the street” We could have chosen a myriad of ways to demonstrate what we can do with a blank canvas but after careful consideration we chose the Volkswagen camper van as it is simply such a diverse iconic vehicle that provides the perfect space and at the same time makes people smile. As if that wasn’t a good enough reason, we have also got quite a lot of history already with them.
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We felt that as with anything in life, if you combine your skills with a passion then ultimately it will give a fuller experience of what we can do when it comes to designing any project and the levels of thought, quality and detail we go to achieve our goals. Andy’s passion for VW’s started at a very early age and he went onto spend most of his childhood summer holidays touring round France with his family. Andy’s first van of his own gave not only him but also Olie lots of fun memories as this was the duo’s transport to and from work at their very first design position after leaving University. Apparently they were nicknamed: Wayne’s world!!! Andy kept the van for many years and enrolled on a classic car restoration night course in the hope that he would be able to transform her into his dream bus, but as the plans for Design Depot came to fruition the bus was neglected and after a couple of years was sold on to a chap who could give her the TLC she so desperately needed.
”I miss that van, Andy and I had both been given our lucky breaks in the world of design and from day one it was clear that this was a relationship that was going to blossom – we had so many ideas, fun times and random things happen on the journeys to and from work and we never broke down once.” Olie Higgott
The search for our new camper van saw us travel hundreds of miles up and down the UK and after seeing a number of potential campers, we ended up with a pure 70’s time capsule that was just ripe for a whole lotta DD love!!!
Read all about the creation at: designdepot.net/decade
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OUR VISION
CELEBRATE 10 YEARS IN BUSINESS BY CREATING A MOBILE DESIGN STUDIO
WE MAKE IT HAPPEN FROM CAMPER TO STUDIO
She’s more than just a van, She’s about reflection, looking back at where it all started and where we have come in 10 years. She is a celebration of a decade of design and a chance to do what we love. She is a testament to what we do and how well we do it. She is an expression of our personality giving you an insight into who we are as people. She is an opportunity to get out there and connect with our clients, who make all this possible. And most importantly it’s about creating real and tangible Design Depot experience.
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It’s all in the detail... Like any design project our eye for each and every detail is meticulous and there was no screw left unturned and every corner was considered, from a bespoke a fuel can design to a custom made mixtape table and ‘how we roll’ longboard. Even the retro style cool box was embellished with a ‘creative juice‘ logotype. You may see her as a labour of love, but we like to think of her as our guilty pleasure.
Watch ‘Out of Office - Part one’ at: designdepot.net/decade
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When it came to designing the overall interior we literally had tonnes of ideas for the fabric colour ways and door cards, but settled on a really bright, clean design of cream and cinnamon with subtle quality features such as brown stitching and piping for the upholstery. We also decided on producing the cabinets in birch ply after numerous gloss laminates and wood effects were dismissed for looking too over the top or ruining the overall simple clean studio look we were trying to achieve. When designing a space such as this, you have to remain true to your vision as once fitted with curtains and all the final touches, a small space can soon become very cluttered.
OFF TO ASCOT TO CELEBRATE OUR DECADE OF DESIGN, SAY THANKS FOR ALL THEIR SUPPORT, MEET THE TEAM AND DISCUSS FUTURE PLANS, INCLUDING THE MOBILE STUDIO, WE INVITED OUR CLIENTS TO JOIN US AT THE REDBULL AIR RACE, ASCOT. THE DAY CONSISTED OF A CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH, GETTING TO KNOW THE TEAM AND ENJOYING SOME VINTAGE HOSPITALITY ALL IN THE COMFORT OF OUR VW.
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“They’re so meticulous in their attention to detail, and they’ve always been like that in everything we’ve done together.” Stuart Coote, PureprintGroup
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TEN OF OUR PROUDE 01
02
Our greatest achievement has to be building a solid awe inspiring team supported by a highly skilled and reliable network of suppliers. This has enabled us to continue to deliver a consistent quality design service and maintain company growth and financial stability through what can only be described as volatile economic times.
Preferred design supplier for over 10 years to the Superbrand, BSI. Design Depot continue to provide on-going support and maintenance of the brand, producing a wide variety of marketing communications such as the monthly ‘Update Standards’ magazine, product brochures, advertising, exhibitions, catalogues and interactive media.
COMMITMENT TO QUALITY DESIGN
10 YEARS WORKING FOR A SUPERBRAND
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PRODUCING WORK FIT FOR A KING
Design Depot were honoured to work on numerous strategic documents and international tender bids for Oman Sail, some of which were presented to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Said.
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CREATIVE PARTNER TO THE UK’S LARGEST MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY
In 2012 Design Depot were successful in a competitive tender to become preferred supplier of design and creative services to St Andrew’s, the UK’s largest mental health charity.
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GOING GLOBAL IN 2009
After a successful pitch against some of the worlds leading creative agencies, we were commissioned to design and develop a website, CMS and asset library for Oman Sail. Due to the success of this we became a recognised supplier to some of the Oman’s largest organisations including Oman Air, The Wave Muscat, and the Omani Ministry of Tourism. In 2011 we conceptualised, designed and project managed the build of public and VIP stands at Cowes Week. The environment was reflective of Oman, raising awareness of its heritage, culture, natural beauty and raise its profile as an up and coming tourist destination. The exhibition was taken global on the Extreme Sailing Series tour promoting Oman. More recently we were delighted when Oman Sail asked us to produce the identity and stage design for the prestigious Sailor of the Year Awards.
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PROMOTING THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY BRAND
In 2004 we were briefed to design and produce a number of brand licensing packs to be sent to interested companies across the world. The pack was well-received and played a big part in the generation of new commercial opportunities. We formed a strong partnership with Oxford Limited, producing designs for exhibition, promotional materials and packaging for a series of Oxford-branded science toys that made it onto the shelves of Harrods.
EST ACHIEVEMENTS 03
PROVIDING CREATIVE SERVICES TO THE EDUCATION SECTOR SINCE 2003
Design Depot’s experience within the Education sector has seen us establish long term creative partnerships with the University of Northampton, Newman University Birmingham, Lincoln University, De Montfort University, Oxford University and the University of Cambridge. The last 10 years has seen the production of 20 prospectuses and the development of integrated campaigns for student recruitment, research, business, alumni, international and funding.
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SUPPORTING ONE OF NORTHAMPTON’S GREATEST CULTURAL ASSETS
The Royal & Derngate theatres in Northampton invited us to help them celebrate 125 years at an important fund raising gala event. Design Depot were pleased to have sponsored and supported an event to save one of Northampton’s greatest cultural assets.
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A CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP SPANNING OVER 6 YEARS
After a successful pitch in 2012 Design Depot were commissioned as a preferred supplier for all brand communications and tasked with a series of in-depth projects for the University to assist them with their brand development, marketing and advertising strategy.
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BRAND CREATION FOR A GREG NORMAN DESIGNED GOLF COURSE
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SHOWCASE WE OFTEN GET ASKED WHAT WE DO. IT’S SIMPLE REALLY, WE PROVIDE A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE TO A VARIED RANGE OF BUSINESS SECTORS, GLOBALLY, PRODUCING QUALITY GRAPHIC DESIGN. BUT THIS IS BY NO MEANS WHERE IT ENDS. WE ARE ALSO EXPERIENCED BRAND AND DIGITAL DESIGNERS. OUR KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, CREATIVITY AND EXPERTISE ARE THE TOOLS OF OUR CRAFT. IT’S NOT REALLY ABOUT WHAT WE PRODUCE TODAY, IT’S MORE ABOUT HOW WE CAN HELP YOU ACHIEVE THE BEST RESULTS TOMORROW.
We create Design Depot have partnered with clients across a broad range of business sectors, including: Education, B2B, Technology, Arts & Entertainment, Leisure, Sport, Health & Well-being, Non-profit, Retail and Government We provide integrated design solutions across 3 main service categories: Branding Marketing Communications Corporate Communications
See our latest showcase: designdepot.net
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G R A P H I C
D E S I G N
S H O W C A S E
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G R A P H I C
D E S I G N
Business sector:
Service categories:
Skills and expertise:
Outputs:
Sport Business to business Government
Branding Marketing communications Corporate communications
Creative direction Art/Design direction Typography Illustration Image manipulation Editorial design Colour correction Image retouching Print management Project management
Corporate magazines Exhibition environments Awards environments Corporate branding Event campaigns
S H O W C A S E
See our latest showcase: designdepot.net/yamaal
Oman Sail
16/17
From conceptualising, designing and delivering Oman Sail’s annual magazine, we have also designed and produced exhibition environments, event campaigns, Olympic bids, awards event evenings and been their creative partner around the globe since 2009.
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G R A P H I C
D E S I G N
Business sector:
Service categories:
Skills and expertise:
Outputs:
Education
Branding Marketing communications Corporate communications
Creative direction Art/Design direction Typography Illustration Image manipulation Editorial design Print management Project management
Event identity Stand design Large format graphics GFW look book Invitation Fashion footwear leaflet
S H O W C A S E
See our latest showcase: designdepot.net/fashionweek
University of Northampton – Graduate Fashion Week 2014 Look book and exhibition environment designed and produced for the graduating fashion student at the University of Northampton 2014. This was installed at the Truman Brewery, London.
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G R A P H I C
D E S I G N
S H O W C A S E
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D E S I G N
Business sector:
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Outputs:
Business to business
Branding Marketing communications Corporate communications
Creative direction Art/Design direction Photographic direction Image manipulation 3D Modelling Image retouching Print management Project management
Templates Print advertisements Web advertisements Rear view mirror hangers Certificates Presentation tins & CDs Usage guidelines Bespoke image collection
S H O W C A S E
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See our latest showcase: designdepot.net/kitemark
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B R A N D I N G
D E S I G N
S H O W C A S E
BSI – Kitemark™ Awareness and marketing toolkits for Kitemark™ aimed at manufacturers. These included location photography and 3D modelling to create bespoke image libraries, advert templates, certificates, rear view mirror hangers and usage guidelines all housed on a disc in a tin or custom USB stick for distribution.
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B R A N D I N G
D E S I G N
Business sector:
Service categories:
Skills and expertise:
Outputs:
Education
Branding Corporate communications
Creative direction Art/Design direction Photography direction Brand strategy Typography Illustration Image retouching Project management
Brand guides Brand strategy Brand workshops Brand assets for distribution Tone of voice Advertising collateral Online communications toolkit
S H O W C A S E
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See our latest showcase: designdepot.net/unbranding
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B R A N D I N G
D E S I G N
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University of Northampton – Brand Guidelines We refreshed the University’s brand and created brand guidelines for internal and external distribution. These guides ensure consistency through all marketing and corporate communications.
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D I G I T A L
D E S I G N
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Newman University – Responsive web design Our objective was to produce a multi-platform website refreshing the current site using existing back-end content to deliver information. This was achieved by creating a responsive solution.
See our latest showcase: designdepot.net/nuweb
Brand Co Management – Samurai Retail Website Sports brand licensing company BrandCo working with Samurai Sportswear briefed us to create a retail website to raise awareness for their brands and new Performex™ System range of teamwear.
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D I G I T A L
D E S I G N
S H O W C A S E
Business sector:
Service categories:
Skills and expertise:
Outputs:
Education
Branding
Creative direction
Retail
Marketing communications
Art/Design direction
Standard & responsive web sites
Sport
Corporate communications
Typography
Business to business
Illustration Image manipulation Information architecture Wire framing Digital design Colour correction Image retouching Photography direction Project management
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Michael Jones Jeweller – Web design & development Having designed and developed their website back in 2009, Michael Jones Jeweller asked us to refresh and revamp the look of the existing site. Along with this was an increasing need for them to rely on the CMS so this back-end was also upgraded to incorporate some key functional changes.
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DESIGN DEPOT
APPRECIATED SINCE 2003 THANK YOU
Design Depot have supported us with the refresh and realignment of our brand, alongside this the development of a new creative direction for our national advertising campaign. The brand work has seen a significant increase in our positive brand perceptions and hugely assisted with bringing our brand values together as an organisation. Design Depot spent time to fully understand our organisation and needs. The team are a pleasure to work with and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them. JAYNE HOSKINS Assistant Marketing Director, University of Northampton
Design Depot is more than an agency; they have become a virtuoso part of our business that we lean on and our sales depend on! They achieve great results by engaging with the brief and working with us to understand what success measures we need to achieve on each project. They partner with our marketing team, drive our marketing programmes and achieve buy-in to their creative concepts from all our stakeholders. They also continually deliver above expectation, on-time and on budget. DAVID GRAHAM CEO, Oman Sail
Design Depot interpret a brief creatively and provide several distinct concepts. It is clear that a great deal of thought goes into each proposal and they are committed to developing a partnership approach to achieve the client’s objectives. Their customer service is excellent in responding quickly and efficiently to meet tight deadlines when required, whilst providing excellent value for money. CHRIS WORMWELL Marketing Manager, Newman University Birmingham
DE SIGN DEP ODEPOT T | DE SIGN|F OLK DESIGN
DESIGN FOLK
I have worked with Design Depot on a number of projects and they never fail to deliver. I’ve always been particularly impressed with their dynamism, inventiveness, and ability to hit tight deadlines. Crucially, they’re also really easy to work with! If you’re looking for an agency to deliver distinctive, creative and powerful marketing communications, then I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them. IAIN ANDREWS
I’ve worked with Design Depot for over two years on a range of marketing collateral. I particularly value their creative ideas for bespoke projects. Design Depot have always taken a keen interest in the specific product or challenge we are looking to overcome, and the team have responded positively to our marketing briefs, offering a wide range of concepts and solutions. Highlights include two bespoke marketing toolkits, excellent photography and customer facing collateral, and a suite of powerful adverts which have been extremely well received internally. I find that all at Design Depot respond really quickly to my queries, and also offer practical solutions and help when we are trying to source products and meet tight deadlines. CHARLOTTE BROADY Product Marketing Executive, BSI Kitemark
Design Depot have gone above and beyond our expectations, they are excellent creative partners to be working with. MARTIN SUTHERLAND Chief Executive Royal & Derngate Theatres
Design Depot is a customer focussed innovative design company. With a professional yet friendly attitude they consistently exceed expectations even within limited time frames. SANTA MARKU Head of Digital Marketing, British Standards Institution
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Head of Communications West Northamptonshire Development Corporation
FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY
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