We caught up with Beccy Owen from Studio Resolve, a brilliant ethical design studio, helping businesses succeed through effective branding, unique ideas and great design work.
Can you tell me about your organisation?
I worked in branding and creative agencies for 16 years before setting up Studio Resolve at the beginning of 2022. It felt like a huge leap for me to go it alone, but I’d always loved the idea of working for myself. Having always worked for entrepreneurs, I could see first-hand how rewarding it could be, so I was hungry to try it out for myself. Working for an ethical creative agency for nearly 9 years at the start of my career, also played a pivotal role in me deciding what kind of business I wanted to be.
Studio Resolve is passionate about all things creative but, we do it with a conscience. We work with marketing managers and business owners, who care about who they work with; they care that their values, ethics and morals match. They’re bothered about the impact of their work on people, planet and communities and care about doing the ‘right thing’.
As a creative studio it’s our job to help you inject a little creativity into how you’re communicating. Mediocre design = mediocre results. Being safe with your creativity won’t create the growth you’re looking for; being bold will. Successful branding is all about nailing what you stand for, then communicating it in different, creative ways.
We specialise in brand identity, naming and devising creative campaign concepts as well as taking on ad-hoc graphic design projects such as brochures, posters and leaflets as well as designing social media content, exhibition systems and advertisements.
Done right, creativity has the power to entice your dream audiences, supercharge revenue and spearhead growth. Spending time getting your brand right is one of the most powerful tools for growth and success. And once you’ve rebranded, that’s it, job done! You can invest once, get it right, then typically not have to revisit your brand again until something significant changes i.e. most people rebrand when they add a new service/product, they expand or merge with another organisation or business.
What is the best thing about your organisation?
We’re seriously creative and we take our impact really seriously too.
Our motto is ‘creativity with a conscience’, because we specialise in working with organisations who really care about the impact they’re making. We love working on projects we know will make the world a better place, whether it be a re-brand for a local charity, a mental health campaign or a new identity for a museum. We work in any sector that’s enriching lives.
With this in mind, we’ve decided to pursue B-Corp status. We’re the only Pending B-Corp creative agency in the whole of Teesside. Businesses with this accreditation are verified to meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. All B-Corps must balance purpose and profit, making sure that how they operate isn’t just for the benefit of shareholders. Clients passionate about ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) are who we specialise in working with.
Once fully accredited, we’ll join the likes of Patagonia, Innocent Smoothie and Intrepid Travel as an army of leaders using business as a force for good.
What is the proudest achievement in your career?
Blimey, that’s a whole 16 years worth of creative work so it’s super hard to pinpoint one project.
During my time at a previous agency I worked on the re-brand for local games company Double Eleven, who are based right here in Teesside. It was an amazing project to work on. They have really strong ethics too, so it felt like a very good fit for me personally; our values aligned. I wrote their brand strategy, right through to the execution of their visual identity and brand guidelines.
I also worked on the brand refresh for Freddie’s Flowers whilst working at another agency, which was a fab client to work with. Freddie’s Flowers are a B-Corp too, which made working on the project that little bit sweeter. It’s now great to see my ideas being used in their brand across print and digital.
What are you looking forward to in the next 12 months?
We’re in the middle of a big rebranding project for Tees Valley Sport at the moment, so that’s super exciting; Tees Valley Sport are one of 43 Sport England active partnerships in England encouraging more active ways of life so we thoroughly support their work.
We’ve also recently completed some marketing materials to help GPs and health professionals talk about staying active before, during and after pregnancy. We collaborated with a local illustrator to maintain the high quality of work we’re known for and are in love with the final designs. The printed materials are hopefully going to be distributed nationally, so if that happens we’ll be over the moon!
I’m also working with the You’ve Got This pilot on a project that will hopefully encourage more people in Teesside to get active; it’s an interactive journal designed to empower its owner to take action, responsibility and accountability for their physical health.
I’m going to be attending the 2023 Best New Tees Business Awards and the Redcar | Cleveland Ambassador Showcase, both hosted at the brilliant Kirkleatham Walled Garden, so I’m really looking forward to both of these flagship events before the year is out.
What would you say is the best thing about Redcar and Cleveland?
I really value the outdoors so, for me, the best thing about the area is that there are so many great outdoor spaces to explore nearby. We have a border collie puppy and he loves being outside too so that means plenty of trips to Marske and Majuba beaches. We also love going to Errington Woods, Guisborough Forest Walkway and the gorgeous Saltburn.
Be sure to check them out below:
Website: Studio Resolve Ltd
Instagram: Studio Resolve Ltd
X (Twitter): Studio Resolve Ltd
LinkedIn: Studio Resolve Ltd
