The Yard Creative is a privately owned, award winning design studio based in South London. Our core design services include interior design, graphic design, strategy, branding and research. We are a team of passionate creatives that thrive on building great relationships with our clients and expert partners.
Over the years we have found that the most fulfilling and challenging projects come from clients who have great aspirations for their brand. It might be intimidating for clients to disrupt the norm and push through the boundaries but we are here to support, encourage and light the way to create new benchmarks.
Our clients invest in us to do things differently with a variety of objectives. Whether raising sales or brand awareness, generating recognition from landlords or even creating something in the physical world that will go viral in the digital world. No challenge is too great!
Looking forward to the next challenge
With a background in retail strategy and interior design, Sian & I set up TYC in 2007 to offer our clients a personal level of service backed by evidential design. Before that I was Associate Director at Astound, London and ran the interior side of the business.
The range of my projects over the past 15 years is wildly varied and includes: Tesco, Superdrug, John Lewis Food hall, Harrods manshop, one of the first ever retail infrastructures in India for Reliance Industries, 3M Innovation Centre, B&Q UK & Hong Kong and KPN Telecom NL to name a few.
What do I fill my spare time with? Wakeboarding, snowboarding, long boarding…generally anything with a board!
I trained as a Product Designer at Brunel University and then quickly progressed into the scientific field of User Experience Design in the digital industry.
My early career as a management consultant at PA Consulting (an innovation and technology firm) taught me a lot about frameworks that can be applied to creative thinking in order to leverage it for business transformation. This platform opened many doors and allowed me to work with some of the most cutting edge digital consultancies of their time; Conchango (now EMC), Harvest Digital and We Are Experience.
At TYC we have applied my customer-focused approach in the digital world to our projects in the physical world in order to bring a different approach to Environment design.
In my spare time (?!?) I like a challenge such as snowboarding, surfing and raising two small boys.
I have spent nearly 40 years in the ‘advertising’ business and the last 10 years working with specialist agencies that seek the experience and knowledge that a Non Exec Director role brings.
My extensive retail and creative agency experience includes Cogent, Publicis, WPP, Red Cell, Sandom as well as The Mall / C&R Plc.
I have a passion for collaborating with challenger brands. I work with them to deliver expansion and success. Together we unify brand propositioning and use creative execution to guarantee quality and value for those keen to deliver growth.
With a formal background in Architectural Interior Design from the Surrey Institute of Art & Design (now UCA), I joined TYC as Creative Director, leaving a trail of globally award-winning projects in my wake. I’ve spent the last 14 years working closely with household names and newcomers alike, inspiring clients and colleagues at a strategic and production level. I get a kick out of motivating a new generation to get as excited about design as I am.
It’s been an exhilarating career so far, taking me to five continents and too many cities to mention, but I’m a proper ‘London boy’ so it’s always good to be home, with a finger on the London pulse. I’m over the moon to join a fresh-faced, forward thinking agency such as TYC.
On the sly, I’m into restoring mid-century furniture and I’m a collector/hoarder of cool objects from yesteryears (don’t get me started!). Digging even deeper, I’m halfway through writing and illustrating a trilogy of children’s books for the design-conscious parent & child, as you do.
With over 10 years experience of working in the design industry, specialising in retail, leisure & hospitality projects for clients throughout the UK, Europe & Middle East. From entrepreneurial start-ups to established global players, I thrive on a good design challenge and love going old school with pencils and paper.
After studding Interior Design at UCA I have worked in many London agencies to help them develop their Retail and Hospitality offering. I have to admit that I am an 'organiser' from my days at uni curating our New Designers exhibition to managing the team on a daily basis. Spreadsheets and sketchpads are my two best office buddies!
Great design starts with a good idea. You can make anything look beautiful but it's the idea that gives the form its substance. Design is problem-solving; it's like a puzzle with 11 dimensions.
My approach to design is very much influenced by curiosity and how an idea can be transformed into an experience. Over the years I have worked across a mixture of innovation, creative, gaming and experiential areas, including brand activations, retail environments, brand communications, packaging and exhibitions.
I love being surrounded by passionate people from different backgrounds with different opinions. It helps you grow and gives you a chance to see things in a different light, and ultimately it’s how great design happens.
After graduating Industrial Design in Wellington, New Zealand, I spent 5 years as a Retail Designer based in New Zealand, Sydney and China, where I specialised in fashion and accessories retail flagship and roll out projects. Once I had my fair share of sun and surf down under, I decided it was time to see what London had to offer.
I have now been at The Yard Creative since April 2014 working on an amazing variety of retail and hospitality design projects for brands such as Westfield, Rhythm Kitchen, JD Pro and Fuel.
Outside of work, if I'm not traveling or riding my bike finding London's best coffee, I also produce and exhibit my own lighting and product design.
I studied Interior Architecture & Design at the renound School or Architecture at University of Kent. My experience at uni gave me a deep interest in the full lifecycle of the design process. I love being involved from the initial sketch concepts right through to technical details and, of course, the final stage of snagging and handover. I get a kick out of seeing my designs come to life in a physical space!
So far, I have been lucky enough to work on a wide range of projects across retail, food and beverage, transport and hospitality sectors.
Outside of work, I love seeing friends and exploring the 'Big Smoke', all the time on the look out for a new brand experience or art exhibition.
In the TYC studio I am known for my passion for perfection and attention to detail along with my kooky ability to speak faster than light!
After graduating in July 2017, I am thrilled to be starting my adventure at The Yard Creative - I am ready to explore new possibilities and develop myself as a designer! I enjoy the freedom and experimentation of conceptual work, but also the detail design process, really puzzling over how to make things work. Ultimately I love the satisfaction of a unique and well thought out design!
In my spare time I enjoy walking around parks or botanical gardens, embracing my italian side and experimenting in the kitchen and photographing the natural world - I have a soft spot for colourful flowers, small animals and interesting insects! I also spend a lot of time horse riding, I have been riding since I was 8 and I enjoy going for long hacks or taking part in showjumping and dressage competitions - hopefully soon on my very own horse!
I studied Graphic Design & Communications at The University of Leeds and graduated last year. During my year in industry I worked in NYC for three months! I enjoy practicing my illustration outside of work and love to create short travel videos.
Other key things to know: I’m a huge dog person. I travelled around Cuba last summer. And of course being in to graphics, my favourite colour is seafoam green.
First thing to know. I am a dog person - BIG TIME.
Secondly, I studied Interior Architecture and Design at Nottingham Trent University, graduating 5 years ago?! Since then my professional endeavours have taken me via Dalziel & Pow where I gained experience working on a multitude of projects including Jigsaw Duke Street, Primark Madrid and Lululemon. Developing a particular passion for sourcing midcentury modern furniture pieces for Jigsaw. As well as this I enjoy getting stuck into the subjective freedom of concept phases and conversely find detailing rather therapeutic!
My spare time is occupied by socialising, yoga, trying to to be as ‘green’ as possible and planning worldwide adventures! Oh and sharing dog memes with anyone who will listen…
Originally from Paris, I moved to London almost 2 years ago. Having studied an MA in Branding and Identity, I have always been passionate about Web Design and Illustration. Obtaining this amazing job at TYC really made me feel like London was THE city of opportunities. I love this place!
Outside work, I spend my life discovering new musical artists or films. I am a real creative geek and getting inspiration every day is my main drive. In the future, I hope to learn how to code to become a real digital design expert.
Besides all this, I am (obviously) passionate about cheese and wine. Without them life wouldn’t taste the same.
I really wanna thank TYC to have warmly welcomed me, and I have already learnt a lot. I am really excited about what the future holds.
After graduating with a degree in Fashion Promotion and Communication, I went to work at a gift company where I designed and produced super cool products and graphics for their ecommerce site. Keen to work on a wider range of brands, I landed a job at TYC where every day is a little more varied and exciting.
An avid browser, be it online or instore, I find it important to stay up to date with fashion trends and probably spend too much ££ in the process - ha! I am a sucker for an elaborate accessory.. watch out for the OTT earrings.
Outside of work; I love to travel, to take inspiration from new places, cultures, meet new people and try new foods.
I am thrilled and honoured to have landed the opportunity to spend the year at TYC, before heading back to Nottingham Trent University for my final year. After ‘growing up’ and studying in the East Mids, I’ve made the much anticipated move to the big LDN to kick-start my exciting career in design and being taught by some of the best in industry - obviously i’m biased. Two months in and I’m loving every second!(*almost every second - don’t go out in Brixton without phone insurance…)
Fine Art and Sculpture have always been a passion of mine as well as the dramatic arts. Growing up I took part in a multitude of productions… forever reminiscing my 2003 debut starring as Donkey in Shrek. I’ve since ditched the scripts for a forever thriving interest in interior and set design.
In my spare time you’ll find me spending far too much money visiting design exhibitions, shopping and eating is currently taking first place). I also have a love for trainers, glitter and all things pink.
After leaving school I got stuck straight into the world of work (no student loan - wahoo) and spent a number of years working as brand manager helping increase revenue for some of biggest names on the high street: Nike, Topman & Urban Outfitters.
4 years ago I decided I needed a change of scenery and landed myself a commercial role at D&AD - the leading authority on creative excellence in advertising and design.
Here I met some really cool people. I took the brand overseas and launched creative programmes across the US and Middle East, whilst still winning big business back on home turf.
This combined experience has led me to TYC where I hope to continue this winning streak and bring some amazing clients through the door.
Outside of the office I am probably locking off a rave.. promoters hit me up.
I gradated university with a degree in Business Management and Marketing, following on from this I was keen to kick start my career - after growing up in the countryside I have always known I would find myself in London at the first opportunity I could! I love the idea of combining what I learnt at university with my creative passion - this is where The Yard came in! I have been at The Yard for well over a year now and my job role is Studio Manager / Personal Assistant which I am absolutely loving!
In my spare time I love visiting anything and everything Timeout has to offer - with a particular love for contemporary art installations, I also fill my evenings with selling clothes online on my Depop shop. Obsessed with social media, stopping by every LDN based instagrammable spot is always a MUST for me.
I have over 15 years of varied financial technical and management experience. I love working in team environments where I can help improve the success of a business by getting involved in running the day to day finance operations as well as driving growth targets.
Our flexibility and speed means clients can use our skills to suit their requirements. By keeping a compact team we are able to give our clients a professional yet personal service with creativity at it's heart, ensuring that our clients never get a ‘copy and paste’ solution.
“The most intelligently thought through work we have seen for this unit. It shows a good understanding what is needed both in terms of commerciality and design statement."
“The team at The Yard Creative has been instrumental in providing the sparks of imagination to stimulate 'fresh thinking' within our business. "
“To be a successful business you need TYC on your team! TYC provided the insight and creativity that woke my 'sleeping brand'. The energy and commitment TYC brought to both myself and Socialites gave us the ability to buckle-up and compete in our fastpaced market."
“The Yard Creative will take all your bright and wonderful ideas that are currently sitting in your head and turn them, like magic, into something you can stand next to and say this is me."
“Their approach is based on studying all the facts and combining their learnings with retail science, trends and customer behaviours to create a design that is unique on the high street. "
“We owe them a lot. TYC have given us a whole new lease of life, and the whole concept, including the kiosk design has won a great deal of praise and admiration, as well as a few jealous looks from other retailers! "
“I challenged you to make a very successful format even more successful. And it would seem that is exactly what you have delivered, positioning Fuel Juice Bars as the No.1 in our market."
“Remarkable concept designers. Great understanding of retail. Fantastic people to work with. A perfect mix with Models Own."
“It’s refreshing to work with a young, innovative design agency who have the ability to design a unique premium fashion concept, which does not look like its ‘ripped off’ every other retailer on the market."
“TYC challenged the very essence of what a concierge desk could be. They've designed the most eye-catching desk we have ever seen!"
“TYC have a very clear view of the purchase attitude of the customers travelling on board Thalys trains. In the frame of our tender, they came up with a very original marketing concept which helped us to promote our tender. "
“TYC brings a new dimension to the phrase 'think outside the box'; they have been an extremely effective catalyst in our creative process. TYC has demonstrated that they are devoted to our vision and working with them has been an absolute pleasure."
“TYC have an excellent eye for taking difficult spaces and designing a concept space that can sell. They can see what others can't. They are a pleasure to work with!"
“We enjoy a very productive and professional working relationship with Steve and The Yard. Their work consistently exceeds expectations, and our expectations are high!"
“We chose TYC as they bring a unique approach as its their designers who create and execute the research, instead of outside resource. They look and listen in an entirely different way. In less than 4 weeks we had an incredible insight document that has now shaped the future development of our brand and experiences."
“The creativity, the originality and the enthusiasm of The Yard Creative were very helpful, in launching our brands in the UK. Working with TYC proved to be a very positive experience and a constructive cooperation."
Awarded Silver for PROTEIN HAUS in the Most Effective Stand/Display Unit (Instore/Kiosk/Indoor) category at the Field Marketing Brand Experience (FMBE) Awards 2017.
For PROTEIN HAUS in the Interior Design & Retail Environment category at The 19th FAB Awards.
For PROTEIN HAUS at the Revo Opal Awards 2017.
A silver award for The Story Shop by World Vision UK at the DBA Design Effectiveness Award 2017.
For The Story Shop by World Vision UK in the Best Use of Design with Technology In-store category at the Retail Week Interiors Awards 2016.
For The Story Shop by World Vision UK at the Field Marketing and Brand Experience Awards 2016.
For The Story Shop by World Vision UK at the SCEPTRE Awards 2016
For The Story Shop by World Vision UK at The Drum Design Awards 2016.
For The Story Shop by World Vision UK at the BCSC Opal Awards 2016.
For Models Own Bottleshop at the BCSC Opal Awards 2015.
For Models Own Bottleshop at the Meadowhall Retail Awards 2014.
For Models Own Bottleshop at the BCSC Opal Awards 2013.
The Aurora Award recognises exceptional commercialisation and is the top accolade of theBCSC Opal Awards.
For Models Own Bottleshop at the BCSC Opal Awards 2013.
For Olive Oil and Oregano by ISCC Global Awards.
For T2020 Trolley by Cafe Society Awards.
