2021 has been another somewhat strange year, yet with many positives – we returned to full-time office working, grew to a team of seven (yay!), and completed many projects that we are all very proud of.

We asked each member of our team to reflect on the last 12 months and choose their favourite moment or piece of work from 2021. Here’s what they picked:

Bekkie’s highlight: Revealing the London Symphony Chorus rebrand

Sunday 17th January 2021 is a very memorable day for Bekkie; this was the day of the brand reveal presentation for the London Symphony Chorus.

“For me, the London Symphony Chorus was the project that challenged me in 2021. After receiving an overwhelmingly positive response, the sense of relief and absolute pride was incredible. As a designer, presenting a concept can be particularly difficult because design is so subjective. People have different backgrounds, upbringings, and reference points, making everyone’s tastes wildly different.”

“This project set me up for the year ahead and gave me confidence in trusting my own ability, as well as what we are creating at Two Stories. It brought the team together, reaffirmed the brand process that we live and breathe by, and lit a fire under the studio for the rest of 2021.”

Emily’s highlight: Drawing illustrations for MASIC

As part of our work for MASIC – the UK’s only multi-disciplinary charity to support women who have suffered severe injuries during childbirth – Emily created original hand-drawn illustrations, which represent a diverse range of women – all of whom have completely different childbirth experiences.

“I loved the fact I was given complete design freedom to rebrand a vital charity that is crucial to some women’s lives. Trying to get the values of the charity to shine through the design using illustrations and a soft yet impactful colour palette was challenging, but very rewarding.”

 

Lauren’s highlight: Creating imagery for Deviant Skincare

To symbolise its focus on product formula, Lauren used real Deviant Skincare products to create bubbles and took photos, which were then used within the brand imagery.

“We distorted the liquids by putting the product into clear bags and moving the bubbles around to create different shapes and sizes. This unique imagery illustrates Deviant Skincare’s complete focus on its products, and I loved seeing it all come together as part of the brand.”

Rob’s highlight: Developing 4Talks’ new brand identity

As part of our ongoing work with 4Talks, Channel 4’s thought leadership platform, we created a flexible brand identity for its relaunch to represent a collective of different voices, conversations, and people, which can be adapted to each topic that 4Talks covers.

“Working with 4Talks is inspiring and thought-provoking. The project raises important topics within the advertising industry, such as climate change, Black British culture, and the disabled experience, and provides a safe space for those challenging conversations. It’s been amazing to see the platform grow over the last 12 months, with Talks discussed amongst a panel of experts and industry leaders, and hosted by the likes of comedian Jon Richardson, presenter Alex Brooker, and Channel 4 news presenter and journalist Ayshah Tull.”

Lara’s highlight: Revealing Deviant Skincare’s packaging on our social channels

Following our rebrand for Deviant Skincare, we translated the new brand across its product packaging to represent the new era across all touchpoints. Lara composed several social media posts to reveal the final results.

“We crafted a series of posts on social media about our work with Deviant Skincare, and the response was amazing. We had been itching to share the work, particularly the packaging, as it looked incredible. It was fun to create a reel to show ‘behind the scenes’, letting people see how we work, and the process involved, as well as showing the final products and designs.”

Ryan’s highlight: Designing a new website for Digitaloft

As a digital agency, Digitaloft excels in innovation and creative content. Ryan redesigned Digitaloft’s website, which is due to launch next year, with a bold and confident design, bringing the brand to life by creating layers of information and visual style.

“There were no real creative limits when designing the new website, making Digitaloft a really unique brand to work with. I learned a lot about the brand workshop and creation process in the lead-up to working on this project.”

Stacey’s highlight: Working with a local organisation, Lancaster BID

Following an extensive brand development process to uncover Lancaster BID’s purpose and values, Stacey devised a communications strategy to convey the positive impact that the organisation has on the city.

“Having predominantly worked with national brands for most of my career, my highlight for 2021 has been having the opportunity to work with an organisation that has a direct, positive impact on the area I grew up in, and now live in again.”

“From defining the brand’s values, purpose and tone of voice to ensure Lancaster BID communicates consistently and effectively, to providing creative and strategic support for its incredible initiatives and events (which have been a joy after 2020!) and delivering social media content across the busy summer months, it has been amazing to see the response to the brand’s repositioning and refreshed marketing from Lancaster BID, the businesses that lead the organisation, and the wider community.”

What a year it has been! We’re so excited to see what the next year brings, and we know one thing for sure – we can’t wait to get stuck into some more amazing projects. We wish all our clients and friends a very Merry Christmas and New Year, and we’ll see you in 2022!