our history/
reminiscent examples of early beavering
"History never looks like history when you are living through it." - John W. Gardner
how we started and how we grew
Beaver Design started in 1978, when designers Alan Critchley and Dave Suter partnered together to start their own graphic design company. Alan previously worked as a freelance graphic designer for clients such as Nabisco (now Cereal Partners - Nestlé cereals) and Rank Xerox. Alan and Dave met in the late-seventies while both working on graphic design projects.
When they formed Beaver Design, it was in humble beginnings with the first office based above a small glassware shop (now a fish & chip shop) in Knebworth, Hertfordshire.
so why the name 'Beaver Design'?
The origins of the Beaver Design name came down to some simple features: It's different, it's easy to
remember and beavers are hard-working
(just like us at Beaver Design!).
In the early-eighties Beaver Design moved offices to Welwyn, Hertfordshire and due to our growing reputation, we were hiring new people. Our client base was increasing too, with SmithKline & French (now GlaxoSmithKline) and Stafford Miller (makers of Sensodyne). By the mid-eighties Beaver Design employed four people in twin offices, based in the town centre of Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire.
We owe our success to building strong relationships with clients. New business came from recommendations and reputation, without the need for any advertising. With this steady and organic growth, Beaver Design continued to grow and acquire better offices into the late-eighties.
In 1991 Beaver Design relocated to Hertford, Hertfordshire, with new purpose built offices. With these new offices, we carried on our long relationships with larger clients, as well as building new relationships with smaller clients. Beaver Design served the needs of smaller local businesses and increasing our reputation as an experienced design agency in the Hertfordshire area.
Peter Critchley and Barry Thurston joined the Beaver Design partnership in 2001, bringing their own company - MIT, trading as Beaver Solutions - to form the Beaver Group. Beaver Solutions is a technology company which specialises in digital signage. With the skills brought by Peter and Barry, Beaver Design took on new roles in design.
"Expanding our services to include web design and other digital forms was a fairly easy step. When Peter and Barry joined, they brought the technological understanding of web development. Beaver Design already had in-depth experience of design and branding, so now we were able to offer a complete in-house package."
- Dave Suter, partner in Beaver Design.
With additional skills and the ability to offer even more to our clients, Beaver Design grew steadily and in 2003 the team moved again to new offices in Hertford, Hertfordshire. We continued to gain business through reputation and recommendations from our clients, carrying on our principles in web and graphic design.
As the Beaver Group grew, both Beaver Design and Beaver Solutions needed more space. In 2006 the Beaver Group moved to offices Ware, Hertfordshire. This allowed Beaver Solutions space to operate it's now very successful digital signage business and Beaver Design the space to grow the web and graphic design team.
New people have recently joined Beaver Design and even more in the Beaver Solutions team. Beaver Design has grown, moved and expanded due to our lasting relationships with clients. The secret of our success is we provide quality work based on our customers' requirements...nothing more complicated than that!
We're all proud of our history and look forward to the new and continuing relationships with our clients in the future.