15 years of The Bigger Boat: our greatest hits so far

David Cameron became the UK’s new Prime Minister, Prince William and Kate Middleton got engaged, and Lady Gaga wore that meat dress – 2010 was a landmark year for popular culture. Meanwhile, our trio of aspiring directors were setting sail on something equally big.

As we embark on our 15th year, we’re revisiting our roots, reminiscing over best bits, and recapping the most memorable moments that have shaped our agency’s success. Let’s dive in.

Three men and a little office

Fifteen years ago, three slightly sleep-deprived creatives squeezed into an office in Brighouse that was no bigger than a cupboard. Fast forward to today: The Bigger Boat is a thriving creative agency located in a 2,000 sq ft converted water mill in Mirfield, with a swanky coffee machine and an eye-watering amount of LEGO builds. And, thanks to the acquisition of global public relations agency Scriba PR, our team now boasts an integrated crew of 33 (and counting!), all eagerly placed to wow with our strategy, branding, content, creative, digital marketing, PR, social media, and website development expertise.

So, in the spirit of making a massive fuss about ourselves (hey, 15 in agency years is basically 100 in human years), we’re sharing some of our favourite projects so far:

The brand overhaul that changed the game for for hoomph, and made menopause a talked-about topic

A HR consultancy that puts people over processes, hoomph is renowned for its forward-thinking, human-first approach in sectors spanning technology and biotech to gaming and the creative industry. With a bold new brand and website under its belt – which recently won a coveted title from the Web Guru Awards, alongside our design and build work for Edward Architects and Company Shop Group – we wanted an opportunity to showcase hoomph’s unmatched passion, while helping position the brand as a true thought leader changing the way HR is perceived.

Strategically timed to launch on World Menopause Month, we collaborated with Censuswide to survey 1,000 women on the impact of menopause at work. We then analysed the research findings, penned an expert report, landing page, multiple press releases, blogs, and social media assets, and facilitated a podcast recording, to maximise the impact of its delivery. Not only were the results significant – including 18 media mentions with backlinks and 18 downloads from major global brands – but it was an important project that touched every part of our integrated toolkit.

The corporate brochure that literally called in the superheroes

Keen to cut through the noise in a crowded exhibition space, our pharma market access client Access Infinity gave us full creative license to deliver a bold, standout campaign. So, we swapped corporate brochures for superhero-themed comic strips, packing a head-turning punch while cementing the brand's expertise in AI adoption within market access and Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR).

Fusing creativity, storytelling, and interactive elements, these assets expanded on the superhero theme we’d already established for its website, with copy that tailored each alter ego to a specific audience persona and challenge. Proving B2B isn’t boring, it was a successful project that let us flex our creative muscles in all the right ways, ultimately driving leads for our client. Not to mention, it was a breeze to partner with the expert illustrators and designers at Zeppo, who transformed our scripts into vibrant visuals to bring each hero’s journey to life.

The VFX, animation, and games design school website that won us a shiny award

One of the UK's premier VFX, animation, and games art training and teaching institutions, Escape Studios has been at the forefront of creative education since 2002.

With such a bold reputation to uphold, the creative school needed to ensure its website evolved in tandem. That didn’t just mean improving the functionality and appearance of the website for internal teams and external users, but bringing a more cohesive look and feel that hit hard with aspiring creatives. Most importantly, it needed to be accessible and intuitive, while removing authoring headaches for the in-house marketing team. Setting the stage for growth, our design and build achieved 54,864 organic hits, an 85% engagement rate, and 92 keyword rankings on the first page of Google. So good, it won us Best Website Design at the Prolific North Awards 2024.

The strategic branding that turned a high street gallery into a nationwide creativity hub

Already a longstanding TBB client, Rickett Architects sought our expertise to help bring a new business venture to life. The concept – a high street art gallery with space for creative businesses to work from – had been given a name, Pavilion. But with sights set on nationwide expansion, the mission was twofold: to create a brand identity that complemented Rickett Architects’ established image, while standing on its own as a bold, distinctive entity that welcomed a range of creative clientele.

Balancing boldness with minimalism, and paying close attention to commercial design, we conceptualised and delivered a cohesive identity, watertight brand guidelines, and suite of deliverables – including posters, stationary, signage, and window graphics – to maximise the immediate impact of the gallery and lay the groundwork for its long-term success.

The modern website design that honoured a remarkable legacy

With a rich, century-old heritage in the lubricants industry, Duckhams needed a modern website that honoured its legacy while providing cutting-edge functionality for its users. As well as telling the story of Duckhams and providing a seamless way to showcase its extensive product range, it was important to integrate an innovative oil finder tool, allowing UK garages to quickly identify the right oil using only a vehicle’s registration number. So, that’s exactly what we did, coupled with a couple of valuable quirks along the way.

We delivered a sleek, highly functional CMS website featuring creative animations, a bold colour scheme, an oil finder function, a distributor map, and an interactive heritage timeline designed to engage users in the brand’s immense history. The results spoke for themselves: an 87% increase in traffic, 39% more sessions per user, and 10% organic growth.

The brand identity that made London even more film-friendly

Location Creative, London’s go-to locations provider for film and TV, was already a well-known market leader when it approached TBB. But to match its industry-leading reputation and ambitious vision, it needed a stronger brand identity that truly reflected its mission: to make London the most film-friendly city on the planet.

From playful twists on iconic movie quotes to a clever ‘X marks the spot’ logo, we created a brand that speaks the language of film – literally. A bold typographic style and classic colour palette made the brand instantly recognisable, while the new website brought Location Collective’s vast portfolio to life. The result? A brand identity that turns heads in the industry and a site that makes finding the perfect filming location easier than ever. It was a dream project for our film fanatic crew, and one we’re seriously proud of.

The brand and website overhaul that helped make life-saving connections

Following a period of significant growth, mental wellbeing service provider Govox needed to refresh its brand and accompanying website with something that better reflected its evolved identity and impassioned vision and values.

So, following a brand workshop with key stakeholders, we created a compelling brand identity that’s clear, concise, and meaningful, primed to support Govox’s international growth – including a vibrant colour palette to counterbalance the difficult subject matter, and a memorable brand icon that combines abstract design with resonating attributes to reflect the company’s philosophy. The same visuals and messaging were mirrored across the new website, maximising digestibility and engagement and, ultimately, helping make connections that may just save a life.

The voyage continues

We’re fiercely proud of our creative work, which is why we could talk about our clients for hours. But with this taster of standout highlights, we’re reminded of the major waves we’ve made in recent years. From building strong brand identities and designing technically superior websites to driving leads and raising brand awareness, it’s been a good run so far – don’t you think?

Actually, our anniversary emblem seems perfectly fitting this year too. Representing clarity, lightness, and enduring strength, crystal mirrors the many hours and minutes we’ve breathed into our brand since 2010. And with beautiful refractive qualities, we’re proud of the diverse perspectives, differing viewpoints, and talented expertise we’ve nurtured over the years too.

With the wind in our sails, a crew of bright minds behind us, and ridiculous amounts of coffee, we’re excited to drive even bigger and better results in the years to come. Want to be our next biggest hit? You know where to find us.