Zara Weston's 2021 Business Growth & Plans

Today we're talking to Zara Weston who is the head of Hamilton-Brown which is a design agency based in Bristol and London. The team deliver creative solutions across design, digital and social platforms.

It's April, how does this month fit into the ebb & flow of your year? 

Due to the current climate and dramatic shift in day-to-day working patterns, we've seen a large uplift in onscreen and digital platforms. Replacing (for now) traditional printed routes for face-to-face meetings. Platforms such as Foleon and Ceros have been integral to this shift, building in additional scope for video and animated additions, giving the ability to scale up/down with ease.

What are you most looking forward to as the country tries to ‘open up'?

I am looking forward to making a gradual return to our Bristol studio and seeing my team and our clients ‘in the flesh’. As efficient as we have been working from home have missed that human interaction even from a distance. Personally, I am looking forward to seeing family and friends – even for a coffee in my back garden would be wonderful! 

It’s also Stress Awareness Month, what measures have you taken in your business to reduce the stress on yourself & your team?

Working during a pandemic has meant we have worked more efficiently than ever before; both our office teams act as one unit meaning there is always support there from a work level perspective if needed. Having strong working relationships and an open channel of communication is important to also understanding when someone needs help. 

What do you do personally to support your health and wellbeing? 

I am always getting outdoors and have been so more than ever in lockdown. Keeping to a routine of getting up early and going for a run/cycle/walk/home-workout – exercise has kept me sane during this time especially running. I am running two half marathons next month and has been good to have something to work towards. 

Do you see your product/service as one which supports the health and wellbeing of others such as your clients? 

Yes, we regularly send out creative briefs for our agency team to complete in their free time to encourage and sustain creative thinking. We encourage creative challenges in order to provide our teams a way of expressing their creativity to hopefully, keep their state of mind a positive one. 

As the year goes on, will you take health and wellbeing more seriously going forward?

Absolutely, working in lockdown has made me appreciate my own health much more and making more time for my wellbeing. The small things have made a big difference in my strength as a leader – just making sure I take a break and go for a walk and learning to step away from my screen when possible really helps especially working in isolation. 

Have you got any Spring services or special offers you’d like to mention?

A recent trend we seen gaining traction in recent months is clients looking to breathe life into and refresh their branding and visual identities. We feel clients are after new outlooks for their brand in what is a changing global platform. A lot of businesses have since adapted their ethos to reflect new ways of working and looking to reflect this within their brand. If this is you - please get in touch!

For more information visit https://www.hamilton-brown.com