I told my wife that I’d just quit my job then she told me she was pregnant with our first child. It was 2004 and instead of crawling back to my previous employer I felt that if I didn’t jump now I would never really push myself creatively and the little chaos in the air might spur me on…although, to be fair, I wasn’t banking on being a dad as well. I took my book of designs down the street and persuaded MC2 hair design to give me a go at designing their appointment cards. On this very first job I wanted to present a design to the client that was different, something that made them sit up. As I write this in May 2012 we are now at 9 Ducks and can boast of familiar names such as Apple, United Utilities and NHS on our client list but I still feel our biggest achievement is that we still have MC2 as a cherished client and still try to make them sit up and see our ideas as something new and different.

I love it, who did that for you?

Every job we do is not just an advert for our clients but also for ourselves. A successful campaign, film, brand, website or exhibition is the best marketing tool we require. We get paid for design and creativity and need to get paid to survive as a business but as a company I always wanted to approach it with an element of fun…after all I did call the company Fuzzy Duck. I have worked in jobs where I was counting the hours until I could escape each day and am mindful that the team enjoy their work and take ownership of the company. It really isn’t just about what the diverse talents each Duck can bring to the business but also what kind of company they wish to work for, how we can evolve and what kind of work they wish to do here.

From a commercial stand point, you get more miles for your money when the Ducks are enjoying their work and our clients get tangible results from fresh ideas.

Dave Hartill
Managing Director