Amber Leahy

The brief was to develop a commercial marketing brand to sell homes for the Homes Development and Sales division, ensuring it aligned with the core values and style of the parent company. I led the project, working in collaboration with the brand agency to initiate a brand strategy for the marketing and sales division. I also took a hands-on approach, designing various marketing materials for the brand portfolio. In addition, I worked closely with the agency to support the development of a new website, ensuring it aligned with the brand’s vision. The project included the creation of a comprehensive brand guide and design templates for consistent use across all platforms. I modernised the logo and produced marketing signage collateral to create a unified, professional appearance across the brand architecture. Throughout the process, I collaborated with key stakeholders to ensure the brand resonated with the target audience and conducted focus groups to test visuals and marketing approaches.

The visual identity concept was developed as part of a pitch to the local government, presenting a new development opportunity for  luxury living apartments to be built in Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield. The design draws inspiration from the rich heritage of the park, with green representing the forests and woodlands that reflect the natural beauty and legacy of the land. Gold, symbolising royalty, luxury living, and regal elegance, adds a sense of grandeur and prestige to the brand. The logo incorporates the imagery of deer, which are synonymous with country living and royalty. The Sutton Coldfield Coat of Arms prominently features deer, and Sutton Park itself was a medieval deer park in the 12th century. In more recent times, the Muntjac deer have made the park their home, further connecting the logo to the area’s history and natural surroundings. Together, these elements convey a brand identity that links both nature and nobility, aligning with the vision for a luxurious and prestigious new development in this historic location.

I was tasked with creating a marketing brochure to advertise new private rented properties aimed at young professionals and key workers. The work involved developing a unique site identity badge for the properties, directing the photography to showcase the apartments and rental app in the best light, and designing the brochure layout to make it visually appealing and easy to read. The goal was to create a visual style that would grab attention and highlight the features of the properties in a way that would appeal to the target audience. Additionally, visuals were developed to support the user interface (UI) design for an app created for tenants. This app served as a portal guide, helping tenants pay bills, raise repair requests, and access information about the technology and goods within their homes. The design of the brochure and app visuals worked together to create a cohesive, modern, and user-friendly experience, reinforcing the appeal of the properties and the convenience of the services offered.

The project brief was to improve and develop the customer services side of the business by updating the customer promise and creating a clear visual identity to reflect it. This included writing and refining the customer promise copy, as well as developing the brand’s visual style to communicate the business’s values effectively. A brand guide was created, along with design templates and brand assets, which were used across all engagement materials. We also developed iconography and a UI house style, ensuring a consistent visual identity across digital platforms. The design stayed true to the parent brand’s principles, making sure everything aligned with the overall brand identity. As part of the project, a new logo was modernised, creating a unified, professional look across the brand architecture.

I was tasked with developing and illustrating a compelling activity workbook for schoolchildren aged between 4 and 7, as part of a fire safety initiative set by Warwickshire Fire and Rescue. The project involved creating engaging illustrations using mixed media, editing the copy, and designing various activities to make learning fun and interactive. I also worked on the layout design to ensure the workbook was visually appealing and easy to navigate. Additionally, I handled print buying techniques to ensure the final product was of high quality and suitable for mass distribution.

The brief was to explore a radical visual identity change for the commercial building development side of the business, aiming to create a modern and versatile brand that would appeal to both young and older homebuyers. The new identity needed to reflect the essence of what we do in the logo, capturing the essence of the homes we build. A thorough exploration of colours was undertaken to convey the aspiration of first-time buyers, whether through Shared Ownership or outright home purchase. My goal was to move away from the heritage brand and design a clean, simple logo that would modernise our image, align with the contemporary homes we were building, and help us stand out from competitors in a crowded market. This was a thoughtful piece of work, with the concept being developed further. However, stakeholders ultimately preferred to retain the parent brand's heritage as the core element of the final design. As a result, the identity evolved to blend modern touches with the established brand values, ensuring the end result respected the company's history while still reflecting the contemporary homes we were building.

This work covers a wide range of corporate reporting and communications projects, created for different professional audiences such as financial investors, industry peers, academic partners, and business stakeholders. The work involved developing ideas from concept through to delivery — including pitching creative approaches, designing layouts (with academic-style formatting where needed), planning user experience, directing visuals, and using specialist print techniques. Infographics were used to present complex information in a clear and engaging way. A key part of the work was designing digital versions that not only reflected traditional printed reports but improved on them through interactive and user-friendly features. I worked closely with both internal teams and external stakeholders to produce business portfolio materials that promoted the organisation’s strengths, services, and strategic direction — supporting business growth, partnerships, and acquisitions. Each piece was carefully tailored to fit the brand and deliver clear, effective communication across both digital and print formats.

As part of a major project to bring 14 sub-brands together under one brand, I was key in the development of a clear and unified brand strategy for Orbit. The project involved working closely with stakeholders and testing ideas with different audience groups to make sure everything was joined-up and made sense at every stage. I supported the full process—from planning and creative direction through to delivery—developing a new visual style, updating the logo and brand system, and refining the tone of voice. A key part of the project was writing a detailed technical brand guide that set out a consistent approach to Orbit’s brand architecture and visual identity, helping to keep things clear and consistent across both digital and printed materials.

The design brief for the annual business plan initiative aimed to create a dynamic and engaging look and feel that would resonate with both internal and external customer audiences. The visuals needed to effectively communicate the business's focus on housing while conveying an exciting, vibrant energy that reflected the company's vision and values. The design had to incorporate the brand’s colours to maintain consistency and recognition across all materials. The chosen look and feel would be applied across various reporting formats, with a strong emphasis on storytelling through the use of infographics and pictorial scenes. These visuals would not only highlight key data and achievements but also create a compelling narrative that made the business plan both informative and visually engaging.

I created a set of visual concepts for a 6-year business strategy project that needed to engage internal and external audiences. The project included designing a clear, eye-catching campaign identity – a look and feel that represented the plan. Once this was established, we developed reports, social media graphics, display banners, and presentation designs that all fit the campaign's style. This helped us communicate our strategy effectively and ensured everyone was on the same page.

This concept centres around the vibrant brand palette, underscored by our heritage blue. Its goal is to centralise discussions among colleagues on delivering the Orbit strategy up to 2030, emphasising progress, learning, and development throughout the journey.

The graphics incorporate icons developed to represent four strands for delivery, prioritising the customer and aiming to cultivate friendly, developing communities for our customers to thrive in:

1. Social value and purpose

2. Investing in our homes and communities

3. Innovation and sustainability

4. Culture DNA

The focus is on being more customer-centric and less corporate in mindset.

The design brief for the Happy, Healthy Starts campaign, a partnership between Orbit and the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), focused on creating a compelling look and feel to support the initiative's mission of addressing child poverty through practical, impactful actions. The campaign aimed to highlight actionable solutions that could be quickly implemented and easily replicated, such as gifting high-quality floor and window coverings to families in need. A specialist research agency helped uncover the challenges of living on a low income and identified the most effective ways to improve lives. Working closely with MPs and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty, the campaign successfully influenced government policy on benefit payments. The design work involved developing a striking identity that would capture the attention of key stakeholders. Once the identity was finalised, I created a variety of marketing collateral, including display material and event assets for a high-profile event at the Houses of Parliament. This included display boards, a report design, invitations, presentations, and social media graphics. Additionally, photography was commissioned during focus groups to authentically represent the people the campaign aimed to help, ensuring the visuals conveyed the heart of the initiative and the real impact of the work. Notably, the campaign was shortlisted for 'Campaign of the Year' at the UK Housing Awards 2019.

The design brief for launching a new set of values focused on creating a vibrant and inclusive visual identity that aligned seamlessly with the parent brand. The identity had to resonate with a diverse workforce, ensuring accessibility and ease of understanding across various teams. Concept development explored multiple approaches, with the chosen design featuring bold graphics and simple, effective icons, which could be used either as a group visual or as standalone elements. This new visual identity was incorporated into internal assets, such as wall vinyls and presentations, ensuring a cohesive brand experience. Furthermore, the visual identity influenced interior design briefs, prompting the refurbishment and revamp of colleague workspaces to better reflect the new values. The selection of the brand font was carefully considered, balancing readability with personality, reinforcing the message of inclusivity and vibrancy throughout the physical and digital environments.

I’ve worked on a variety of advert designs for PPC campaigns, helping to market homes for outright sale and shared ownership. This has included doing market research to understand the target audience, coming up with ideas for the ads, and developing the overall brand look and feel. I’ve created visual identities, designed layouts, and written clear, engaging copy that highlights the key selling points. The aim has always been to create ads that not only look good but also attract attention and generate quality enquiries.