Some agencies try to stand out with flashy promises and jargon. Haddington & Haddington, a Suffolk-based UX design and creative agency, takes a different path delivering honest, human-centred digital solutions with clarity and integrity. Founded by a husband-and-wife team, this micro agency blends UX design, copywriting, and visual creativity to help clients achieve real results without the fuss.

In this exclusive Company Spotlight, we speak with Co-Founder Emily Haddington to uncover how their Suffolk design agency found its voice in a crowded market, and why they believe transparency, collaboration, and simplicity are the keys to success.

How was your company born, and where are you based?

The idea of Haddington & Haddington was born around a Suffolk kitchen table one evening. My husband and I had both been freelancers (as a UX/web designer and copywriter, respectively) for a long time, so we thought, why not join forces and become a fully fledged agency?!

We realised we could offer a full suite of services that very few agencies could. We could offer services like UX design and research, user testing, SEO, copywriting, video editing and illustration all under one roof. Combining our skills meant we had far more to give to our clients.

We're based in the Framlingham Technology Centre, in Woodbridge, Suffolk.

What was the biggest challenge to the growth of your company?

It's a competitive landscape, with so many agencies out there. Everyone's competing for their voices to be heard. So many agencies speak in jargon, too - and it can become intimidating just reading their websites! One great example I read recently was an agency claiming they had: 'AI-powered humans that amplify content'. It had us scratching our heads.

You can sometimes feel the pressure of: 'Do we have to speak that way too!?' But our time in the field of UX has taught us that people actually don't want to be spoken to in buzzwords or tech speak. The average person just wants to know if you can create what they need, if it'll be affordable, and when you can do it. Finding our own identity and choosing to buck the trend took confidence, but our clients have responded well to our more relaxed approach. We're not going to try and be something we're not.

What was the first huge success that you can remember?

We worked with a Charity called SpringACT on their Comeback Catz app – an app that aims to tackle sexism by arming users with helpful 'comebacks' they can use in real life situations. We were the sole providers of UX design and copywriting for this project, and gave our time completely free of charge, as it supports such a good cause. We're excited for its launch!

What’s the biggest opportunity for you and your company in the next year?

We've got a number of exciting web and UX projects in the pipeline that we're looking forward to. We can't reveal too much, though!

Can you explain your team’s creative process? What makes it unique?

We're a husband and wife team who have worked together professionally for over a decade. We get the best out of each other, and we understand each other's roles in the creative process very well. We learn from one another, and we keep all of our work in-house.

We don't outsource to cheaper external agencies overseas to make vast profits. We keep our creative process simple and personal, so we can keep delivering exceptional work for our clients. We give our clients clear timelines so both sides know what will be delivered, and by when, and we're always open and honest in our communications.

How does your team remain inspired and motivated?

We love creating things, and when something you've created is loved by a client and they give you great feedback, it inspires and motivates us to keep doing what we're doing.

Which agencies do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?

We always look at the work on CreativePool and have to say there are lots of great projects coming through all the time that are amazing to see!

What is one tip that you would give to other agencies looking to grow?

Don't see copywriting or UX as a nice-to-have – they're both really important when you're doing any web design work, and companies should be investing more in contractors or staff who can offer these skills. You need the full package to deliver exceptional websites and digital products. 

What’s your one big hope for the future of the industry?

That AI complements rather than replaces creativity. It's a great tool but it has limitations – and it will never replace a creative human brain.

Can you share a defining moment in your company's journey that shaped its identity or direction?

A defining moment for us was before we started H&H, and David and I were working for other agencies as freelancers. We saw some of the tricks that a few unethical agencies can use in the industry, like forcible upselling, a total lack of transparency, poor communication, inflated pricing, and the list goes on. We decided that we didn't want to be like this, as it only leads to client mis-trust and losses on both sides. 

How do you foster a culture of innovation and experimentation within your team?

We keep learning, taking new courses, and we keep our ear to the ground when it comes to new developments and technologies.

What measures do you take to ensure diversity and inclusion are prioritised within your company?

As we're a micro-organisation, we don't have employees, but that said, we're very passionate about working with people from all walks of life, and have done so in our projects. We took part in a Hackathon in 2024 that included people from all over the world. We're also passionate about accommodations for people with disabilities.

I am a person living with a non-visible disability, and I have experienced discrimination first-hand because of my need to work remotely for health reasons. More employers need to take reasonable adjustments seriously. I have been in so many interviews as a freelancer where companies think reasonable adjustments are something they can choose to implement. They're breaking the law!

How do you balance maintaining your company's unique creative voice while meeting the diverse needs of clients?

David and I originally came from industries where there was an expectation that you'd shape-shift to a client's style. For example, as a freelance copywriter, I'd get to know a client's unique tone of voice before working for them. Having so much experience of this enables us to maintain and weave our unique creative voice into the work we do.

What strategies do you employ to adapt to changes and trends in the industry while staying true to your company's values?

As a micro-organisation, we can adapt to changes pretty quickly, whenever we need to. That said, we don't piggyback off of something just because it's a trend. Our core values are that we listen, have integrity, produce quality work and have personable relationships with our clients.

In what ways do you invest in the professional development and growth of your team members?

David, who handles the design side of things, is a professionally accredited UX designer who trained at the UX Design Institute. This institute is at the forefront of UX as a sector, and we make sure to always stay up to date with what's happening in terms of UX and now AI. I'm also partial to taking courses that expand services we can offer, like legal writing.

How do you approach sustainability and ethical practices within your company's operations and projects?

We're a remote-first company, which is great because it ensures we have a low carbon footprint. We're apolitical as an organisation, and we regularly undertake Diversity and Inclusion training. We also support charities like SpringACT, and make sure that we offer free work to good causes.

Do you have any websites, books or resources that you would recommend?

'Typographie' by Emil Ruder

'The Inmates Are Running The Asylum' – Alan Cooper (A book about UX Design)