About me

The Smithy Creative story

Stuart Smith had always wanted to 'do his own thing' - not out of any desire for power or world domination, but so that he could do work that helps people. Work he truly believes in.

After many years working in branding agencies across a variety of sectors, he joined the inhouse team at an international development charity as Creative Director. Following a surprise redundancy in 2012, he chose to turn the situation into an opportunity, and took a risk.

Since starting The Smithy Creative, Stuart has been able to use his experience in branding, fundraising and design to deliver results for so many more people, charities and organisations.

Here's how...

The craft of teamwork

Stuart works directly with clients and teams, building trust and longterm relationships. And honesty is key to trust. While he is the hands-on creative of The Smithy Creative, there are occasions where a bespoke team of inspiring artworkers, copywriters, web developers and photographers are required to help deliver a project.

This small, but scalable model has proved highly efficient and effective in achieving the best results for our clients.

The craft of clarity

In any project, the core of the challenge often becomes the launchpad to solutions. But finding that core happens in numerous ways. It might be just a few questions for an artwork project, or through workshops, interviews, research and strategic analysis to deliver a full brand review and to create a flexible visual identity system.

Either way, understanding what makes an organisation unique - its purpose, values and vision - helps craft a rock solid foundation for creativity.

The craft of creativity

Having built a solid strategy, we turn those plans into big ideas that bring everything to life. We create design and communication solutions that are beautifully clear - helping organisations to stand out and engage their audiences.

Ensuring that our design solutions work across print, digital and film, we are more than happy to share and work collaboratively with inhouse teams.