Charlotte Broadribb
Creative Strategy Director & Brand Consultant
Visionary Thinking | Insight driven Strategies | Creative Campaigns
As a Conceptual Creative, I work with ideas based on insights. I specialise in the interaction between people and places – developing strategies, brands and campaigns for both the private and public sectors, focusing on services and places, more than products.
I am the founder of COLAB London, a flexible creative agency formed of fantastic freelance talent, launched in 2012 at the start of the collaboration movement. I’m also the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Braegen.
Scroll down for my portfolio which provides a snapshot of the work I do with my clients and creative collaborators.
Creative Strategy.
Merging emotion and logic is the solid foundation of any creative strategy
“A partnership between dreaming and doing, theory and reality, in order to harness results within that grey area between the underlying business strategy and creative concept.”
— Campaign
Investuary
Thames Estuary Growth Board
2022 - 2023
Industry: Investment, Growth, Public Sector
Project Type: Consulting, Brand Development, Campaign, Investment Platform & Digital Transformation
Project Lead, Strategy & Planning: Charlotte Broadribb
Campaign & Creative Concept: Charlotte Broadribb
Animation, Art Direction & Graphic Design: Andy Ellis & Richard Vickers
Platform Developer: Malcolm Woolliams
Copywriting: Charlotte Broadribb
Channels: Events, PR, Twitter, LinkedIn, Investuary.com
In 2022-23, I devised, developed, delivered and Investuary – a high profile digital and cultural transformation, brand strategy and campaign for the Thames Estuary Growth Board – a public private partnership involving multiple local authorities.
Investuary is supported by UK Government’s Department of Business and Trade (DBT) and funded by the Department of Levelling Up.
Investuary is centred around the development of an inward investment platform (investuary.com), which the BETA version was launched in May 2023 at the UK Real Estate and Investment Forum (UKREIIF) by the UK Investment Minister, Lord Dominic Johnson. The platform generates leads for investment and partnerships for the Thames Estuary Region.
As a consultant and ‘special advisor’ to the Thames Estuary Growth Board and Envoy, I worked with the Executive Team and Board Members to co-create and build the public facing Thames Estuary Growth Board brand amongst its audiences.
During my 15 month tenure, I worked with the organisation and its partners in the UK and globally to identify opportunities for investment and collaboration in the Thames Estuary Region.
The co-created Investuary strategy informed the forward facing direction of the organisation and guided decision making throughout its constitution process.
Ergonomic Sculpture Parks & Remote Working Pods
London Design Biennale, Expert Pick for ‘Work’ category, 2021
Industry: Design, the arts
Project Type: Design Innovation, Open Call Entry, Design Thinking, Exhibition
Concept & Strategy: Charlotte Broadribb
3D Diagram, Paper Prototype: Charlotte Broadribb
Design Thinking Workshops: Charlotte Broadribb, Elizabeth Bachrad, Anna Freedman
Consulting Art Direction: Ilaria Martello
Landscape Architect Consultant: Nina Kolbeck
Retouching: Jo Dix
In 2020, I entered the open call for radical design thinking ‘Design in an Age of Crisis’, an initiative that was part of the London Design Biennale 2021 programme.
My collaborative entry ‘Ergonomic Sculpture Parks + Remote Working Pods’ received one of 3 expert co-chair picks in the Work category and one of 12 overall, from over 500 entries.
The concept was showcased as part of the London Design Biennale’s ‘Design in an Age of Crisis’ exhibit at Somerset House in 2021 and featured in its online exhibition until 2023.
Read Chatham House article here.
“Ergonomic Sculpture Parks & Remote Working Pods is an idea to reclaim outdoor spaces within urban and suburban neighbourhoods, for remote working as well as fostering a sense of community spirit and local connection from Charlotte Broadribb.”
Without Space + Light
Royal Institute of British Architects, 2013
Industry: Architecture, not-for-profit
Project Type: Co-Created Integrated Communications Campaign, Lobbying National Government
Campaign Concept, Strategy & Project Lead: Charlotte Broadribb
Co-Created with RIBA Client: Anthony Noun & Team
Art Direction & Graphic Design: Andy Ellis, Richard Vickers
Film: Yohan Forbes
Channels: Press, Twitter, Architecture.com, YouTube, Facebook, Thunderclap
Having just launched COLAB London - my new collaborative and virtual agency - I devised and launched the WITHOUT SPACE + LIGHT communications campaign with the Client and my collaborative team. The team consisted of some highly creative people including: Art Direction from Andy Ellis and a team of graphic designers, web developers and BFI Award-Winning film maker, Yohan Forbes.
At the time, Stephen Fry had the biggest Twitter following in the world so we asked him to Tweet about it - and he did! Kevin McCloud of Grand Designs fame starred in our film set on the London Underground.
Together we mobilised the British people, getting them behind the issue with this powerful yet simple communications campaign.
The campaign compelled MPs to discuss the issue in the Houses of Parliament and as a result building regulations were changed to include minimum space and light standards in new build homes.
The campaign achieved coverage in The Independent, The FT, The Telegraph and The Guardian and the usually hard-to-reach media for RIBA including The Metro, The Evening Standard, The Mirror, The Sun and The Daily Mail and the BBC as well as the architecture and design press: Dezeen, Arch Daily, Design Hunter, Architectural Digest and many others.
Within a matter of weeks, tens of thousands of people had watched the video, Tweeted and wrote to their MPs applying that much needed pressure via the campaign website – the platform we built to motivate people to engage with their MPs.
The campaign was nominated and short listed for a CIPR Award.
Get onboard
To find out more about my work in the architecture and built environment space or to collaborate on a project
Circular Salutogenic Design
House of Grey, 2020 - ongoing
Industry: Architecture & Interior Design, private sector
Project Type: Co-Created Brand Strategy & Brand Positioning
Concept & Strategy: Charlotte Broadribb
Words & Copy: Charlotte Broadribb
Co-Created with Client: Louisa Grey
Channels: Design Trade & Consumer Press, Instagram, website copy and product launch campaigns
I work collaboratively on Creative Strategy for the House of Grey, with its Founder Louisa Grey - arguably one of Europe’s most influential interior designers and stylists of the past few years.
I began working with House of Grey in spring 2018 to develop the written expression of the brand. As an interior design studio, its content was high quality and highly visual, however it lacked a tone of voice and words.
My initial work included devising 7 Design Principles for the brand, creating the brand Tone of Voice, writing a Creative Strategy & Master Copy that could be used to create pieces of content across multiple channels and platforms.
In 2020, I evolved and refreshed the brand narrative to encapsulate the evolution of the design approach of the studio – wellbeing design, using ethical, sustainable materials. I then coined the term: ‘Circular Salutogenic Design’ for the brand.
I worked closely with Louisa Grey on developing and launching House of Grey’s Circular Salutogenic Design product range. In 2021, the brand launched its first product collaborations with Bauwerk paints, Olfactory Aoiro and Rug Makers, Armadillo.
House of Grey consistently receive press enquiries from all over the world about Circular Salutogenic Design.
Featured in Elle Decoration, Est Living and many other design publications and blogs.
Long-listed for a Dezeen Award in 2022.
House of Grey has 125,000 Instagram followers grown organically through engaging visual, written and conceptual content.
Read article here.
“Charlotte is an innovator and visionary thinker. She has been pivotal in understanding and translating my personal vision for House of Grey. We have worked together since 2018 on various elements of the strategy, content and any new aspects of the business. She has a wonderful energy and the studio work with her as a matter of importance for our sense of evolution and innovation.”
- Louisa Grey, Founder of House of Grey
Brand Development
To collaborate on a concept or vision or for more information about my work in the interior design industry
The Conversation Index
A new measure for engagement success, 2019
Industry: Consulting
Project Type: Innovation; Interactive Report
Brand Development and Communications Design: Charlotte Broadribb
Concept: Anthony Noun & Charlotte Broadribb
Research & Reporting: Anthony Noun
Illustration Design: Charlotte Broadribb
Website design & build: Charlotte Broadribb
Copywriting: Anthony Noun & Charlotte Broadribb
In 2017, COLAB London’s joint-venture with Noun Public Affairs - Brægen - developed a new kind of measurement tool which takes on board every aspect of a brand's communications strategy and analyses it on the basis of how engaging it truly is. It answers questions including: How conversational is the brand? How is it inviting its followers to co-create its products, services and even its strategy? Is it providing a platform for consumers? Is it having a two-way conversation with consumers… or is it just broadcasting and not listening?
To date, social media measurement tools have analysed how a brand’s followers have interacted with it in their channels to measure ‘engagement’ - likes, shares and clicks.
Launched in 2019, ‘The Conversation Index’ was developed to measure what is real vs. faux engagement and it was tested out on some of the world’s most well-known and ‘trusted’ so called Superbrands and some of the hottest disruptor brands - the newer kids on the block competing with the traditional big players in their respective industries at the time.
To this day, most brands are missing an opportunity to create real engagement through creativity and providing an open platform and instead still choosing to buy likes and followers to boost their metrics!
Work with Braegen
I am the Creative Director at Braegen, a Brand & Communications consultancy established in 2017 which primarily focuses on the public sector and the built environment.
Get in touch to find out more about Braegen and how we work with Clients to achieve genuine engagement with their audiences.
Superyacht Lifecycle
Brookes Bell, 2018
Industry: Maritime, marine, superyacht, private sector
Project Type: Brand Development, Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign, microsite
Creative Strategy & Copy Editing: Charlotte Broadribb
Digital Marketing, Project Management & Copywriting: Linda Jenkins
Creative Direction & Graphic Design: Charlotte Broadribb & Jo Dix
Channels: Microsite, PR, eNewsletters, Twitter, Event Sponsorship, online advertising, media partnership
Brookes Bell is a leading multi-disciplinary technical and scientific consultancy serving the marine and energy sectors with offices in the UK, Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Brookes Bell wasn’t widely known in the superyacht industry, but wanted to quickly gain an audience and generate awareness within the sector, to launch its new superyacht division and set of services aimed at superyachts.
I devised the concept of the Superyacht Lifecycle and created the Superyacht Lifecycle campaign around it, to successfully launch the new superyacht division and its services for superyachts, to the industry – focusing on the B2B market and trade press.
The integrated digital campaign consisted engaging thought leadership pieces, press, features & articles, eNewsletters, Tweets and website copy. I designed, wireframed and built the dedicated ‘Superyacht Lifecycle’ microsite.
I provided the in-house team with live Tweets & marketing materials to launch the new superyacht services brand at live events in 2018 and 2019 at Monaco Yacht Show and the and Superyacht Forum.
Working on something niche?
Beyond Luxury
Camper & Nicholsons, 2014
Industry: Marinas and yachting, private sector
Project Type: Brand Campaign
Campaign Concept & Strategy: Charlotte Broadribb
Art Direction & Graphic Design: Andy Ellis
Channels: Press Advertising, Twitter, Written Features and Web Content.
Beyond Luxury was all about a state of mind: endless enjoyment, ultimate relaxation on a yacht and from the marina. It was about experiences outside the realms of ordinary ‘luxury’, not being bound by the rules of luxury travel. Beyond Luxury wasn’t about gold taps and marble floors, it is about unique adventures, discoveries, optimum customer service and perfect landscapes.
At the time Camper & Nicholsons Marinas was a network of 12 marinas each with their own objectives, so we needed to consider the brand as a whole, and as the sum of its parts.
Creating an over-arching multi-audience (consumer, B2B, trade) brand campaign for Camper & Nicholsons Marinas enabled the organisation’s communications to have single-minded focus, whilst simultaneously providing endless opportunities to produce new content.
A long-term campaign strategy meant C&NM could deliver content via multiple channels by communicating multiple brand messages with one consistent narrative.
The campaign was innovative in the industry at the time and so popular, Camper & Nicholsons International subsequently adopted the campaign.
Press ads featured the Beyond Luxury hashtag in the headline and were printed in publications such as Boat International, the Superyacht Group Annual Report and SEA&I Magazine.
The campaign featured the following luxury marinas:
Limassol Marina, Cyprus; Grand Harbour Marina, Malta; Palmarina, Bodrum; Port Louis Marina, Grenada, Caribbean.
Want to innovate your brand in the marina or superyacht industry?
Kinsugi Thinking Project
Reimagining the New Future, 2020
Industry: Consulting and education
Project Type: Co-Created Design Thinking Initiative + Virtual Workshops
Concept: Charlotte Broadribb
Co-Created with: Elizabeth Bachrad, Anna Freedman
Design Thinking Workshops: Charlotte Broadribb, Elizabeth Bachrad, Anna Freedman
Design and illustration: Charlotte Broadribb
In 2020 I formed a collaboration called: Kinsugi Thinking Project which engaged adults and children in imagining solutions to the world’s biggest problems, using design thinking tools.
At the start of lockdown in March 2020, the initiative gathered three cohorts of people of all ages and backgrounds together from across the globe to share their hopes, dreams, biggest fears and ideas for the New Future in a two-part workshop series:
‘Part 1: Reimagining the World Post Crisis’ and ‘Part 2: Preparing for the New Dawn.’
Grounded in co-creation, design thinking, wellbeing & coaching, the workshop series encouraged people to open their minds and their imaginations to believe that anything is possible. The workshops provided a safe and creative space to vision, shape and plan for the New Future and to connect with others over the world.
March-April 2020 was a unique moment in time for everyone. Life was a contradiction: full of restrictions and endless possibilities. Humanity was having a crisis and it either brought out the best or worst in people. Humanity took a collective pause and allowed itself to imagine what life would be like ‘on the other side’. Nobody knew how long lockdown would go on for, or when schools would reopen.
In late 2020-2021, we worked with organisations such as the Royal Opera House and City University to help teams come together to co-create the future of work in a post-pandemic era and navigate culture change.
Interested in Design Thinking?
Get in touch for more info and client project case studies and examples.