The spark.
A dream, a blank slate…and not much else.
Marchwood UK were founded in 2024 by experienced Phil Hodgson, having spent a previous career in an excellent, highly successful but large recruitment practice.
When Phil came to us, he had nothing but an idea...not even the name of his new business! So we stepped in as Marchwood's creative co-pilot.
The challenge.
in recruitment, perception isn’t just important…it’s everything.
For a startup wanting to work with only the highest quality, senior talent in the biz, they needed to look the part.
The founder had big ambitions (love) but didn't even have a name for his business.
Yet...
The MAD touch.
Our plan: give Marchwood the presence of a seasoned agency from day one.
We would build Marchwood from the ground up. Not as a startup, but as a business ready to grow.
A full brand identity designed to do one job: create instant credibility.
This wasn’t about looking good. It was about removing friction so candidates, clients, and future hires could buy into the business immediately.
How it unfolded.
01
We spent a lot of time one-on-one with Phil to uncover why this business should exist. We dove into values, vision, tone and personality; and “Marchwood” emerged.
Brand workshop & naming.
02
From logo development to colour palette, typography,bespoke icons, voice and messaging pillars, we branded Marchwood with intention. The brand felt powerful enough to have been in business for decades, not weeks.
Form an identity & build the brand.
03
The final task on this project was to designed and develop a slick, conversion-focused site with on-brand copy, templates, and assets, ready to scale...and scale they did.
Design & build the website.
MAD
results.
Within 12 months, Marchwood had:
Grown from a founder-led startup to a team of four
Established a clear market presence from day one
Built a brand that supports ongoing growth and hiring
Positioned themselves to compete with more established agencies
And most importantly, they didn’t have to “grow into” their brand.
They were able to step straight into it.
A fully realised brand launched on day one
Scalable assets and toolkit future-proofed for growth
A high-converting website that speaks as a market leader
What this
unlocks.
When your brand matches your ambition:
Better candidates take you seriously
Clients feel confident engaging you
Growth doesn’t feel like a stretch… it feels natural
Because you’re no longer trying to prove yourself.
You already look the part.
From our client.
They know what they're talking about & have a great flair for design and creative. I would thoroughly recommend the Magenta MAD squad.
Phil Hodgson
Founder | Marchwood