It has been an ambition of npd’s to enter the Red Rose Awards ever since our Design Director
started npd back in 2014, we just never truly felt the time was quite right. But 2024 feels different
and we are ready to put ourselves forward in the hope of recognition for our commitment and
creativity in the design industry.
We are proud to be a Northern design agency and proud of our Lancastrian roots, so the Red
Rose Awards were the perfect platform for us to raise our profile within the industry and across
the county. The Red Rose Awards is the event where Lancashire business, commerce and
industry are celebrated. It provides the best possible platforms to promote success, and to
encourage inter-trading in the county, which we are fully in support of. Historically, we haven’t
entered ourselves into awards because we haven’t always appreciated the positive impact they
can have and the opportunities they can give a growing business.
It was important to fully understand ourselves and our culture before being able to articulate our
visions with a panel of judges. We are not a traditional design agency in the sense that our
driving principles are less about new styles and next season’s colours and more about whether
products deserve to exist. This has been a challenge at times and it is sometimes difficult for
others to grasp, particularly when we explain our confidence in turning projects down if we don’t
believe they will do good. Our Red Rose Award experience has given us the confidence to
shout about this from the rooftops because it’s a refreshing approach and one we will continue
to uphold.
npd regularly promote our ethos of ‘keeping it local’ as much as possible so to be recognised as
a key player in Lancashire’s prestigious business industry for giving back to the county with our
creative and innovative design and development services is a huge honour. We will be forever
grateful for the challenge the awards has given us. From completion of the application form to
the 20 minute interview and question session to the awards themselves, we have enjoyed every
part of the process. Just completing the application forced us to reflect and spend time
recognising the success we’ve already had over the last ten years. We found ourselves looking
back and evaluating the mistakes we made which gave us the confidence to grow and be able
to reach forward and aim high. The interview process itself was terrifying, but honestly one of
the most rewarding and valuable experiences our Design Director and Operations Director have
had. The judges gave us the opportunity to provide context to where we are currently and were
interested and genuinely excited about our future plans.
And then to the awards ceremony… Wow! What a night! The evening was extravagant, exciting
and entertaining in equal measure. Being able to take our design team and our families and
thank them for their continued support, dedication and efforts was exhilarating. And then we
won! We were incredibly proud and humbled to have been recognised at this prestigious level
and will continue to challenge the growth of the business further with the increased confidence
and motivation which the win has given us. The evening also provided us with valuable
opportunities to meet with other phenomenal Lancashire businesses and see how we can
support one another. We will look forward to more networking events in the coming weeks and
months, perhaps with a little less alcohol and dancing!
So what’s next? Maybe we’ll look at more opportunities to grow our reputation within the
industry and gain increased recognition for our valued contributions to the product design
industry. We’ll definitely be looking for more opportunities to ride on the wave of success and
accomplishment we’re currently experiencing, whether that be through more networking
opportunities, articulating our vision and processes to those who are supporting us, or
promoting our business growth and physical move of premises, we’ll be shouting about it!
With this in mind, look out for more information about our new Design and Innovation Centre
which we will developing from June 2024 onwards. And as for ‘keeping it local’, you guessed it,
we’re staying in Lancashire and are keen to invite fellow local businesses to come and see what
we’re up to.
Thank you, Red Rose Awards, for the opportunity to raise our profile and the recognition you
have provide us with. We are incredibly proud to have received the Red Rose Design Award
2024 – it will take pride of place in the office, and our future plans, and we hope to earn some
friends for it soon; maybe another Red Rose Award next year!
