An award-winning creative director and visual identity designer with 25+ years of strategy-led branding & design experience. Across lifestyle sectors as diverse as tech start-ups and luxury travel she has managed to elevate brands to their highest potential by creating expressive and authentic visual identities. Graduating with honours at AAA School of Advertising in 1995 she went on to hold leadership positions at multiple global agencies such as Interbrand, Superunion and FCB before becoming an independent creative professional in 2008. This all contributed to her formidable skills in every aspect of brand communication which she now uses as co-founder at Bev and Nic. They use their large agency talent, expertise and contacts to deliver exceptional results for their lifestyle brand clients, all with all the agility and great relationships you expect from a small agency. Their clients truly enjoy the best of both worlds. Her extensive multi-disciplinary experience has given rise to first hand knowledge in extraordinarily diverse and valuable business and design skills – from illustration, e-commerce and textile design to retail supply chains, multi-channel sales & marketing as well as digital marketing projects such as UX/UI, product and app development and video content creation. Her work has been published in both local and international design annuals. Awards won include the prestigious Loerie Grand Prix for her interactive Annual Report in 2001. She is a Graduate of Seth Godin's The Freelancers Workshop, GIBS / Goldman Sachs 10 000 Women Entrepreneurship program and a proud Branson Centre Entrepreneur. "What makes Beverley remarkable is the level of generosity, consideration and dedication that she shows up with, along with the quality of her questions, feedback and insights." Scott Perry – Founder at Creative on Purpose / Head Coach at Seth Godin's Akimbo Workshops.
I'm the co-founder of Bev&Nic, a strategy-led branding agency that brings lifestyle brands to life. Our past clients include &Beyond, Leisurecorp, Maia, Banini, Blockkoin & Discovery. We operate at the intersection between large agency excellence, small agency relationships, truth and beauty.
Responsible for the redesign of the &Beyond visual language that relooked their layout style and typography usage to create an open and more luxurious context for their brand. Illustrations from field guides were used as inspiration for a more expressive visual style that incorporated watercolour illustrations and line work layered in various ways across a large portion of their communication platforms, the first of which was a beautifully designed and printed in-room magazine. It showcased travel features, new lodges, top destinations, travel tips, special people and true sustainability and set the visual tone for the brand going forward. The new style was phased in across everything from the full website redesign to a range of gift shop merchandise specifically for fund-raising. Directed a series of video content that fulfilled a variety of strategic objectives. Some told the brand story and exquisitely showcased &Beyond lodges and destinations while others told meaningful and moving stories that reflected the brand's ethos of Care of the Land, Wildlife and People.
Worked on a number of projects that re-established red as part of the Absa brand. The first of which was Absa Rewards with it's bold eye-catching outdoor advertising. The lighthearted 'Skaftin' TV ad, one of a series of four TV ads, won 3rd place in Millward Brown most liked ad Q2 2017. Developed a 'digital red' and an animated end frame for use on all Absa digital and TV and was instrumental in overseeing a fresh new illustration style which rolled out onto four campaigns, two of which included 2D animations. Selected as part of an all-women design team in an FCB global pitch for the re-brand of Michelle Obama's Let Girls Learn initiative. Of the 20 submissions from FCB offices around the globe, it was chosen as part of the top 5 that were taken through to client presentation. (Update: Global Girls Alliance was the name chosen and launched in October 2018)
Concept and design of all product lines including the brand's signature reversible dress made using Shweshwe and bold cotton prints. Sourcing, management and quality control of all goods and suppliers – all manufactured in South Africa. Built a fully fledged e-commerce website in 2009 when e-commerce was only just getting started in South Africa. Managed all updates, product info writing, SEO, advertising and social media for the brand. Grew a fan base of over 1000 customers on Facebook within a few months. Launched the physical retail store at the Watershed, Cape Town and managed the day to day running of the store remotely from Jhb. Lead sales teams in both at Jhb and CT outlets. Other products include: hats, coats, bags, bed linen, blankets, ottomans, artwork and wallpaper.
Elevating brave and curious brands to their highest potential through strategic insight and unique, expressive visual language. Leadership positions at global agencies and over 12 years as an independent creative professional has led to formidable skills in every aspect of brand communication. My keen strategic insight and expert use of colour and pattern is evident in all my creative endeavours – transforming every aspect of a brand from iconic brand mark to unique visual language expressed throughout the brand's physical, printed and digital spaces – from stationery and packaging to wallpaper and textile design. The Way We Work Because every brand has their own set of unique challenges – which we'll identify together in the Discovery phase – a multi-disciplinary team, tailored to best serve these business needs, will be curated for each of your projects. My network of dedicated top-notch creatives enjoy collaborative partnerships with friendly, open-minded teams who value our insight and need for excellence.
Headed up a team of talented designers giving creative direction on a variety of projects, all at various stages of development. Responsible for the concept and graphic design of major corporate identities from logo and visual language to the complete roll-out of the brand. Applications included stationery, vehicle livery, corporate literature, calendars, event collateral, uniforms, promotional items, wallpaper, carpets, textile design and packaging. MAJOR PROJECTS INCLUDE: The branding of mining company Exxaro, from the naming and brand strategy to full execution of all brand touch points including the concept and art direction a 2 month, 250+ image, 8 location shoot with Michael Meyersfeld for an extensive, award-nominated photographic library of all their operations. Luxury Seychelles resort Maia, owned by Southern Sun. Involved in the strategy, design and roll-out of the identity across all corporate communication including brochures and website, as well as hotel amenities and promotional items.
Responsible for the concept and graphic design of major corporate identities from logo and visual language to the complete roll-out of the brand. MAJOR PROJECTS INCLUDE: The re-brand of Standard Bank, particularly the development of their own custom font with an international font foundry. The branding of 3 divisions of The Royal Bafokeng: The Economic Board, Resources and Finance, so that each had its own identity but had a narrative link to each other. These identities were then applied to a range of collateral for each brand.
Responsible for the concept and graphic design of logos, corporate identity, corporate literature and other marketing material for a broad range of clients such as Toyota, Vodacom and Manhattan. AWARDS: The design of the interactive St John Annual Report was awarded the Loerie Grand Prix for Design in 2001 and Second Place at the Art of Design Awards in 2002.