A boutique creative design agency

For over 20 years we have been successfully delivering creative design agency services for niche luxury brands, ambitious start-ups and private clients worldwide. SO was founded in 2000 by Jo Stedman, whose passion for print design, high-quality materials and beautiful design naturally led SO into the realm of luxury brands.

Today, we offer carefully considered, bespoke marketing and luxury design solutions tailor-made to your needs. We strive to be strategic, smart and special. Working tirelessly to ensure exceptional quality of thought goes into everything we do, we take great pride in challenging both ourselves and the language of the design industry to produce work that consistently stands out.

Our creative design agency team has always been small – and that’s the way we want it. We only work with people we gel with and on projects we like, making for an open, more rewarding process and ultimately better results. It is this down-to-earth honesty and unpretentious approach that our clients love – and is the reason why 90% of our work comes from referrals.

SO’s creativity has been tapped into by royalty, UHNWI and family businesses across the world. But you don’t have to have a title, feel free to drop Jo an email to discuss your brand’s needs.

Small team, big talent

Jo / Founder & Creative Director

Founder and Creative Director Jo Stedman is the soul of SO, a down-to-earth design virtuoso with a meticulous eye for detail. Jo is switched on to all that is beautiful, fresh and engaging, working with specialist artisans to ensure the most exceptional end products. With a deep understanding of the unique needs and tastes of highly discerning audiences, she has worked on projects across the globe, from the Middle East and Singapore to Canada and Brazil, attracting esteemed clients including the Al Thani family, Lady Elizabeth Anson, David Linley and Baron Lorne Thyssen-Bornemisza. Jo is Creative Director, principal designer and primary point of contact for all SO’s clients.

Effie / Senior Designer

The lynchpin of SO, Effie has been Jo’s right hand since 2005. Super methodical, on the ball and with eyes like a hawk, Effie is equally at home diving into research and developing inspirational concepts as she is with producing flawless artwork. Since she joined SO, Effie has been unswervingly passionate and dedicated to our pursuit of perfection, helping the team produce outstanding work on every project.

Chris / Production Director

Chris is a highly experienced, luxury print manager and specialist advisor with over 30 years experience in the ever-changing print business. He has extensive knowledge of all print processes, finishes and techniques and is an absolute paper geek too! With a passion for making beautiful, memorable high-end print, Chris’s print knowledge and exceptional eye for detail ensures that every print project leads to a truly stunning result.

Graham / Brand storyteller & copywriter

As Harrods’ Head of Editorial for eight years, Graham has worked with practically every luxury brand in existence, from fashion and fragrance to homewares, art and lifestyle. He’s written the lot too, whether a simple tagline, a feature or website, right up to major national ad campaigns, high-profile interviews and books. Today, Graham delivers what we call our ‘Fast-Track’ approach to brand positioning, often recommended for smaller, niche brands and start-ups. He develops unique brand stories and personalities, devising distinctive tones of voice and crafting words to create a real point of difference.

Jane & Nick / Brand Strategists

Jane and Nick are strategy development and marketing specialists. They offer an in-depth, ‘Insight-Driven’ approach to brand strategy which is recommended in more mature or complex new markets. Jane and Nick research markets, stakeholders and company cultures to generate powerful new perspectives, distinctive messaging and sharper insight-driven propositions. From those findings, they create effective brand strategies from which all marketing and communications programmes can be based.

Ryan & Andrew / Web Developers

Ryan and Andrew’s skills lie in transforming SO’s bespoke website designs into digital reality. As web designers and developers with uncommonly excellent communication skills, they have years of experience in building custom WordPress sites. Striving to make each website seamless and easy to use, they place functionality and search engine optimisation (SEO) high on the agenda, delivering beautiful websites with a seamless user experience.

Nick & Emily / Digital Marketeers

Digital marketing supremos Nick and Emily have decades of experience in generating leads and acquiring new customers for luxury brands. They focus specifically on SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and PPC (Pay Per Click Advertising) and they also advise on the entire spectrum of analytical tracking options available to our clients. Their scientific approach offers fully quantifiable, trackable, commercial results for your brand.

Dexter & Dudley / Heads of Inspiration

The team wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Dexter and Dudley, our adorable office dachshunds. Our newest recruits have quickly become an integral part of what we do – and great favourites of our clients. And what they don’t know about luxury simply isn’t worth knowing!