Testimonials

What our clients say...

It has been a pleasure to work with Bivouac on our new introductory exhibition for Carlisle Castle. They produced a fine, attractive design for the exhibition which conveys the complex messages we want to get across to our visitors in a very clear way, and which turned a rather anonymous room into an appealing destination. The various interactives are ingeniously designed and robustly made. Bivouac were consistently prompt and professional, and It was a pleasure to work with them throughout.
 
The specification had to be high, as the room in question cannot be warded, and all the items are well and substantially made, of good materials. A high standard of finish has been achieved throughout, in an installation which, though compact, has many different elements. We are delighted with the result." Steven Brindle, English Heritage

 

We commissioned Bivouac to design out new Visitor Centre interpretation, as we wanted to encourage visitors to find out more about the history of Ampleforth and the work of the monastic community whilst providing an additional attraction for visitors to the site.
 
We didn't have a large budget, but Bivouac squeezed a lot from it, coming up with a colourful design scheme that brings life to the subject matter and appeals to all ages, while remaining respectful of the monastic community that live and work on site. Utilising colour, graphic design, tactile interactives, illustration, multimedia quizzes and a film produced by ay-pe, they communicate key messages in fun and engaging ways. The quality of the design, print and production is excellent, and it was all delivered on time and on budget.
 
The Abbey staff, monks and Abbot are all delighted with the results, and it has been very well received by the public. Our footfall through the Abbey and grounds has increased, and in particular it is encouraging visitors to explore and visit our Tea Room, Abbey Shop, Orchard and Cider Mill.
 
All in all Bivouac’s involvement has helped make the new Visitor Centre at Ampleforth a real success!" Sean McFetrich, Ampleforth Abbey

 

 

"Bivouac have helped us design our prospectus and more recently our Jennyruth catalogue which showcases our work and products. They produced a brilliant design - very eye-catching and distinctive and we are all so proud to give it out to potential customers. The feedback has been excellent. Bivouac worked very professionally with us and really understood what we were trying to achieve." Jennyruth Workshops

 

"It was a real pleasure to work with Bivouac to deliver graphic interpretation for the National Railway Museum’s Station Hall. They immersed themselves in the look and feel of the project, including visiting the museum to draw on the visual language of our objects. They responded to our brief creatively and came up with a number of imaginative solutions to our various criteria. Kate’s engagement with our stories and assets was clear, and resulted in striking and engaging designs. They were also proactive in procuring samples and liaising with potential suppliers. Their effective management of the production process meant that installation ran smoothly and to time. The timescale on this project was very tight, but rigorous planning and excellent communication meant that we were successful in meeting our deadlines." Ruth Leach, National Railway Museum

 

"English Heritage has worked with Bivouac on a number of interpretation projects in the North of England over the past 3 years. Ranging from an exhibition centred around a famous painting at Brodsworth Hall to an entire interpretation scheme at Bessie Surtees House in Newcastle, Kate and the Bivouac team have always stepped up to the challenge of working in historic environments and providing design and build solutions that are colourful, creative and imaginative." David Thomas, English Heritage

 

"Bivouac has produced excellent high quality marketing materials for the University of York Corporate Training Unit time and time again (with Intandem Marketing). They are always quick and responsive and their attention to detail is exceptional. They have a very refreshing approach to design and have provided us with a very efficient and effective service. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for an innovative and imaginative design company." Amanda Selvaratnam, Head of Corporate Training, University of York and Director of The Training Gateway

 

"I've recommended Bivouac because I was really pleased with the job you did for me: it transformed my profile locally and gained me a much increased level of business." Campbell Perry, Psychotherapist

 

"Thank you very much for all of your hard work on the schools materials. They’ve been judged to be a real success here, and the Education department have been inundated with enquiries this term!" Clare Stears, National Army Museum, Chelsea

 

"I’ve worked with Bivouac across a number of projects whilst at different organisations, and they always come up with new ideas each time. They are great at meeting deadlines, can advise on concepts and print and have real skill for fitting everything in to some lovely designs!" Emma Hodgson, Dept. of Computer Science, University of York

"The Army Museum York sets out to tell the story of Yorkshire men and women who have in the past and continue to serve in the armed forces over the last 300 years. The story of Afghanistan is as important as Waterloo or the 2nd World War and an Afghanistan exhibition idea was conceived and just needed telling. The museum has the knowledge but not the expertise to design and present an exhibition for an event that is current and constantly changing as events unfold in Afghanistan. Bivouac provided all that expertise and more. Their attention to detail, design flare and creative ideas together with huge helpings of patience have produced an outstanding result drawing compliments from all over the city's museum community as well as visitors. I look forward to working with Bivouac again." PHK May, Major (Retd), Regimental Secretary, The Royal Dragoon Guards

 

"A quick thank you for the job on the PROACTIS magazine – not just for the creative work but also keeping it to schedule and on budget!" Simon Dadswell, Director of Marketing, Proactis

 

"I have to tell you how delighted we are with the two brochures and the folder that Bivouac has designed for Horticap. The thinking behind the style and presentation is refreshing, the attention to detail could not be faulted and the end results were brilliant and have been widely admired. This is a testimonial to the professionalism, dedication and patience of Kate and her team for which we are truly grateful." David Hayes, Deputy Chairman, Horticap

 

"The Company of Merchant Adventurers has worked with Bivouac for more than three years on a number of related projects. These have included the re-design of our website, the production of portable display banners, publicity fliers, a new guide book and most recently the design, production and installation of new interpretation panels within The Merchant Adventurers’ Hall. We trust Bivouac to help us develop the Company’s image and to improve the manner in which the 652 year old Merchant Adventurers’ Hall and its contents are interpreted for the visiting public. Employing a single designer has allowed us to ensure that all our publicity material is similar in appearance, colour and design and therefore clearly belongs to the same ‘family’. Bivouac’s most recent project for us, the design and production of new interpretation panels has been a triumph and I cannot commend Bivouac more highly for their work. It has and continues to be a pleasure to work with Kate Pettitt and her team."  James Finlay, Clerk to The Company and Lauren Marshall, Audience Development Officer, The Company of Merchant Adventurers of The City of York

"As a marketing company specialising in promotional gifts, we spend our lives looking and advising on other peoples logos and imagery. Kate subtley suggested it was time for a look that reflected the various personalities at Response Marketing and came up with a fresh new look. We sat down with Jack after the initial designs were done and our new look came together. Our clients have all been very positive and have all said that its "much more like you guys!". Thanks to Kate and Jack for revitalising our look!" David Tysall, Director, Response Marketing

"The Leonard Stokes Directory – Architect in a Dressing Gown is the second book that Bivouac have produced for me from the design stage through to the printed copy. Kate Pettitt and her team have excelled in a design which is not only beautiful but encompasses the ideals promoted by the Arts and Crafts Movement in the period during which this architect lived and worked and has solved the practical problem of featuring a gazetteer of more than one hundred and twenty of his architectural commissions – some of several pages and some of simply a sentence.

I would recommend Bivouac for their design flair, attention to detail, service and reliability. The 'Bivouac Experience' has been both satisfying and a pleasure – well done!" Jan Ward, Author

"Everyone is very admiring of the brochure! You have allowed us to go to Germany with confidence and style." Jim McGurn, Managing Director, Company of Cyclists

“Fantastic new look. Thank you.” Sean Chapple, Polar Explorer and Business Adventurer

“Thank you so much for all your hard work on this. We are delighted with the web site and very much appreciate the speed that you completed it, and your patience. We will continue to use you.” Susan Binnersley, MD, New Leaf

“Bivouac were great at coming up with creative ideas and a fantastic design for our new brochure, despite having a very short timescale. They went out of their way to make sure we got exactly what we wanted and I will definitely be using them again.” Charlotte Sutton, ACIM, Marketing Executive, Beacon Dodsworth

"It was a joy to work with Bivouac. Not only did they respond creatively to the original brief but intuitively understood what we were aiming at, what atmosphere we were trying to create in the Mill, which was so successfully translated into her graphic design. Their co-ordination of all the different processes, in order to keep to a very tight schedule, was excellent, and I was particularly impressed by the attention to detail that Kate and her colleagues brought to the entire project." Paul Bisson, Gayle Mill Manager

"Working with Bivouac has proven to be one of the best decisions we have made as a starting business. Kate took a lot of time immersing herself into our area, and came up with exactly the kind of design we had been looking for. Interacting with her was always a great joy, and she was routinely generous with her time, ideas and advice. We are very grateful for all her help, and will certainly work with Bivouac again in the future." Dr Beatrice Szczepek Reed, Pronuntia Speech and Language Consultants

"Bivouac have worked with me on numerous clients' design and have always come up top. From Art and About's colourful web site to a full range for Twigs 4 Kids, Kate has always fully understood the client's needs and brought magic into the design. Not only that, but Bivouac are a happy, friendly and fun company to work with. Design is always excellent and work is always on time. I can't recommend them highly enough." Rebecca Horner, Managing Director,  Kickstart Marketing

"Kate became a full partner in our projects providing help and support beyond the call of duty – as well as splendid graphic design!" Joe Cutting

"Working with Bivouac has been a creative revolution!" Ric Blenkharn, Director, Bramhall Blenkharn

"Branding is fundamental to the success of our residential development business. Bivouac showed great clarity and dynamism in communicating the identity and designs to us as a client and to our market through different media types. (Kate) is someone that is on the pulse of the customer and that is reflected by the high level of positive response we have had already for our product. That aside, Kate is fun to work with and fits well into the marketing team" Tom Welch, Co-Founder, StudioLiving Ltd, pad25 and pad55

"Working with Kate on the Moving Stories website and the NRM Annual Review has been a pleasure. We formed a good working relationship in which there was an easy dialogue between designer and client. Kate's elegant design reflected our brief, and showed an understanding of the message we wanted to relate and the media we had chosen to use." Chris Mossop, Design Manager, National Railway Museum

“Twigs 4 Kids are extremely grateful to Bivouac for all their hard work. At a time when we were re-branding we had a name, product and little else. Bivouac presented us with a new logo, a vibrant website design and a fabulous brochure. We put our trust in them and they always do us proud. We look forward to a long and prosperous working relationship with Bivouac!" Jo Branch, Managing Director, Twigs 4 Kids

"Bivouac has been an excellent choice of design company for Wetherby Racecourse and has provided us with just the branding image we were looking for. The relationship between the Racecourse and Bivouac has developed seamlessly. Nothing is ever too much trouble and Kate's ease at getting it right first time has been exceptional. Above all the service is friendly and reliable, with quality work submitted on every occasion." Angela Anders, Sales and Marketing Manager, Wetherby Racecourse

"Bivouac has provided an invaluable design service to YORKTEST for over 7 years. Providing quality design solutions for a variety of activities – from direct response ads to packaging and literature – all to tight deadlines and to budget. A consistently professional, and pleasurable company to work with." Deborah Goodall, Marketing Manager, YORKTEST Laboratories

"Bivouac brought inspired creativity to the project and understood precisely the look and feel we wanted to achieve for our identity. We received a professional and friendly service and will certainly recommend Bivouac to others." Tamsin Higgins, Creative Director, Tom Higgins Retail, Interiors and Exhibits

"Bivouac delivered exactly what Pepik required in terms of logo, product and website design. The service was quick and most importantly they listened to our requirements and gave us what we wanted – first time!" Claire Phillips, Managing Director, Pepik

Click here to view our client list

We like to form good, solid, and trusting working relationships with our clients, many of whom regard us as part of their own teams, contacting us when they have an idea, or when they need advice and guidance about a potential new project.

We pride ourselves on having clients who come back to us again and again, and who will happily recommend our services.

Give us a ring on 01904 679305 to find out more, or to arrange a visit to the studio.