News and comment

After 16 years and 11k+ posts, we have deactivated the GDA account on Twitter / X. Our followers can catch up with our latest news and comments [...]

Design and production of an aluminium tray sign at the start point of the Woodland Walk at Hatfield Park. GDA has been working with their property and [...]

This works. Large format matt white vinyl graphics applied to blue-painted 2440mm high hoarding for the Ascots Green housing development in Welwyn Garden City. We had three [...]

Good to see our wayfinding signs and vehicle windscreen stickers at the 'Landies On The Lawn' event staged at Hatfield Park. This successful inaugural show celebrates [...]

Kings, a Hertfordshire-based estate agent, asked GDA to refresh their brand. We first worked with the startup Kings team back in 2003. The latest logotype, which retains [...]

I recently got to tour the Anlaby Road site of the old Hull Art College. The building for the past twenty years has been home to the [...]

The Visitor Operations team at Hatfield Park wanted to use images in their workspace. GDA selected three images from their portfolio and produced printed vinyl large format [...]

As of April 6 2024, employees can apply for flexible working from their first day in a job. This is known as ‘making a statutory application.’ Flexible [...]

Architectural lighting specified by GDA is part of the refurbishment of The Riding School. This unique venue hosts conferences and events and is set within the stunning [...]

GDA designed and project managed the build of the exhibition stand for Hatfield Park at Confex 2024. Staged at ExCel in London, the show attracts hospitality and [...]

Family Lives, a charity based in Hertfordshire, approached GDA to design and produce graphics for the ground floor windows of their new office space. We highlighted the [...]

GDA was commissioned to design a brand identity for JC Oakenfull Excavation, a Hertfordshire-based company. The logotype has since been applied to the plant, workwear and printed [...]

Another year, another printed calendar for Eastern Concrete. This 2024 desktop version features people shots. Staff across different teams in the organisation going about their work. As [...]

GDA managed the production and installation of these large-format printed graphics to oak timber posts at two main truck road locations. The graphics, featuring hand-drawn illustrations, supplied [...]

We were commissioned to design and project manage a cycle store at Hatfield Park. The new visitor facility is within a purpose-built weatherproof timber frame building. [...]

With a one-month turnaround, GDA designed and managed the conversion of the old porters' lodge at Fore Street, Old Hatfield into a takeout coffee shop. Working with [...]

Working with the team at Law Farming and our sign contractor, GDA designed and managed the application of branded graphics for their impressive Fendt 9T combine [...]

Working with the landlord, GDA designed and managed the fascia graphics for York House, for the tenant Sustain Coffee. The cutout matt vinyl graphics look sharp against [...]

Working with the client and contractor, GDA specified and installed a Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan R32 air source heat pump for a 3-bedroom property refurbishment. The work included [...]

GDA was commissioned to design and produce a selection of large-format printed graphics for the Estate Office at Hatfield House. Images and OS map of the [...]

Bradley James Hair commissioned GDA to design and produce the fascia signage and windows graphics for their new retail unit. We designed their branding 20 years ago [...]

The parochial church council commissioned GDA to design a symbol for St Faith church, Kelshall, Cambridgeshire. The church dates from between 1380 and 1430. It has a distinctive [...]

We are project managing a number of contractors, manufacturers and suppliers on this property refurbishment project. The winter weather did not stop deliveries, although a week of [...]

We're project managing the design and refurbishment of this 3-bedroom lodge house on the edge of Hatfield Park. Strip-out and demolition successfully completed. The contractors have started [...]

GDA designed and managed the supply and fitting of new vinyl graphics to the Peugeot Expert van for K. R. Smith, a local contractor who works with [...]

We're seeing EV charging stations rapidly expanding across the workplace. GDA designed and produced these aluminium powder-coat signs to clearly mark the five wall-mount electric charge bays [...]

Start-up business Caroline K recently commissioned GDA to design a logo/brand and roll it out across various print, signage and digital. Seen here is the signage installed to [...]

Good to see the new signage roll out at East Herts Golf Club. We worked closely with the club in designing the signage across the grounds. Our [...]

We get asked if purchasing extra domain names and pointing them to a website improves your SEO. A decade ago we would have said yes. However, search [...]

GDA designed and managed the production and installation of this clean looking signage for the New Horizon Crossfit gym. We specified fret cut aluminium letters finished in [...]

We attended the 20th-anniversary event staged by Eastern Concrete at RAF Bentwaters, Suffolk. The family day included driving experiences of their impressive fleet of concrete-mix trucks, bulk semi-trailers, [...]

Set against the stone facade to York House, this architectural directory signage in aluminium works. We specified the Artemis system with matt black vinyl cutout graphics. There are no [...]

The Green Man at Mill Green, Hertfordshire is a newly refurbished and rebuilt character Grade II listed pub. GDA was commissioned by Gascoyne Estates to design and [...]

As an agency, we create a lot of content, sometimes seemingly too much. However, we cannot afford to mislay or lose files or data, even concepts and [...]

Working with the landlord of the building, we produced and installed these large-format window graphics for the new tenant, Sustain Coffee, specialist coffee roasters. Using Contra-vision, a one-way [...]

As part of the refurbishment project of a characterful historic two-bedroom garden flat split over two levels, we had made this trapezoid-shaped cushion for a first-floor window [...]

Sharing large files in an email is not the best. Most mail servers have file size caps, spam filters and are sometimes not secure. As an agency, [...]

The family recently came across these brushes and tools, some hand-made, that belonged to our grandfather, Charles Gardiner. He was a signwriter for Hull Corporation on their [...]

East Herts Gold Club approached GDA in Autumn 2020 to redesign their logo, saying it was out-of-date and poorly executed. The existing logo included an illustration of [...]

This kitchen installation is part of the modernisation of a period residential property we carried out for Gascoyne Estates. Just one of a number we are working [...]

Traffic signs seen here located at the exit of a popular visitor attraction, designed and produced by GDA to the specification agreed between the Highways Authority and [...]

Installation of forty matt black self-adhesive vinyl manifestations to the glass doors and windows at the Coach House Kitchen, Hatfield Park. Manifestations are graphics that provide visual markers for glass [...]

Design services and project management is something we provide to estate management clients. This six-month project involves extensive refurbishment and remodelling of a high profile 3-bedroom period [...]

This week, after four intensive months, DigiHaul moved into their new workspace on the Hatfield Park Estate. GDA, the project manager for the landlord Gascoyne Estates, worked closely [...]

Proofreading is the final step before going to print or publication. Usually undertaken by the client or author checking proofs/artwork for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and consistency. It [...]

Piper Stafford came to us for a brand identity for their startup business. Working closely with the two partners, GDA designed and produced a clean, confident flat design logotype using [...]

The fixed office is evolving, not dead. The pandemic has only fastened changes as we use connected technology to work whenever and wherever we are. Forward-thinking businesses [...]

GDA work with amateur sports clubs on branding and digital marketing. Our designs of club sportswear connect and engages with members and sponsors, giving greater access to [...]

As we go into Lockdown 3, we're again encouraging organisations to use this time creativity in getting your message across to your customers and colleagues. Be clear [...]

You'll need to know about your data protection now the transition period has ended. Even if you don't trade outside the UK, chances are your Cloud IT [...]

Signwriting by GDA of the Hatfield Park brand to the estate work vehicles. Output in gold and matt white cutout vinyl and applied to the front driver [...]

Work to the refurbishment of offices and workshop has come to an end. GDA project managed the design and fit-out of the dilapidated building on a farm. [...]

We occasionally get asked about units of paper quantity for print orders; what is a ream of paper?, what is a short ream?... here's a simple guide [...]

Buying creative services, printed matter and media can be daunting and avoidable mistakes costly. Knowing your file type helps ensure accuracy when outputting your brand and message across traditional [...]

Terranova Italian, who'd been closed by the lockdown, came to us for window vinyl graphics to promote their 'Pizza and Beer' take-away soft reopening. We designed and [...]

GDA work with Farmers. We designed and managed the print of sets of branded stickers for the vehicles and plant of the Law Farming Group. The die-cut [...]

COVID-19 has changed the way we work as we plan to return to the workspace. Things will be different with new protocols and ways of working in [...]

Working from home has always been divisive with some style of management seemingly not trusting of their colleagues. Covid-19 pandemic forced the issue on all of us, [...]

I was fortunate to meet Hugh Casson back in the late 80s, an influential architect, designer, artist and writer of his time. My father, E. Chas. Gardiner [...]

Having engaging content on your website is really important, however, it can easily become out of date and there comes a time when you need to decide [...]

The recent BBC Easy Ways to Live Well article indicates over 15 million people in the UK spend half the day being sedentary. That’s sitting in a [...]

Just as people expect Wi-Fi everywhere, they now expect to charge their phone too. We source and supply well-designed good quality ranges of wireless, tabletop, recessed and [...]

Simple hand-drawn scamps are 'roughs' that creatives use when working on project concepts and ideas. It’s a sketch of an idea and represents how the concept works. When [...]

We got asked by the local parish church, St Etheldreda's, to design a cover for their new CD 'A snapshot of life at'. Profits from its sale [...]

Homeowners will be allowed to carry on building large house extensions without full planning permission under the Permitted Development Rights after the government announced it was making [...]

Contract interior project completed with the addition of a stylish upholstered wire-base sofa and oak tripod floor light with a woven fabric shade. The additional lighting, use [...]

Our brand started out in 1985 with a yellow identity which was perfect for the time. By the mid-90s we moved to a blue palette that saw [...]

I first met Jim Downer, an exhibition designer, when at T&G Display Studios in the late 1970s. My memory is of visits to his meticulously organised north [...]

Interesting read in the just-published report into the proposed development of the 'A414 corridor' through Hertfordshire. This sixth Infrastructure Charrette session was hosted in February by one [...]

We were approached by Eastern Concrete to design and produce this case study for their upcoming pitch for the Sizewell C nuclear power station building project. The [...]

Our client asked for a new 'welcome' graphic to their office reception space. Our design of this 900mm x 1800mm large format graphic panel comprises of the [...]

Last week saw the completion of new modern office space within a period building. Our client was looking at expansion into a dilapidated building that adjoins [...]

With Yoast and others now recommending moving to WordPress 5.0 and start using Gutenberg we are planning on updating all our client websites during the next round of [...]

Gifted two wonderful books both from the London Transport Museum shop at Covent Garden. A Logo For London by David Lawrence writes about the origin and development [...]

Problems with the embedded Google map displaying on your website? Google recently relaunched its Maps Platform and, as of July 2018, you must add and enable a credit/debit card to your [...]

Our team lead Andrew worked with the iconic Woolmark brand back in the late 1970s as a then-junior team member at T&G Display Studios. T&G [...]

Got along to the Coal Drops Yard redevelopment at Kings Cross N1C. Designed by Heatherwick Studio the two 19th-century coal warehouses reach out and touch one another. Liking [...]

It’s here, our new 20-page responsive WordPress website, designed on the premium Avada theme. The site has much-improved navigation and is now Google mobile-friendly resizing automatically on the most commonly used [...]

We design and produce all types of signage and wayfinding. The signage program for the Royal National Rose Society includes aluminium composite panels affix to timber posts [...]

We've been commissioned to design and develop the brand identity for Lite Business Solutions, a recent setup business. The logotype is formed of the simple legible Univers sans [...]

Photography by GDA for client Herts Clinic. They required images to use across print, graphics, social media and website. Taken at their clinic, we produced what we set out to [...]

Another delivery of Herman Miller office furniture specified and managed by GDA. The consignment includes modular desk systems, task chairs, soft seating and breakout furniture and a [...]

Got along to the excellent private view at the Eagle Gallery, Bedford - friend and colleague Andrew Naish was staging the one-man art show of his paintings. Andrew [...]