Grey areas, Technicolour thinking
Leap | B Corp Design & Impact Agency
Ignite the creative change our planet needs*
On challenging and changing perceptions, looking at one of the most famous symbols in the world, pod recommendations — and — is purple even real?
In a flash ??
STUDIO
It’s live! (Selfridges’ latest sustainability report that is)
This report marks a new visual and evolved strategic direction for Selfridges, aligning their efforts under the Reselfridges subbrand. It has been our absolute pleasure to support the team on the narrative strategy, writing and design over the past few months.?
To us, they are a glowing example of an organisation that is willing to look at their results and goals, learn from them, share with transparency, recalibrate and keep going. With a vision to reinvent retail, Selfridges consistently show real leadership and work to change the standard within their industry.?
Finding more at the Lost Gardens of Heligan
We felt very lucky to get to spend time at the incredible The Lost Gardens of Heligan during a couple of research trips last week. Both the gardens themselves, and the team with their deep expertise and passion, are absolute treasure troves of knowledge, heritage, magical experiences and discoveries. A highlight for all of us was head gardener Nicola taking us behind the scenes to Heligan’s incredible seed library, where dried flowers and rows of jars filled with heirloom beans, peas and seeds line the walls. A place where the cycle of growth both ends and starts again each year.
New client spotlight: Social Value International (SVI)
A warm welcome aboard the Leap ship to Social Value International (SVI).
SVI recently launched the Impact Valuation Hub — a collaborative initiative aiming to expand the use of impact valuation among private investors.
‘What is Impact Valuation?’, you might ask.. It’s a way of measuring the positive and negative effects of a business or investment on people, planet, and the economy. It goes beyond financial performance to take into account things like carbon emissions, biodiversity impacts, or contributions to community wellbeing.
For investors, this helps them make better decisions by showing the true value of their investments — not just the profit, but the full impact on society and the environment.
We’re especially excited to support SVI’s work, as they’re also a key partner of another Leap client, Capitals Coalition . They’re both driving a movement for better accounting and incorporating nature, people, and communities into decision-making. Supporting these connections and cross-collaborations is exactly the kind of work we’re passionate about.
Christmas break
Yes, we’re mentioning the C-word in November. Because we actually only have 18 working days left until the Leap studio will shut for a few days to give the crew a well earned break and chance to disconnect from their screens and make time for human connection, rest, and hopefully some fun and time in nature.
The studio will be closed from 25th of December to 1st of January — back in on the 2nd.
If you need our help on any last minute projects, we do have some small pockets of time available before the break. Give us a shout and we’ll do our best to fit them in or schedule more time in the new year.
INSPIRATION
Peace out
You might have come across the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)'s recent rebrand, but do you know the story behind their iconic symbol?
The CND symbol representing peace and a nuclear-free future, is one of the most widely known symbols in the world. In Britain it is recognised as standing for nuclear disarmament – and in particular as the logo of the CND. In the rest of the world it is known more broadly as the peace symbol. This emblem of peace also inspired our own logo mark.
It was designed in 1958 by Gerald Holtom, a professional designer and artist. He explained that the symbol incorporated the semaphore letters N(uclear) and D(isarmament).?
“I was in despair. Deep despair. I drew myself: the representative of an individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya’s peasant before the firing squad. I formalised the drawing into a line and put a circle around it”.
Matt recommends: Leading by Nature pod
In this special end-of-year episode, Giles Hutchins brings together?the worlds of business and nature. He highlights how we can cultivate future-fit leadership and organisational development to help our organisations thrive in an increasingly complex world.
As Giles notes, 'Those organisations best able to thrive amid rising complexity will be tomorrow's success stories, those that don't will be yesterday's news.'?
It's time to 'adapt or die', by learning to work the way nature works.
Age-positive image library
Is ageism the last socially accepted prejudice..? This new free image library from Age Without Limits is a bank of age-positive images that showcase a more diverse and positive reality of aging to challenge stereotypes. Representation matters — more of this please.
SENSES
The colour purple: it’s all in your mind
Did you know purple is different to all other colours — in a very cool way? Unlike red, blue, or green, which correspond to specific wavelengths of light, purple is a non-spectral colour — it doesn’t exist on the spectrum of visible light. Instead, it’s created by your brain when it combines signals from red and blue light receptors in your eyes.
Interesting right? It’s a reminder that colours aren’t just ‘there’ — they’re constructs of our minds, blending physics and biology into the Technicolour world we see.
Johanna under the ice
“There is no place for fear," "No place for panic. No place for mistakes. Under the ice, you need total control.” Finnish freediver Johanna Nordblad holds the world record for a 50-meter dive under ice. This beautiful short film by director and photographer Ian Derry is a sensory experience and an amazing story to boot.
Want more? Check out the Netflix documentary about Johanna’s story — highly recommended if you haven’t seen it.
Thanks for reading! Let us know what you think in the comments.
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