CASE STUDIES

• Add Juice
• AG Design
• Altcom Ltd
• Atlantic FM
• Business Cornwall
• Channel Computing
• Clarity
• Design for Sport
• German IT Development
• Go24
• InfoTeam
• IntoArt Solutions LLP
• Leap Media
• Niddocks
• Outside the Box
• Richard Quick Design
• Roskear Holdings
• Seed Brand Communications
• Webfooted Designs
• Wild Card PR

REPORTS

ICT and Media

Overveiw
With twelve years of design work under his belt, Matt Hocking had been involved in a number of significant branding, graphic and consultancy projects for high profile clients such as Sky, AOL, Lego and Nortel Networks. However, it was not until he became involved with the Eden Project that Matt was able to put his lifelong passion for the environment into the contemporary design process. As a result, all of Eden's internal design projects are sourced from recyclable materials. Buoyed on by the success of his green design initiatives at Eden, Matt subsequently began to develop his own design business dedicated to the environment and sustainable practices.

Leap Media began its life in Wiltshire, but Matt is Cornish born and thought that his home county would provide the perfect platform to build his business due to its renewed interest in creativity through regeneration and sustainable thinking. "I decided working in an inspirational and supportive environment was going to be key to making the business a success. Cornwall is the perfect location for our business as we have access to an infinite resource of people, partners and places that complement the work we undertake. What I love about Cornwall has really become Leap's muse."

Leap Media's mission is to employ the most environmentally sound, sustainable practices to meet the needs of its diverse client base without compromising the health of the planet and future generations, combined with award winning design.

"We wanted to ensure that what we deliver is more than just a sound bite, and actually makes a measurable difference. We apply triple bottom line accountability to every aspect of the business, ensuring we maintain social, environmental and economic balance. We are not only about design - but also the bigger picture - which is a win-win for both our clients and the environment. We say to all our clients (whether they are already a close friend of green ideas or a sceptical stranger) that we will acquaint them more closely with sustainability, at a pace which suits them".

The company ensures it leads by example: Leap is a carbon zero company, reducing its carbon output and offsetting any CO2 residue. Leap also only banks ethically with Triodos and the Cooperative and uses 100% renewable energy from Good Energy to fuel its fire. Leap is presently working towards ISO14001 environmental accreditation this allows the company to monitor and manage its environmental impact within both its premises and its supply chain.

Clients
Since its inception in 2004, Leap has continued to grow whilst retaining 99% of their client base in the same period. This is not only a testament to the quality of the projects and service created, but also demonstrating the positive relationships the company has developed with new and established businesses across the UK who want to adopt a greener attitude.

Clients include: The Eden Project, Wrigley, Universal Jazz, Microsoft, Brainstorm TV, The National Trust, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Good Energy, Devon County Council, Cornwall County Council, Global Action Plan, ReZolve, ReMaDe Kernow, Save the Children, The Shelterbox Trust and lots of small, start up businesses like The Olive Cafe, Emma's Home and The Clothing Exchange.

Recognition & Awards
In May 2008 Leap were recognised at the Southwest's first Carbon Positive Awards for their "commitment over the last 24 months to significantly reducing the carbon footprint of their premises and business output, but also those of their clients."

In December 2007 Leap added to their long list of awards by winning best small business at The Cornwall Sustainability Awards and in 2006 won Best in show at Cornwall Design Week for their Recycle for Cornwall campaign.

Support
Matt added, "It was important that we hit the ground running when we moved to Cornwall. We wanted to grow our client base quickly while ensuring we continued to deliver high quality sustainably led design. We contacted Cornwall Pure Business who put us in touch with Actnow who provided us with a broadband subsidy."

Additionally, Cornwall Pure Business introduced the company to Unlocking Cornish Potential with regard to recruiting a graduate. Claire England from St. Austell was recruited in 2006 from Bath University's Graphic Design Course. Cornwall Pure Business also put them in touch with business mentors who have been invaluable: "Networking has also been essential in developing the business. Cornwall has a number of really useful business networks which not only provide support but also are potential clients as well."

Workforce
Matt is by no means alone; Leap Media currently employs four full time and three part time members of staff and uses a number of freelancers to support its ever-increasing workload.