November 2021
CORPORATE EXCELLENCE AWARDS WINNER
We are very honored to welcome another award to our name, this time for ‘Best Boutique Web Design Agency 2022’ at the Corporate Excellence Awards. The judges were impressed with our services output, customer service & reviews, reputation in the industry and aftercare services. Once again this all would not be possible without our amazing client base, so thank you to everyone who supports us each and every day.
June 2021
TOP 20 CEO IN UK!!
WOW what can we say, our very own CEO being voted as one of the ‘Top 20 Dynamic CEO’s in the UK’ by the world magazine CEO Publication. With over 10yrs in the industry our work and reputation at GillGraphics has provided Paul the staus of being a Pioneer in Branding and Graphic Design Services!
April 2021
MARKETING AGENCY OF THE YEAR… AGAIN!
We have only done it again! A small independent company based in the little town of Halifax winning ‘Marketing Agency of the Year’ for the second year running! at the Leeds and West Yorkshire Prestige Awards. All we can say is thankyou to all our amazing clients who have helped shape our company and reputation to where it is today.
Feb 2021
BUSINESS2HOST LTD – TAKEOVER!!
The new year is off to a flying start, as GillGraphics are very pleased to announce we have just purchased the UK hosting company, Business2Host Ltd.
We aim to revolutionise how web hosting is run and managed, and will be introducing our vast array of high quality services including design, SEO, web development, and social media management to Business2Host Ltd. This means that all clients within the company will have access to all of these services and support from our team.
This expansion will bring us a wide range of new clients located all around the UK, all to help to spread our reputation far and wide.
We’d like to welcome all of our new clients to the GillGraphics family!
JANUARY 2021
TOP 3’ WINNER FOR 6th TIME
It’s been a great start to the year, as we have yet again been awarded the ‘Top 3 Website Designers in Halifax’ award for the 6th year in a row! The ‘Top 3’ awards are chosen by a team of judges based on portfolio quality, customer service, client reviews and general marketing & branding, so it’s great to have won this for the 6th time. The question now is, will we get a 7th?
April 2020
MARKETING AGENCY OF THE YEAR!!
We are EXTREMELY happy to announce that we have won ‘Marketing Agency of the Year’ at the Leeds and West Yorkshire Prestige Awards. The winners are chosen by a team of judges looking at each company’s level of experience, portfolio, reviews and overall branding.
The award ceremony is still yet to be announced due to the current virus situation, however, we are very much looking forward to receiving our award. Best start writing our speech!
JANUARY 2020
5TH YEAR IN A ROW
It’s been an exciting start to the year as we have been awarded the ‘Top 3 Website Designers in Halifax’ award for the 5th year in a row.
These awards are chosen by evaluating a company’s portfolio quality, customer service, client reviews and general marketing & branding.
JANUARY 2019
NEW IMPROVED STUDIO WEBSITE
Up to this point, over 100 websites have been created by the GillGraphics studio, however, one website in particular has continually been put on the back burner – the GillGraphics company website itself!
Paul knew it was time for the site to be upgraded to reflect the myriad of new services on offer, therefore, between Christmas 2018 and New Year 2019, the new site you see before you today was developed and born.
DECEMBER 2018
REDBOX VEHICLE MARKETING OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED
Since 2014, Paul and Darren have also co-owned a small sideline company called Redbox Vehicle Marketing, which specialises in offering marketing solutions solely for the motor trade industry. The company had grown over the years, purely by word of mouth, but was never fully launched until December 2018 with the advent of a brand new website.
MAY 2018
SOCIAL FISH MEDIA WAS LAUNCHED
One major element Paul and the team took away from the NBE18 event was that more and more companies are now looking for Social Media and Marketing services. With this in mind, the sub-company, Toxic Fish Media, was rebranded into Social Fish Media with the aim of specialising in Social Media Management services.
APRIL 2018
EXHIBITED AT THE NBE 2018 SHOW
In April 2018, Paul was approached to exhibit at the Northern Business Exhibition (NBE) in Manchester, one of the largest business exhibition events in the UK. With over 6000 visitors, this opportunity was not to be missed so with just four short weeks to prepare, Paul and the team designed and put together their very first trade stall.
Paul, Darren and Michael did an excellent job over the two-day event and collected over 400 business cards from companies all over the UK, as well as a list of over 900 companies looking for marketing advice and work. They were also voted as one of the top five stand designs at the show. Not bad for their first-ever stall!
DECEMBER 2017
JOINED BNI – RESIDENT WEBSITE DESIGNER
With their reputation growing strongly in Halifax for high-quality services and excellent and honest customer care, GillGraphics was invited to a local business networking group called BNI Two Valleys.
Featuring the very best local businesses in a wide variety of sectors, BNI quickly offered GillGraphics a place as resident web designers and the offer was readily accepted.
OCTOBER 2017
NEW OFFICE – HOLMFIELD MILLS
With the company’s growth jumping forward month after month, Paul knew that extra helping hands would be required to keep on top of the ever-increasing workload. With this in mind, a larger office space was required. After a long search around Halifax and the surrounding area, a new home was finally found at Holmfield Mills, HX3 6SN.
SEPTEMBER 2017
UKFAST PARTNERSHIP
In September 2017, Paul began a partnership with leading UK hosting provider UKFast, as he knew that the quality of web hosting was a major factor to the overall performance and success of a website. UKFast’s dedicated server system ensured lightning fast speeds, high security and industry-leading hosting features for all GillGraphics clients.
AUGUST 2017
TOXIC FISH MEDIA LAUNCHED IN BURNLEY
Always on the lookout for how to expand the company and ultimately gain more traffic and business leads, Paul set up a new company called Toxic Fish Media along with friend and work colleague, Darren.
The company was launched in Burnley with the aim to gain new clients from that side of the valley, whilst GillGraphics continued to grow in Halifax.
MARCH 2017
THE FIRST AWARD!!
March 2017 brought the most amazing surprise to the GillGraphics team – the call confirming they had won the 2017 UK Enterprise Award for ‘Best Web Design Boutique’ in West Yorkshire. Not bad from a company just 6 years old and with only 3 members of staff!
MAY 2016
ARLO ARRIVED!
May 2016 brought the arrival of what is now the most loved member of the team and, in many aspects, the face of the company – the company dog, Arlo, a Japanese Spitz/Toy Poodle. Arlo has been with us in the office since the tender age of 3 months and is always ready to go out on the road with Paul for various projects and printing delivery runs. He also loves going along to meetings with clients, who often have treats and toys awaiting his arrival.
MARCH 2016
MOVED TO HALIFAX
Ultimately, however, in March 2016, already with a large list of clients around Todmorden and Hebden Bridge, Paul decided it was time to spread the company’s wings and move further into a larger customer area. Therefore, within just a few weeks, a new home at The Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre in Halifax was found.
DECEMBER 2016
OFFICE REBUILD
Towards the end of 2015, Paul knew that the office layout and styling were letting the company down; therefore, decided to completely rebuild and redecorate the office over the Christmas and New Year’s break. This included an updated kitchen and bathroom, colour branded walls and mounted screens. They even built custom made desks for the main room, all ready for a fresh start in 2016.
JANUARY 2013
UPGRADED BRANDING & OFFICE SIGNS
Over the Christmas break, entirely fresh branding was created, including a new website, new office signs and even custom company clothing. Paul and the team made sure that free pens and t-shirts were given to as many businesses, pubs and clubs around the area as possible, ultimately helping cement the reminder that GillGraphics was the place to go for leading web and graphic design.
AUGUST 2012
PROMO LETTER MARKETING
By August 2012, the company was growing nicely, but slowly. Paul decided to hit all the local companies in one go and developed a friendly marketing plan to get his company known amongst local businesses. After just 3 days, each and every local small business was personally handed a marketing envelope containing a pen, a wristband, advertisement flyers and a private invitation to a free 1 hour marketing session.
The success of this campaign took the team by surprise and resulted in providing the studio with work for the next 2 years!
JULY 2011
KEYS TO THE FIRST OFFICE
Only a few months after GillGraphics was launched, Paul knew that the vehicle signage wouldn’t be enough advertisement and that an office in town would be required to help generate new business. After a weekend of searching and asking around at the nearby pubs, an office was found and a deposit is quickly given. This would become the home of GillGraphics for the next five years.
MAY 2011
THE FIRST ADVERTISING
WWith the new company now registered, it was time to get the name out around the local area. With the help of Keith at Affordable Signs in Todmorden, the company’s first branding and advertisement was added to Paul’s car
Checkout the old original logo of the company!
APRIL 2011
THE JOURNEY BEGINS…
Way back in April 2011, after returning from university, Paul Gill began applying for work as a graphic designer, only to discover that the design industry was full of companies only hiring individuals with previous experience. Undaunted, Paul decided to set up his own agency, gain his own experience and ultimately take on the companies who had previously turned him down. And so, GillGraphics was born.