Azam Marketing have been building brand identities, websites and both digital and print marketing materials for organisations around the world since 1997. Day-in day-out, the specialists in our design department work on our clients’ branding, ensuring it projects them in the way they would like to be seen and contributes towards their growth.

In this case study we share an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at one of the hundreds of design projects we have worked on, creating the brand identity for Hewitt Venture Group (HVG).

Part 2 of this series will follow next week, in which we give an insight into the next stages of our work for Hewitt Venture Group, which included designing and building their website, penning content and setting-up their email marketing infrastructure.

Background

Hewitt Venture Group is an international property investment and development firm with ambitious expansion goals. Their mission is to enable individuals and businesses to buy, build, expand, manage and sell property assets, providing both hands-on and hands-off income generation opportunities.

HVG appraised different design and website development agencies to provide a range of services for them. Eventually, after considering several agencies, they decided to hire Azam Marketing.

The journey would commence with designing an identity – a logo – for both digital and print use.

Our Process

Whenever we begin any assignment, our specialists like to meet the individuals involved – ideally in person – for detailed consultations. The purpose of these meetings is to keenly understand their target audience, markets and goals, and explore how they would like to be perceived.

In the case of Hewitt Venture Group, we travelled to Canary Wharf in east London to meet the client at their offices.

HVG explained to us they required a brand that would convey trust, growth and innovation, while projecting competence and clarity to investors and partners across the globe.

The client relayed their preferences in terms of style, colour, typography and imagery. However, they said they were open to our expert input and guidance, recognising Azam Marketing’s experienced brand specialists would be able to improve upon initial ideas or suggest new approaches to create their ideal identity.

Follow-up in-person and remote meetings took place throughout the project, allowing us to refine and adjust our approach in close collaboration with HVG.

The creative process was led by Darren, Azam Marketing’s long-standing logo design guru. Darren has created and refined identities for hundreds of brands, including some of the world’s biggest companies.

Darren created multiple concept iterations and, with each design, got detailed feedback from Azam Marketing colleagues and Hewitt Venture Group. The initial sketches explored different ways of expressing structure, stability and partnership in a visual mark.

The concepts went through many rounds of refinements. See some of them below and press on any image to see it in a larger size in a new tab:

HVG reflected on different options: for instance, they were not sure if they wanted the shield on their logo to be created with straight or rounded lines or whether to have small image(s) – such as a crown, stars or dots – above the shield. They also mulled over the design of the interlocking keys within the shield and whether the shield’s background should be filled in with the gold or blue colour of the shield’s border or be blank.

We created different logos so they could see what their suggestions would look like.

Each round of design was reviewed by HVG, with our team providing feedback on what would best convey credibility and a presence in alignment with current design trends.

Our specialists used their decades of experience to guide the client toward design choices that better aligned with their objectives and market positioning. By way of an example, we explained that an unembellished, minimalist logo would project Hewitt Venture Group in a better light.

Through this iterative process, HVG’s original ideas evolved significantly. The logo, for instance, became simpler and cleaner.

Refining the Identity

As the logo and brand direction took shape, we developed a broader visual ecosystem. This included guidelines for typography, colour application, spacing and imagery. Specific colours and fonts were decided that would be utilised whenever designs were created for Hewitt Venture Group. Whether it was business cards, letterheads, email signatures, digital marketing materials, e-books or corporate gifts,every touchpoint would present a professional, cohesive brand.

Above: examples of iterative refinements, showing how the logo evolved through feedback sessions.

The Result

Creating the perfect logo is not a sprint but a marathon exercise. From the initial brief to the logo being finalised, the process involved creating over a hundred logos and took approximately three months.

The final logo is as simple and clean as possible, in line with contemporary design aesthetics. This simplicity and minimalism conveys Hewitt Venture Group to be a modern venture and provides versatility. The logo projects authority, trust and a modern approach. This aligns with the stated goal of appealing to well-to-do professionals who are interested in investing in property. 

The identity works across digital platforms, print collateral and client-facing materials, creating a consistent and recognisable presence worldwide.

Hewitt Venture Group has expressed delight with the final outcome. They were particularly appreciative of how our branding specialists used their experience to refine their initial ideas into a more suitable, polished ready identity. By the end of the process, the client acknowledged the end logo and visual identity represented them far more effectively than their initial specifications would have allowed.

Our efforts have ensured that the branding not only meets but exceeds the client’s expectations.

We are proud to present the final logo, in different guises, here:

We always provide completed logos to clients in multiple formats. Below you may see the .AI, .PNG and. SVG files for the digital version of HVG’s logo in their preferred dark blue and gold colours. We also sent the client several more files created with CMYK colours for them to be able to use for print designs.

The Perfect Brand Identity is Crucial for Success

A well-executed brand identity is more than a logo; it is the visual language through which an organisation communicates its values and expertise. For Hewitt Venture Group, the new identity reinforces credibility, builds trust with investors, and provides a foundation for all marketing and communications, both online and offline. It ensures the brand is immediately recognisable, consistent and adaptable to a variety of applications. It is a lynchpin supporting the long-term growth of the business.

Next Steps: The Website

Part 2 of this case study will focus on the design and development of the website and related assets for Hewitt Venture Group. It includes penning content for and designing the web pages, putting together downloadable guides, setting up the email marketing infrastructure, and configuring robust security systems. It will also reveal the client’s feedback on working with Azam Marketing’s staff.

Subscribe to our updates for the next instalment.

If you would like to learn more about how we turn a brand vision into finished products, visit our web and graphic design section here and explore our design portfolio here.

Ready to Create or Improve Your Brand?

Whether you are looking to create a new brand identity or refine an existing one, Azam Marketing’s experts can help. We specialise in digital and print branding, ensuring your visuals work seamlessly across all platforms.

Get in touch today via our online contact form or email [email protected] to discuss how we can help bring your brand to life.

In August 1997, long before social media platforms or smartphones existed, Azam Marketing was born with a bold vision: to harness the power of the internet to help businesses thrive.

We didn’t just adapt to digital: we started in it. In fact, having identified a niche in the market, we were proud to launch as the world’s first pure play full-service digital marketing, design and publishing agency. That meant we weren’t transitioning from traditional media or tacking digital on – it was in our DNA from day one.

Fast forward to 2025, from the days of dial-up to the age of AI, and Azam is celebrating a momentous 28 years in business. A lot has changed in that time – search engines, algorithms, trends, even the way we consume content – but some things have stayed the same.

Every day, our team continues to work with clients around the world, helping them grow their online presence. From managing social media campaigns to optimising websites, improving search marketing strategies to generating qualified leads, we’re proud to still be doing the work that drives results.

We’ve built affiliate programmes from the ground up, run award-winning campaigns for big brands, and helped scale start-ups and blue-chip brands alike. But beyond the results, what keeps us motivated is the relationships we’ve built and the trust our clients continue to place in us.

So today, as we mark 28 years of Azam Marketing, we want to say a heartfelt thank you. To the people who’ve hired us, referred us, collaborated with us, or even just followed our journey . . . you’ve helped shape who we are.

To celebrate this milestone, our Video Editors have put together the following little fun video.

What’s next for Azam Marketing? We’re doubling down on utilising cutting-edge tools and the latest AI innovations to produce ever better results for the organisations that depend on us. Our strapline is “simply results” and that’s what we focus on – no fluff, no excuses, just reaching the goals that our clients want.

We were ready to storm the world wide web in August 1997 and are equally ready in 2025 to capitalise on the potential of the internet to grow our clients’ businesses!

Contact us here to benefit from our team’s unmatched nearly-three decades of expertise.

Happy Birthday to yours truly! ??

Today marks a truly special occasion at Azam Marketing, as we celebrate our remarkable 27th anniversary. Since our inception in August 1997, we have been at the forefront of digital marketing and design, consistently pushing the boundaries of innovation and excellence.

To commemorate this significant milestone, our team is indulging in an abundance of delicious cake and joyous festivities. It’s a time for reflection, gratitude and celebration.

To mark the occasion, our Manager Nadeem has created a video expressing our deep gratitude for your unwavering support over the years. In the video, Nadeem captures the essence of what has kept Azam Marketing thriving through the decades: the extraordinary support from our friends, colleagues and clients.

For instance, around 90% of our work comes from people referring us to others. Please carry on recommending Azam Marketing to people who may benefit from our services.

Your trust and partnership have been instrumental in our journey, making us one of the very few internet businesses from 1997 that is still powering ahead in 2024:

Our journey over the past 27 years has been nothing short of incredible. From our humble beginnings to becoming a leader in the digital marketing and design industry, we have always prioritised innovation, quality and customer satisfaction. Each project, campaign, and client partnership has contributed to our rich tapestry of experiences, making us the masters in our areas of expertise that we are today.

We are proud to have been part of the internet evolution, witnessing and contributing to the growth and transformation of the digital landscape that dominates our lives today. Our commitment to staying ahead of the curve has enabled us to deliver outstanding results and drive success for clients.

We often hear feedback from people who employ our services that nobody they’ve previously dealt with comes close in terms of our reliability, availability, attention to detail, quality of output and ability to deliver results. That’s why we’ve had several clients employ our services for more than ten years and often twenty years!

As we celebrate this momentous occasion, we look forward to many more years of innovation, growth and success. Our dedication to excellence remains unwavering, and we are excited about the future possibilities.

Here’s to 27 incredible years . . . and many more to come!

We are thrilled to announce a momentous occasion as Azam Marketing marks our 26th anniversary this month!

Since being founded on 4 August, 1997, Azam Marketing has been at the forefront of cutting-edge marketing strategies and engaging design solutions, delivering remarkable results for businesses and other organisations across the globe.

As we celebrate this incredible milestone, we reflect on our journey that began in the nascent days of the world wide web in the 1990s, with a vision to utilise the internet to enable our clients to communicate more effectively with new and existing customers and receive more leads and sales.

Over the years, we have witnessed the blazing evolution of the internet and the ever-changing dynamics of the industry. Our team at Azam Marketing has worked tirelessly to adapt, innovate, and stay ahead of the curve, resulting in over a quarter of a century of success stories and client satisfaction.

Over those 26 years we have served more than 1,100 clients, built 500 websites, and generated $1.5 billion worth of sales.

Here’s a short promo video we have made to mark our 26th birthday:

Our obsession to prioritise the needs of our clients means that, as with the cobbler’s shoes, our own websites get neglected. However, we’re excited to reveal that, whenever they have time away from client projects, our team is beavering away designing a brand new corporate website for Azam Marketing that embodies the essence of our expertise and creativity. The new website will be much more modern and user-friendly than our current one, and will showcase the latest work we have done for our loyal clients.

Furthermore, we’ll be unveiling a series of new developments later this year. From ground-breaking marketing strategies to new tools to grow one’s presence online, our award-winning agency is committed to pushing boundaries and setting new benchmarks in our industry.

We owe our success to our amazing clients, partners, and the dedicated professionals who have been part of journey. Your trust and support have been the pillars of our growth over the last two and a half decades, and as we embark on Chapter 27, we promise to continue exceeding expectations and delivering excellence.

The journey so far has been incredible, and the road ahead looks even more promising.

Here’s to 26 incredible years . . . and to many more to come.

Thank you for being a part of our story.

Read how we marked our special Silver Anniversary last year here in this blog.

Our CEO, Nadeem Azam, was recently invited to be interviewed by GallantCEO, which profiles the world’s most successful CEOs.

As well as interviews with inspirational business leaders, the publication features news and information related to entrepreneurship and business.

Among other questions, Nadeem is asked to share his expertise on what entrepreneurs can do to boost their profits in the challenging months and years ahead.

He also reveals his favourite books and the three people, dead or alive, he’d most like to have dinner with.

Read the exclusive interview here on the GallantCEO website or scroll below for the questions and answers:

“Nadeem Azam – Azam Marketing – Enabling 2000 Businesses to Acquire More Customers

Nadeem Azam has been at the cutting-edge of entrepreneurship for over forty years and generated over £1.5 billion in sales for clients during his illustrious career.

He is also an experienced writer, having had his work extensively published in local and national press in the UK as well as several magazines and academic journals. His fiction and non-fiction is studied in schools and universities in the United States, Germany and other countries.

Nadeem Azam founded Azam Marketing, the world’s first full-service pure-play internet marketing and design agency in 1997.

The company is headquartered in Bloomsbury in central London and its corporate website is at https://www.azam.net .

Nadeem was a successful computer programmer in the 1980s in his childhood. In the 1990s, alongside his entrepreneurial initiatives in the IT field, he also enjoyed an acclaimed career as a writer and sub-editor at various British newspapers, magazines and journals.

Nadeem foresaw the decline of ‘old media’ and decided to pioneer an online business. Still thriving after a quarter of a century, Azam Marketing specialises in social media, search, email, and performance marketing, as well as website design and development, digital and print design, and business consultancy services.

The multi-award-winning agency’s has a roll call of clients in 32 countries around the world. These range from corporations such as Disney, Coca-Cola, Hilton, Warner Bros., Nike, Philips, Unilever and BT, to small and medium size companies and start-up businesses.

Nadeem is often invited to be interviewed on television and radio stations around the world to share his expertise and is highly-rated public speaker. These includes the likes of the BBC, where he has been interviewed multiple times on television and radio, and Sky News.

Nadeem we are delighted to share your knowledge, experience & insights with the GallantCEO audience. Let’s begin with a little introduction: tell our audience a bit about yourself and Azam Marketing?

I started working for my father’s business when I was nine years old and have never gotten off the treadmill of entrepreneurship since then.

I have always been passionate about information technology. I would programme computer games as a teenager and had considerable success selling them. After building my experience in publishing and IT, I launched Azam Marketing, the world’s first full-service pure-play internet marketing and design agency in 1997.

Over a quarter of a century later, I am still CEO of Azam Marketing. We specialise in search, email, social media, and performance marketing, as well as website development, digital and print design, business consulting, and corporate training.

We now have clients in 32 countries around the world. Our roll of clients has ranged from corporations such as Disney, Coca-Cola, Hilton, Warner Bros., Nike, Philips, Unilever, and BT, to small and medium size companies and start-up businesses.

2021 and 2022 have been tough years for businesses around the globe. In your experience can you share how they can prosper in 2023?

The challenges of the last few years have taught me a lot about the importance of resilience, adaptability and innovation. Businesses that are able to embrace these qualities will be well-positioned to succeed in 2023 and beyond.

Here are four key lessons businesses can learn from the past few years:

(1) Be adaptable: Businesses that were able to quickly adapt to changing circumstances during the pandemic were more likely to survive. We are heading into a recessionary environment going forward and, therefore, businesses should continue to be flexible and adaptable, anticipating changes in the market and responding accordingly.

(2) Embrace digitalisation: The pandemic accelerated the shift towards digitalisation, and businesses that embraced this trend were able to continue operating and serving their customers. Azam Marketing’s most successful clients are those organisations that invest in technology and digital tools to stay competitive.

(3) Prioritise customer experience: The pandemic and then the more recent ‘cost of living crisis’ has resulted in people becoming more selective and discerning about where they spent their money. In 2023 and beyond, businesses should prioritise customer experience by offering personalised, seamless, and convenient experiences.

(4) Build resilience: The pandemic was a stark reminder of the importance of resilience in the face of unexpected challenges. Businesses should build resilience by diversifying their revenue streams, building strong partnerships and relationships, and investing in their employees’ well-being and development.

The economy has been turned on its head in the wake of the pandemic. What should businesses focus on in 2023?

In the wake of the pandemic, businesses should focus on building and structuring their operations for long-term sustainability. I believe there are three specific areas businesses should focus on in 2023 and beyond, where relevant to them:

(1) Digital transformation: The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies and the shift to remote work. Businesses should focus on digital transformation, investing in technologies and tools that can help them streamline their operations, improve efficiency and enhance the customer experience.

(2) Supply chain management: The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have exposed vulnerabilities in global supply chains. Businesses should focus on building resilient supply chains by diversifying suppliers, reducing reliance on a single geographic region, and investing in technology and processes that can improve visibility and efficiency.

(3) Customer experience: The pandemic has fundamentally changed consumer behaviour and expectations. Businesses should focus on providing seamless and personalised customer experiences. Using data and analytics will help you better understand customer needs and preferences.

Many businesses went from working in the office to working at home. What are the pros and cons of working from home and have you any first-hand experience?

In over a quarter of a century of running Azam Marketing, we have tried different models of working, from full remote to full in-office to hybrid. We now adopt a flexible model.

The four key factors we consider are (1) the needs of our clients, (2) the needs of our staff, (3) productivity, and (4) employee well-being.

When I work from home, on the plus side I find I work more productively. I can focus on my work without as many distractions. However, running a company, I need to have very regular contact with my staff, clients, and business partners, and I don’t enjoy communicating with them only or mainly via email, telephone calls and Zoom meetings. I much prefer face-to-face contact. Therefore, personally, I am at my happiest when my colleagues and I are shooting the breeze in person!

The war between Russia and Ukraine has caused a rising effect on inflation. How can business owners combat the rise of inflation and what have you done that you can share?

Inflation is currently at or nearest its highest rate in many years in quite a few countries and it can be devastating for businesses.

Businesses need to do everything possible to tackle its persistence and maintain their margins. Some strategies they can employ include:

Negotiating prices: renegotiating and negotiating prices with suppliers or vendors of goods and services can help to mitigate the effects of inflation.

Adjust prices: businesses can adjust prices to reflect the increased cost of goods and services.

Trim the fat: ruthlessly reduce unnecessary expenditure. My company has helped our clients to slash their outgoings on things like Content Management Systems, Email Service Providers, telecommunications, advertising spend, etc. We have, for instance, procured similar tools and technologies to what they were previously using for them at much reduced costs. Or we have used our expertise to optimise their marketing campaigns to generate superior Return on Investments. We have saved some of our clients hundreds or thousands of pounds a month!

In the last five years, we have seen the rise of Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, NFTs, digital marketing and many more developments. What do you think will impact the world most in regard to online selling?

One of the biggest impacts on online selling in the coming years is likely to be the continued growth and adoption of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.

Blockchain technology enables secure and transparent transactions, making it an ideal solution for e-commerce platforms and online marketplaces. Cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum provide an alternative payment method that offers fast and low-cost transactions without the need for intermediaries such as banks or payment processors.

Another trend that is likely to have a significant impact on online selling is the continued rise of social media commerce and social commerce platforms. For Azam Marketing’s clients, social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook are growing in importance by the month, leading to ever-increasing sales.

In China, gargantuan volumes of sales occur within social media and communications apps, also known as ‘Super Apps’, such as WeChat. The ratio of eyeballs to sales in the equivalent apps in Europe and North America is considerably less – for instance, there are comparatively minuscule ratios of sales happening in WhatsApp – and therefore I see this as a huge avenue for growth in many parts of the world.

If you could have dinner with three people, dead or alive who would it be and why?

A tough question to only pick three!

I would choose these three figures from history:

Sun Tzu – the ancient Chinese military general and strategist. He is best known as the author of ‘The Art of War’, a treatise on military strategy, which is still studied in military academies around the world. I was intrigued by his book and would find it fascinating to have a conversation with this master tactician.

Alexander the Great – this Macedonian needs no introduction and was another formidable military strategist of course. I don’t think he’d enjoy his meal as I’d be firing questions at him to try to get an understanding of what made him the mind-blowing force he was.

Jesus (p) – talking of incredible figures, despite all the millions of words that have been written about him, we know relatively about Jesus. For instance, the Gospels don’t tell us much about his childhood. I’d give my right arm to know what made him the extraordinary being he was, what actually happened in his life, and the reality of the last few days of his tenure in this world.

Reading is still one of the most popular ways to learn anything. What is your most recommended book(s) by who and what did you learn from them?

David Allen’s Getting Things Done has spawned a whole industry within the field of productivity. The seminal guide has transformed the way I work. It has taught me to be much more effective and productive and to do my tasks while feeling less overwhelmed.

Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning is another of my favourite books. Frankl was a prominent Viennese psychiatrist but was interred in Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps. It is a remarkable tribute to hope and offers us an avenue to finding greater meaning and purpose in our own lives.

What is your purpose for getting out of bed each day and what do you aim to achieve in the future?

Our time on this earth is limited. Therefore, we need to make each and every day count. My raison d’etre is to play whatever part I can in making this world a better place and a key ingredient of that is enthusiastically supporting my fellow human beings along their journeys in life.

On a professional level, I try to do everything I possibly can to enable my colleagues and clients to prosper. For instance, I make sure that Azam Marketing spends a significant amount of resources on teaching our staff skills they would like to learn. I get tremendous satisfaction when I see clients and colleagues succeed in their goals, whatever they may be.

Outside of the world of work, I spend as much time as I possibly can trying to help others. By way of example, I look after three elderly people who are aged between 75 and 90 who live by themselves and don’t have anyone else to support them.

I fall short of what I would like to be able to do for others, but my biggest source of joy is putting a smile on other people’s faces. For instance, people joke that I am the biggest giver of gifts and cards on the planet (I don’t think I am!). Indeed, a few of my friends have banned me from giving them gifts and cards, saying I should instead focus on getting things for myself. However, my philosophy is to prioritise serving and spending on others.

In terms of the future, I have hugely ambitious plans for Azam Marketing. We have been beavering away behind the scenes for the last two years on creating some pretty clever tools and technologies. For instance, one of them will enable us to drive more sales, at a lower ROI, for our clients through targeted organic and paid social media campaigns. I am excited about launching these technologies later this year.

Our strapline at Azam Marketing since day one has been “Simply Results” and delivering superlative results is our obsession. I am looking forward to continuing to delight our clients by exceeding their exceptions and producing astounding results for them as we are renowned for.”

Watch insightful and educational recent podcast interviews with Nadeem Azam by following the links below:

The Ultimate Guide to Business Success – An Exclusive Video Masterclass

How to Become Financially Independent and Retire Early

After a fairly subdued couple of years as a result of Brexit and Covid, we were pleased to bounce back in style in 2022.

Last year Azam Marketing were thrilled to celebrate our Silver Anniversary. On our 20th anniversary, we had donated GBP £20,000 (USD $23,961 or EUR €22,694 at the time of writing) to twenty charities and we decided to replicate the gesture by donating £25,000 ($29,949 or €28,361) to twenty-five charities this time round.

We gained extensive media coverage for our milestone Silver Anniversary. This includes Yahoo! Finance and several other well-known news outlets.

Once clients experience the 24/7/365 stress-free V.I.P. service we always provide them, they choose to continue using our services for years and, in some cases, decades. We were humbled to receive these congratulatory messages on our anniversary from three of our loyal clients of 10+ years.

As part of the celebrations, we surprised all our staff and clients, plus friends and family members, to luxury hampers sent. Each was customised to the recipient’s dietary preferences and sent with a personalised letter and gift card. Here’s a video showing some of the gifts:

Like the cobblers shoes, we have been so busy over the years servicing our clients – our client work always, always takes a priority – that our own websites are beginning to look decidedly dated. Therefore, we have started a process of updating them one by one.

Last year, for instance, after extensive work we launched a brand new version of our popular UK consumer rewards website which has been running since 2003, FreeCashback.co.uk.

Continuing this initiative, in 2023 we will be launching brand new, much-better-looking versions of our corporate website and this blog.

This January our staff are being kept busy working on projects for both existing and new clients, and we have set-up a pipeline of ambitious plans for this year. To keep abreast with what’s going on, follow us on Facebook (8,103 followers), X (4,898), Instagram (1,604) and LinkedIn (2,154) where our loyal supporters also enjoy exclusive free growth hacks and insights based on our unparalleled expertise to enable them to prosper in their professional and personal lives.

Wishing you success and prosperity in the year ahead. Let’s make 2023 a smashing year for you and us!