Beijing and Beyond: UK Trade & Investment - Welbeck Design Case Study

A creative consultancy firm from Northumberland is expanding after making its mark in China with the help of UK Trade & Investment.

Welbeck Design has already built up an impressive client portfolio including new start-ups, local authorities, educational bodies and businesses of all shapes and sizes from all over the world that rely on Welbeck to create, improve and manage their brands.

The company, launched in 2005 by friends Lee Taylor and Mark Cook, quickly realised China offered lots of market potential. They took part in two market visits to China during 2008 and sought specialist advice from UK Trade & Investment’s China Business Development Manager Dr Zhengming Yang.

Dr Zhengming Yang was clearly impressed by Welbeck’s vision and determination, saying: "Welbeck Design invested a lot of time and effort into exploring the market, seeking our advice as well as commission OMIS reports and taking part in market visits, to establish the right way of approaching this market and the company is now well placed to build on its initial success".

Lee, a partner with Welbeck Design, explained how they were able to access the Chinese market: "The popularity of our work is down to the fact that what we do is very visual. We tend to design logos that can be interpreted universally without relying on words and this is why we believe we will attract more business in China.

"We’ve redesigned our website to incorporate both English and Chinese and we’re hoping to encourage a Chinese design company to form a worldwide partnership with us so we can help each other develop in our respective market places".

Now that they have a foothold in China, it is clear that that Welbeck are not looking to rest on their laurels. Their success should be an inspiration to other North East businesses looking to access worldwide markets, highlighting that with the right product, vision and support, anything is possible.

For more information about the range of support services available through UK Trade & Investment to help your company succeed overseas call the North East International Trade Hotline on 0845 05 05 054 or email:enquiries@ukti.rito.co.uk