A BRANDING and graphic design agency based in York has grown substantially over the last year, securing a wealth of new clients.

United by Design, based in The Mount, is now working for global professional services firm KPMG, Leeds-based retail giant ASDA stores and national soft toy manufacturer MetroCo, after a successful year.

United by Design, set up by owner and creative director Owen Turner in 2008, narrowly missed out on winning Small Business of the Year in The Press Business Awards 2012, and is putting forward its new successes to try to clinch the category this year.

The agency also continues to work with many clients who have been very satisfied with the effectiveness of its unique and individual work for them, including estate agent Preston Baker, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the University of York, St Peter’s School, the Chelsea award-winning Landscape Agency, Norton College, York Mansion House, food companies SLOEmotion and Choc Affair, plus the Elland and Treboom Breweries.

Mr Turner said: “At United by Design, our main aim is always to create distinctive and engaging work that is primarily driven by design effectiveness.

‘‘It’s not just about creating something that looks good, but also about focusing on the needs and wants of the client’s organisation to create a proactive brand strategy that will deliver the required results.

‘‘Careful branding and stylish design can really make a difference when it comes to keeping ahead of competitors.”

The agency gets involved with local educational projects, such as Young Enterprise, York St John University’s ACORN and Spark schemes and North Yorkshire Business and Education Partnership (NYBEP).

Mr Turner offers mentoring support to budding entrepreneurs and the company takes on talent from York St John University’s graduate internship scheme.

The business also contributes one per cent of its profits to environmental charities, including Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, as part of the global initiative One per cent for the Planet.

Mr Turner said: “The design and print industries have a huge impact on the environment on a worldwide scale, so we are always looking for ways in which we can reduce this locally and conduct our business as responsibly as possible with a global perspective on things.”