Member Article

GDA celebrates its 30th anniversary by moving with the times

SHEFFIELD design and marketing agency GDA has celebrated its 30th anniversary with an exclusive event at their prestigious new office at Fox Valley in Stocksbridge.

More than 150 invited guests joined the GDA team as they enjoyed the final day of the Tour de Yorkshire.

The bike race finished right outside their new premises so it was the perfect opportunity to celebrate.

Managing Director Alistair Farrant explains: “Being in business for 30 years is a fantastic achievement for a company like us.

“The industry is getting more competitive all the time, we’ve had various recessions, the growth of digital marketing and new technology has completely transformed the way we work.

“I’m very proud of the way GDA has been able to adapt and innovate to move with the times.

“And having so many clients, friends and family along to help us mark the occasion was very special.”

Creative Director Jem Hager has been with GDA since it was launched in a former Co-op building in Barnsley in April 1987 by founder Graham Dawson.

And along with Alistair, he took over the reins completely in 2013 when Graham retired, making the move to their new home at Fox Valley last year.

“As I look around the office today, it’s hard to imagine just how much things have changed” Jem says.

“When I came into the industry 30 years ago you would have had a specialist in every area - artists, illustrators, designers, sales people - and everything, of course was created on drawing paper.

“It was a world of Lettraset and special pens, of tins of white paint for touching up blemishes.

“Now, of course, anybody can turn a Mac on and use a programme to create a piece of visual art that does the job very well - but I believe that perfect creativity should still have an appreciation of those old skills too.”

GDA is now firmly established as one of the north’s leading digital and creative marketing agencies.

Their client list includes Taylor Wimpey, Linden Homes, the British Orthodontic Society, Kingspan, Stonebridge Homes and Astonish.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Highfield .