“Debi Ani is totally unique in the way she creates graphics and puts heart and soul into a design. She has a wonderful way of understanding what the business needs and for 20 years has provided more than just gorgeous design and great service, but creative direction for the company as well.” Kate Woods, Creative Director, Woods Silver Fleet
Twenty one years ago, Kate Woods took over the Creative Direction of the family business, bringing Debi Ani and Oro&Co onboard and we’ve remained the go-to brand agency for the extraordinary Woods family ever since. Lifelong friendships have been forged whilst countless projects in brand design, bespoke logos, luxury brochures, campaigns, signage, invitations, photo shoots, digital and marketing materials have been produced. From large scale signage to the smallest sugar cube, each new project builds on previous work, creating a playful yet sophisticated design system in parallel with Woods’ high standards and constant innovation.
Thames Watermen since 1866, the Woods family live and breathe the river. Undisputed kings on the Thames, the Silver Fleet are highly sought-after London river yachts with luxurious interiors and world class hospitality. The Silver Sturgeon, Silver Barracuda and Silver Darling are frequently chartered by film stars, corporates and British Royalty. A pioneering flagship vessel, Silver Ray, is being built in collaboration with Marc Newson CBE, which will propel the fleet into the realms of cutting edge boat design. The family’s recent contribution to London’s riverscape is the spectacular Woods Quay discreetly nestling alongside Waterloo Pier. A feat of engineering which rises and falls with the tide, it provides an unforgettable vista of the city from its expansive and utterly luxurious glass and terrazzo interior. Uncompromising pioneers, the family continue to push the boundaries of events and shipbuilding on the River Thames.
Oro&Co have developed brand identities for Silver Fleet, the individual boats and Woods Quay, unified by an iconic logo. Our meticulously crafted W reflected in water sits alongside hand drawn lettering which embraces an infinity symbol, in homage to generations of Woods past, present and future. Tasked to create table talkers to break the ice at events, we produced a more complex interpretation depicting the bizarre and obscure names of the network of public stairs used by watermen since the 14th century to access the tidal waters. Foil blocked in barely-there colour onto premium Fedrigoni textured paper, ‘Frying Pan’, ‘Puddle Dock’ and ‘Elephant’ continue to contribute to much speculation and hilarity amongst guests. We devised a river goddess with the course of the Thames in her hair illustrated by Natalie Ferstendik and a geometric river pattern to work on everything from ice cream carts to wrapping paper. Working collaboratively and intuitively with Kate, our pleasure is in realising her insightful vision for the company.
Photography (c) Lisa Tse